Football roundup: West Charlotte wins stunner; Mallard Creek loses

Mecklenburg County teams went 1-2 Friday night against out-of-state competition, with West Charlotte stunning S.C. powerhouse Summerville, but Mallard Creek and Butler taking losses.

West Charlotte built an early lead, then held off a last-minute threat for a 20-19 victory in Summerville.

Mallard Creek, facing the No. 5-ranked team in the country, absorbed a 41-7 loss at the hands of visiting Buford (GA).

And Butler, which got off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Donald Littlejohn, fell 49-28 to Indian Land, south of the border.

Here is a look at Friday’s action:

West Charlotte 20, Summerville (SC) 19: The Lions (2-1) knocked off the perennial powerhouse Green Wave, but not without some last-minute dramatics.  Summerville drove to the West Charlotte 11 but missed a field goal in the closing minute.

West Charlotte had raced to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on a Devareus Hill touchdown run and a 100-yard interception return by Jesiah Whitlock.  Hill also threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter.

Buford (GA) 41, Mallard Creek 7: The Wolves (2-0) were too much for Mallard Creek, scoring three times on defensive plays.

Jameer Cantrell and Ethan Houser each scored in the first half when they stripped the ball from Maverick backs and ran for touchdowns. Jewltan Dillard added a second-quarter touchdown on a pick-six.

Evan Griffeth added field goals of 32 and 47 yards for Buford.  Mallard Creek (2-1) scored on a Cailen Napier touchdown pass early in the second quarter.

Indian Land 49, Butler 28: Damourion Thomas-Wright’s 5-yard touchdown run got Butler off to a 7-0 lead, but Indian Land scored 21 straight points and never surrendered the lead.

When Butler closed the gap to 21-14 in the second quarter on a touchdown pass, Indian Land answered with a 31-yard touchdown pass and then Demetrius Starling’s 48-yard punt return.

Charlotte Catholic 24, Charlotte Christian 13: The host Cougars (2-1) trailed 13-7 in the third quarter when Adam Aoun completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to Jason Leonard.  Aidan Flynn’s conversion kick put the Cougars ahead to stay 14-13.

Charlotte Catholic added a third-quarter touchdown on Joe Patrick’s 67-yard punt return and got a 42-yard field goal from Flynn in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars scored first, on Chase Kummer’s 3-yard run.  The Knights closed to 7-6 on a 6-yard pass from Gavin McDermott to Aidan Dallas.  Charlotte Christian went ahead 13-7 midway in the second quarter on a short run by McDermott.

Other Mecklenburg games

Ambassador Christian 35, Independence (WV) 6: Daniel Echeverria completed 16-of-19 passes for 285 yards and four touchdowns in Ambassador's big victory. Ezekiel Kelly added 103 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Berry Academy 35, Rocky River 7: The Cardinals raced to a 21-0 halftime lead.

Charlotte Country Day 30, Greensboro Ben Smith 6: The Buccaneers' Achilles Morales passed for four touchdowns, as his team improved to 2-1.

Community School of Davidson 40, Bradford Prep 12: The Spartans scored three times on interception returns and rolled to a Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A victory. Cade Rasmussen had two interception returns for scores, covering 19 and 50 yards. Josh Caves had a 70-yard pick-six. Ty Sigler threw for a pair of Community School touchdowns.

East Mecklenburg 41, Garinger 6: Dominic Lisi ran for two touchdowns and passed for another, and David Kirambe returned an interception 37 yards for a touchdown, as the Eagles improved to 2-1.

Hickory Grove Christian 26, Greenville (SC) Hurricanes 0: The Lions improved to 3-0, as freshman Tyler Lang completed 12-of-15 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Noah Belote had nine receptions for 153 yards and a pair of scores.

Hopewell 14, Statesville 0: Miles Vanderspuy ran for two touchdowns, and James Miller led a strong defensive effort with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack.

Hunter Huss 12, North Mecklenburg 6: The host Huskies broke a 6-all tie with 4:31 left in the game, when J.J. Manning scored from 4 yards out on a quarterback keeper.

Independence 20, Harding 6: Noah Wright had a huge game, rushing for 208 yards and helping the Patriots (1-2) to their first victory of the season. The Patriots broke open a close game with two third-quarter touchdowns.

