Mallard Creek rallies from 21-0 back, upsets Prince Avenue (GA) at Turf Kings Invitational

His team was trailing two-time defending Georgia state champion Prince Avenue Christian 21-0 Saturday, but Mallard Creek coach Kennedy Tinsley and his staff thought they saw an opening.

“Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t,” Tinsley said.

On Saturday, it worked — spectacularly.

The Mavericks switched to a three-quarterback system, ran the ball on nearly every play, and ran off 31 consecutive points for a 31-21 upset victory in the Turf Kings Classic at Westside High in Anderson, S.C.

Tinsley’s team totally flipped the script in the second half, running the ball on 32 of 34 plays.

“We thought we saw an opportunity to use different quarterbacks and run the ball,” he said. “In the end, I think we tired them out.”

Meanwhile, the Mavericks’ defense also flipped a switch at the half. After surrendering 289 yards to Prince Avenue Christian in the first two quarters, they allowed only 52 in the second half.

Tyler Bennett returned an interception 27 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, and Lawson Collins picked off a pass to end Prince Avenue Christian’s final threat.

Tinsley annually challenges his teams, by way of a difficult schedule against powerhouses from around the Southeast. The Mavericks have struggled in some of those games, which made Saturday’s victory even nicer.

“It’s always great to win one of these big games,” he said. “It’s a nice way to open the season.”

Mallard Creek’s turnaround actually started before the half. His team down 21-0, Christian Dixon returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown.

The Mavericks cut the deficit to 21-14 midway through the third quarter on a 6-yard Justice run, then closed to 21-17 early in the final period on a Ashton Blevins field goal.

The go-ahead score came on Bennett’s pick-6, and the Mavericks added a 1-yard Justice run for a touchdown with a minute left.

“We have a pretty resilient group,” Tinsley said.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Perry Justice, Mallard Creek: One of three quarterbacks used Saturday by the Mavericks, Justice scored two touchdowns and led the offense on its final scoring drive, which ate up six minutes with 13 running plays.

Zion Burden, Mallard Creek: Burden had three tackles for losses and was a key to the defense holding the Wolverines’ Andrew Beard in check during the second half.

Andrew Beard, Prince Avenue Christian: A sophomore running back, Beard rushed for 134 yards. He had 106 of those yards in the first half.

JUST MENTIONING

▪ Mallard Creek actually scored seven touchdowns Saturday, but three long scoring plays were negated by penalties. “Prince Avenue had already played a game,” Tinsley said. “This was our first game. In first games, you tend to get a lot of penalties and mechanical issues.” The Mavericks were flagged 15 times, although they cleaned things up in the final 1 1/2 quarters.

▪ As is typical, Mallard Creek’s schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Mavericks host last year’s 4A runner-up, Cardinal Gibbons, next Friday, then face Georgia power Grayson.

▪ Mallard Creek was outgained 341-228 but had a 166-52 edge in total yardage in the second half.

WHAT’S NEXT

Mallard Creek hosts Cardinal Gibbons next Friday. Prince Avenue Christian, an Athens, Ga., private school that has won three of the last four Division 1 state titles, is home Friday against Blessed Trinity, of Roswell, Ga.

GAME SUMMARY

Prince Avenue Christian 7 14 0 0 — 21

Mallard Creek 0 7 7 17 — 31

PAC — Mac Bradley 2 run (Chip Dickens kick)

PAC — Andrew Beard 32 run (Dickens kick)

PAC — C.J. Dockery 27 pass from Ben Musser (Dickens kick)

MC — Christian Dixon 96 kickoff return (Ashton Blevins kick)

MC — Perry Justice 6 run (Blevins kick)

MC — FG Blevins 31

MC — Tyler Bennett 27 interception return (Blevins kick)

MC — Justice 1 run (Blevins kick)