Middle Creek secured a crucial conference victory in the early stages of the season in their pursuit of another SWAC championship.

In the fourth quarter, amidst heavy rain, the Mustangs were able to mount a comeback and defeat Green Level, handing them their first loss of the season in league play with a score of 13-9.

At halftime, Middle Creek had a three-point advantage. However, with 8:39 remaining in the game, they were tied at 9-9. Jayce Konowitz then scored two of his five goals, leading his team on a 4-0 run to ultimately win the game.

The Gators took the lead with a 3-1 advantage in the early stages of the game.

Austin Hryn, Gus Maggio, and Harrison Murray responded to a goal by Piersen Falivena with three consecutive scores, resulting in Green Level’s biggest advantage of the game.

In the following 10:07, Middle Creek responded with a consecutive run of five points and took over the lead.

Konowitz and Grant Klein each scored twice during the scoring streak. The two juniors scored a goal each while the Mustangs were on a power play for three minutes. Blake Reynolds completed the streak by going around the goal and firing a shot for a 6-3 lead.

Maggio scored a goal without looking in the last 33 seconds of the first half. However, a costly mistake in the middle of the field resulted in a goal by Konowitz with only 4.3 seconds remaining, increasing the lead to 7-4 at halftime.

Hyrn and Harrison Murray scored early in the third quarter, bringing the score to within one point.

Maggio scored his third goal of the night, putting Middle Creek ahead 9-7 after goals by James Strickland and Cooper Lindsay, as the fourth quarter began.

At the beginning of the third quarter, Hyrn and Murray scored consecutive goals at the start of the fourth quarter. This resulted in a tie game at 9-9.

With 6 minutes and 17 seconds remaining, Konowitz pushed through the Gator defense, created space, and scored to secure the lead for the Mustangs, which they would maintain until the end.

Shortly after, Klein made a great pass to Lindsay, resulting in a two-point lead.

Konowitz netted his fifth and final goal with victory in sight. His tally with 2:18 left was followed by a save on the defensive end by Dylan Axman that sparked the dagger, a clearing pass to Jadon McKenzie who went the distance and scored to lift the Mustangs to the 13-9 win.

Middle Creek is now 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the SWAC. The Mustangs return from spring break on April 2 at Panther Creek.

Reworded: The Green Level team climbed the HighSchoolOT statewide Top-25 poll last week after defeating Lake Norman, Cardinal Gibbons, and Holly Springs. However, they experienced their first loss of the season on Friday night. The team’s overall record is now 9-1 and they are tied for second place in their league with a record of 5-1.

Source: highschoolot.com