Jesse Carson 41, SouthLake Christian 36: The Eagles led 13-0 and 22-14 early in the game, but Jesse Carson went on a 21-0 run and then held on. Cameron Gandy threw a touchdown pass with two minutes left, bringing SouthLake within five points. But the Eagles could get no closer.

Langtree Charter 56, Bonnie Cone Academy 28: Bonnie Cone Academy, still seeking its first-ever victory in its second season, led 16-13 and 22-20 in the second quarter. But the Lions bolted to a 35-22 halftime lead and added three more touchdowns for a 56-22 margin.

Marvin Ridge 42, Ardrey Kell 21: The Mavericks (3-0) continued their strong early-season push, as Jake Robbins ran 80 yards for a touchdown and Levi Kerr connected with Anthony Fuller on a pair of long scores. The Kerr-to-Fuller touchdowns covered 80 and 42 yards. Ardrey Kell led 7-0 early, but Marvin Ridge went on a 42-0 run.

Myers Park 41, Providence 14: Myers Park led 6-0 at halftime, but the scoring pace accelerated greatly in the final two quarters. A pair of Thomas McLaurin field goals accounted for the Mustangs' halftime lead. Providence went up 7-6 on a 42-yard fumble return, but Javion Grimes ran 3 yards for a Myers Park touchdown, and teammate Jalen Railey returned a punt 65 yards for another score. That put the Mustangs ahead 20-7, and they pulled away.

North Rowan 46, Lake Norman Charter 27: North Rowan outscored the Knights 26-7 in the second half for the victory. Dylan Wignot threw a pair of touchdown passes for Lake Norman Charter.

Northwood Academy (SC) 58, Charlotte Latin 35: Kevin Johnson threw five touchdown passes for the visiting Chargers.

Olympic 35, West Mecklenburg 31: The Trojans (1-2) scored with 4:03 left for the winning points in a back-and-forth battle.

Palisades 18, Clover (SC) 10: Cole Hough passes for 165 yards and ran for a touchdown, as Palisades (3-0) prepped for its big game next Friday against Chambers. Jacob Black led the Palisades defense, with two sacks and two tackles for loss.

South Mecklenburg 22, Ballantyne Ridge 20: The Sabres (1-2) got their first home victory in nearly two years (the school's field was renovated last year). Osazee Innah rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns for Ballantyne Ridge (0-3)

Other area games

A.L. Brown 28, Mooresville 27: A.J. Settles competed a 37-yard touchdown pass to Trebor McQueen, and Morgan Burgess added the decisive conversion kick, leading the Wonders over the Blue Devils. Mooresville had broken a 21-21 tie in the fourth quarter on a 56-yard touchdown pass from Weston Michalak and Tyler Myers, but the conversion kick failed.

Anson County 27, South Stanly 0: The host Bearcats scored four times on runs in the first half and coasted.

Ashbrook 40, Northwest Cabarrus 0: The Green Wave posted an impressive victory over a perennial playoff contender. A.J. McCain ran for a touchdown and passes for four more. For the game, he completed 9-of-15 passes for 213 yards, and he rushed for 93 yards.

Burns 53, East Gaston 0: The Bulldogs opened Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A play in a big way, racing to a 39-0 lead after the first quarter. Romelo Wells threw three touchdown passes, two to Mason Bralley, and Max Davis ran for a pair of scores.

Cannon School 49, Raleigh Ravenscroft 14: Lucas Lopez completed 13-of-17 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns, and the Cougars improved to 3-0. Two of the scoring tosses went to Marcus Sales.

Crest 17, Asheville 3: Carter Glenn and Majay Thompson scored touchdowns, and Carson Grier kicked a field goal in the Chargers' (3-0) victory. Crest insured the triumph by recovering an Asheville fumble at the Chargers' 4 late in the game.

Cuthbertson 51, Cox Mill 37: The Cavaliers (1-2) outscored Cox Mill (1-2) 21-8 in the second half for the victory. Cox Mill narrowed an early gap to 30-29 in the second quarter, but Cuthbertson's Carson Falcoun threw a touchdown pass, and Jamari Boulware ran for two scores to open the lead. Kaden Todd passed for two Cox Mill scores.

