Yahoo Movies Is Mallard Creek football back? Mavericks looked like it against Myers Park in opener
Mallard Creek wasn’t trying to be cute in its season-opener Thursday at Memorial Stadium.
The Mavericks played tough defense and used a physical, run-heavy offensive style that seemed to wear down Myers Park in a 21-3 win at Memorial Stadium.
Mallard Creek (1-0) is No. 14 in The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll. No. 8 Myers Park (0-1) lost in the debut game for new coach Jason McManus.
And it was a good first step, in a prime time game, for the Mavericks, who are trying to re-establish themselves as a North Carolina power this season. After winning three straight state titles from 2013-15, Mallard Creek slowly lost its national ranking as it went through some hard times.
Mallard Creek lost the 2017 state championship game to Wake Forest, and didn’t win another playoff game until 2021. Last season, the Mavericks lost three of their last four regular-season games, but found something special in the postseason, reaching the third round.
This season, 17 starters returned from that team, and the Mavericks looked like an experienced, confident and physical team against Myers Park on Thursday.
They gave up a short field and a quick field goal on the game’s opening drive, but handled the Mustangs after that.
Tomar Bivens’ 1-yard run gave Mallard Creek a 7-3 lead after the Mavericks first drive. A heavy rain interrupted their momentum, but in the second half, when it dried up, Mallard Creek went on a long, tough third-quarter drive that ended with QB Justin Wheeler punching it in from the 1. When he scored, with 2:25 left in the third quarter, Mallard Creek’s 14-3 lead seemed pretty large the way things were going.
Later, a 76-yard touchdown run from Bivens — after a long punt return from Benjamin Black was called back — gave the Mavericks a 21-3 lead and put the game away with 9:36 to play.
