MARVIN, N.C. – The roadmap to success in the 4A west does not feature the smoothest path.

A year after the region produced the highest-seeded state champion in NCHSAA history, Marvin Ridge, a team that sat 4-4-2 less than two months ago, will take the field this weekend just 80 minutes away from glory.

The Mavericks scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the first half to escape Charlotte Catholic 3-1 in Tuesday’s regional final match.

Marvin Ridge will face Wakefield at Matthews SportsPlex this weekend. The Wolverines won a 1-1 (4-3 PK) thriller over Green Hope on the eastern side of the bracket.

In the 26th minute, Marvin Ridge rang the crossbar with a header. Charlotte Catholic’s counter-attack in the 28th saw a ball scorch off of the right post.

The Cougars would not muster another scoring opportunity until late in the match.

A set piece with seven minutes left in the opening frame finally broke the ice. With Cassias McKinnon on the ball, Logan Ashburg torpedoed through the box to head in a 1-0 lead.

With the crowd still buzzing, Collin McKee squared up a shot 90 seconds later that instantly inflated the advantage to 2-0.

Charlotte Catholic slashed the lead in half with 4:12 left in the match, but Liam Galvin started the celebration early with a last-second goal for added insurance.

Amid the Mavericks’ 14-game win streak, they have won big, come from behind, escaped top seeds on the road, and avenged early-season losses.
On August 27, Charlotte Catholic got the best of Marvin Ridge 3-0. Now the Mavs’ stand alone as the 4A west representative.

The NCHSAA will release game times and dates once all regional final matches go final.

With the fall sports season coming to an end, this weekend will be Marvin Ridge’s third finish in the top-two of a state championship. The Mavericks won the 4A boys cross country team title, and finished 4A runner-up in volleyball. The school also has a third place finish under its belt in girls cross country.