East Lincoln 35, Newton-Conover 0: Zay Phillips threw for four touchdowns and ran for one more, as the Mustangs (3-0, 1-0 Western Foothills 4A/5A) cruised. Phillips' scoring toss to Gabriel Johnson covered 63 yards.

East Wilkes 56, North Iredell 0: East Wilkes built a 49-0 halftime lead. North Iredell has been outscored 174-0 this season.

Hickory Ridge 54, South Iredell 6: Coley Cornelius passed for 198 yards and five touchdowns, leading the Ragin' Bulls. Three Hickory Ridge backs rushed for 80 yards or more.

Jay M. Robinson 42, A.C. Reynolds 0: Aury Greenfield and Ennis Stiles each ran for a pair of touchdowns, as the Bulldogs made life miserable for their Asheville visitors. K.J. Allen also scored on an interception return for the Bulldogs (3-0).

Kings Mountain 43, Bandys 7: The Mountaineers burst to a 37-0 halftime lead. Jordan Jenkins threw six touchdown passes, two of them to Ryder McClure.

Lake Norman 49, West Cabarrus 0: Kaden Craft completed 12-of-13 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns, lifting Lake Norman (3-0). Thailan Bellamy had eight receptions for 151 yards and three touchdowns.

Lincolnton 61, Cherryville 25: Rashad Lynch threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and Jarvis Littlejohn ran for three touchdowns, as the Wolves (3-0, 1-0) trounced the Ironmen in a Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A game. Lincolnton also had a 90-yard kickoff return by Jeremiah Thompson for a touchdown.

Maiden 34, North Lincoln 13: Grant Propst threw a 93-yard touchdown pass for North Lincoln, but the Knights were unable to stop Maiden's passing attack in this Western Foothills 4A/5A game.

Mount Pleasant 3, Central Cabarrus 0: The Tigers (3-0) got a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter and made some key defensive stops for a home victory. The Tigers stopped a Viking drive in the third quarter with an interception, and Central Cabarrus missed a potential game-tying field goal in the final minute.

North Stanly 49, Montgomery Central 21: Brady Lowder ran for a touchdown and passed for two more in leading the Comets.

Piedmont 35, East Rowan 14: Piedmont scored on a pass, a run and an interception return, building a 21-0 lead by early in the second quarter.

Shelby 80, Highland Tech 0: This has turned into an annual blowout. A year ago, Shelby won this game 90-0. The Golden Lions raced to a 37-0 first-quarter lead against their Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A foes.

Sylva Smoky Mountain 43, Forestview 6: The Jaguars (0-3) were victimized by the Mustangs' Rylee Smith, who ran for four touchdowns.

South Point 19, T.C. Roberson 16: Wilson London kicked a 22-yard field goal in the final minute, lifting the Raiders (3-0). It was London's second field goal of the game, and it came after Roberson had rallied from a 16-0 deficit in the third quarter.

Sun Valley 40, Parkwood 28: The Spartans led only 8-0 at halftime but scored two touchdowns early in the third quarter and raced to victory.

Trinity Christian 27, Metrolina Christian 15: Samuel Willi completed 20-of-38 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown, but the Metrolina ground game finished with minus-32 yards.

Union Academy 42, Lincoln Charter 10: Parker Frashier threw for three touchdowns and ran 50 yards for another score, leading the Cardinals.

Weddington 31, Monroe 7: Beckett Powell ended a scoreless game late in the first quarter by returning an interception 47 yards for a Weddington touchdown. Colin Bernhard and Brian Walker then scored in the second quarter, and the Warriors (3-0) pulled away from the Redhawks (1-2).

West Forsyth 41, Porter Ridge 3: A 32-yard field goal by Sammy Elliott is all that saved the Pirates (0-3) from a shutout. West Forsyth's Luke Lambooy returned the game's opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

West Iredell 43, Fred T. Foard 24: The host Warriors (3-0, 1-0) opened Western Footballs 4A/5A play with a big victory, as Ja'Bryiah Patterson ran for a touchdown and passed for two more, and Amario Spence scored on a pair of runs.

West Stanly 30, Albemarle 12: Sam Defreitas ran for a pair of Colts' touchdowns.