Mallard Creek beats West Charlotte in front of no fans after incident clears stands

An apparent fight broke out in the stands during the second half of Friday’s Mallard Creek at West Charlotte football game.

The stands on the West Charlotte side of the field suddenly cleared with 9:19 left in the third quarter and Mallard Creek leading 13-0. The game resumed more than an hour later after officials removed fans from the stadium. Mallard Creek won, 13-12, in a game matching two of the top five teams in The Observer’s Sweet 16 poll.

“It’s sad if anybody does something...when they’re coming to an event where there’s children, there’s families out here,” West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner said. “If you’re coming here for trouble, go somewhere else. I’ve got no time for that.”

After the incident — and it wasn’t clear exactly what happened— the teams quickly went to the far end of the field, away from the locker rooms, as an apparent fight broke out near that area.

At least one person was taken off the field on a stretcher as a police helicopter flew overhead. Several others were transported to the hospital via ambulance.

After about a 15-minute delay, both teams returned to their sides of the field and game officials decided, after a long discussion by school and game officials, to remove the fans before the game resumed.

“The first thing that comes to mind is the safety of our players on the field and our fans safety,” Mallard Creek coach Kennedy Tinsley said. “Safety kicks in and you become Papa Bear. It’s very easy to sit there and point the finger and say, ‘Hey man, this place is out of control.’ But at the end of the day, man, it’s unfair to this community. It’s a great community. It’s built on great tradition and great people, and they deserve to be able to come and watch a football game without foolishness and nonsense.”

The Observer spoke to West Charlotte Dean of Students Vickie Ruff, who was sitting in the press box, near midfield when the incident happened.

“We were just told to get down,” Rowe said, “and we just saw a wave of people just running. We were told to get down and we got down....I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

West Charlotte principal’s letter to families

On Saturday, West Charlotte principal Paula Cook sent a note to the school’s parents.

Dear West Charlotte Families,

This is Principal Cook with an update about last night’s West Charlotte and Mallard Creek Football game. During the game, a group of students was involved in altercation, which raised concerns about a potential threat. As a result, some spectators began to leave the stands quickly. Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance, the decision was made to evacuate the stadium. Additional law enforcement was on-site to assist with the situation, and we are grateful for their presence. We are relieved that no injuries were reported, and everyone was able to exit the stadium safely. The situation is under review, and we will continue to prioritize the safety and security of our students, staff, and community members.

We appreciate the cooperation of all those in attendance and will provide further updates as necessary.

Thank you for your support of West Charlotte.

Mallard Creek’s late stop sparks win

Mallard Creek looked to be comfortably cruising to its third win of the season when chaos erupted on and off the field.

That led to the Maverick having to hold on for a 13-12 victory over West Charlotte on Friday night in the teams’ Queen City 3A/4A conference opener – a game that was marred by a grandstands-clearing incident early in the second half.

The game was delayed for more than an hour after officials decided it would be finished without spectators in the grandstands – both on the home side and visitors – with the game resuming just 12 minutes shy of 10 p.m.

Before the delay, Mallard Creek (3-1, 1-0) held a 13-0 lead thanks to a 4-yard touchdown run by Caleb Knight in the first quarter and Perry Justice’s 7-yard keeper in the second, as well as Micah McClain’s extra-point kick.

The Mavericks’ defense was also doing a number on West Charlotte (2-1, 0-1), holding the Lions to just four first downs over the first three quarters, and sacking quarterback Jamouri Nicholas six times.

West Charlotte was also hurting itself with mistakes – 15 penalties covering 85 yards over three quarters.

But after the delay, the Lions began to turn things around, and the Mavericks couldn’t stop them.

West Charlotte put together its two longest possessions of the game in the final 10 minutes – a 13-play drive led to Nichols’ 4-yard keeper with 4:45 remaining, and his 1-yarder with 56 seconds left made it 13-12.

But the Lions failed on both extra-point attempts – Bam Mobley’s extra-point kick was blocked after Nichols’ first TD, and Nichols’ two-point pass to Rakim Finch was dropped in the end zone.

Three who made a difference

Jamouri Nichols, West Charlotte: Ran for both of the Lions’ touchdowns (although he finished with zero yards on 15 carries because of the sacks), and threw for 155 yards on 14 of 26 attempts.

Perry Justice, Mallard Creek: Had 129 yards total offense for the Mavericks, rushing for 41 yards and one touchdown, and throwing for 88 yards on 6 of 8 attempts.

Christian Dixon, Mallard Creek: Ran for a game-high 58 rushing yards on 15 carries, the most by any back in Friday’s game.

What’s next

Mallard Creek hosts nearby Hopewell – roughly eight miles separate the two schools – in a Queen City 3A/4A game next Friday. Meanwhile, West Charlotte travels to conference rival West Mecklenburg next Friday.

They said it

“Good teams have to do that. I credit our team for that. You’ve got to find a way to win those games that don’t go your way. Our kids continue to do that, but obviously shows we’ve got a lot to work to be where we want to be.” — Mallard Creek coach Kennedy Tinsley

GAME SUMMARY

MALLARD CREEK 6 7 0 0 – 13

WEST CHARLOTTE 0 0 0 12 – 12

First Quarter

MC—Caleb Knight 4 run (kick failed), 3:48.

Second Quarter

MC—Perry Justice 7 run (Micah McClain kick), 4:41.

Fourth Quarter

WC—Jamouri Nichols 3 run (kick blocked), 4:46.

WC—Nichols 1 run (pass failed), 0:56.