Lake Norman stuns three-time state champ Mallard Creek in I-MECK 4A upset

Caleb Douthit was supposed to run the ball to the middle of the field, so Lake Norman could try a game-winning field goal.

But Douthit didn’t see any defenders in his way, so he just kept running — all the way to the end zone for a touchdown that lifted his Wildcats to a come-from-behind 29-24 I-Meck 4A victory over Mallard Creek on Friday.

The loss left the visiting Mavericks, a recent North Carolina football powerhouse, with a 0-2 record.

With the win, Lake Norman (2-0) can now be considered a serious contender in the I-Meck, with big games against Hough and Vance yet to come.

“We have a team with a lot of seniors, and they believe in the system,” Lake Norman coach Jonathan Oliphant said. “They know what has to be done.”

Friday’s contest was filled with big plays and momentum shifts.

Mallard Creek, which ran only eight plays from offense in the first half, had vaulted to a 24-15 lead midway in the fourth quarter behind three Xavion Brower touchdown passes.

The host Wildcats narrowed the gap to 24-22 by driving 74 yards and scoring on a 2-yard run by Douthit with 4:31 to play.

On the ensuing series, Mallard Creek decided to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 from its 44. Lake Norman senior linebacker Bradley Wilson stopped Maverick running back P.J. Hinton for no gain.

With about 2:30 remaining, the Wildcats, who prefer to run the ball 65 to 70 percent of the time, drove deep into Mallard Creek territory. Two key plays were a 14-yard run by Douthit and a 14-yard pass from Anthony Limon to Crishon Shepard.

With 22 seconds left, at the Mallard Creek 14, Oliphant called a running play toward the middle of the field.

“The idea was to set up for a potential game-winning field goal,” Oliphant said.

Douthit got the ball, broke past the line of scrimmage, evaded a Maverick defender, and raced into the end zone with 11 seconds left.

The game still wasn’t decided, though. On the final play, Brower lofted a long pass to a wide-open Dante Harbison at the Lake Norman 10. The ball was overthrown by a few feet.

Oliphant said the game plan was for the Wildcats to control the ball.

“We knew we needed to keep Mallard Creek’s offense on the sidelines as much as possible,” he said. “We knew at halftime that a team like Mallard Creek could come back. They’ve got so much talent on that team.”

Three who mattered

Caleb Douthit, Lake Norman: A junior running back, Douthit rushed 18 times for 95 yards and scored three touchdowns. He also had a 14-yard first-down run in the final touchdown drive.

Xavion Brower, Mallard Creek: The Mavericks’ junior starting quarterback barely saw the ball in the first half, but he completed 8-of-13 passes in the second half for 75 yards and three touchdowns.

Crishon Shepard, Lake Norman: A senior wide receiver and defensive back, Shepard returned a kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. He also ran for 27 yards and caught a pass for 14 yards.

Worth mentioning

▪ Oliphant said one of the game’s biggest plays was Crishon Shepard’s 86-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter. That followed a Mallard Creek touchdown that had put the Mavericks ahead 10-7. “Crishon is one of the fastest plays in the I-Meck,” Oliphant said.

▪ Mallard Creek had a spectacular kickoff return of its own. Harbison returned the opening kick of the second half 92 yards for an apparent touchdown, but an illegal block penalty negated the score.

▪ Lake Norman was without its head coach for two days this week. Oliphant was out with a stomach virus. “My kid got it at preschool, and it spread through the whole family,” he said. “But the kids did a good job of preparing without me.”

▪ It might have been good that Caleb Douthit scored the final touchdown, instead of setting up a field goal try. Mallard Creek blocked a pair of Lake Norman field-goal attempts earlier in the game.

They said it

“Every week brings a big challenge in the I-Meck. You know you’re going to face D-I players — kids who will be playing on Saturdays in the future. There’s never an ‘off’ week.” — Lake Norman coach Jonathan Oliphant.

What’s next?

Lake Norman hosts Hough next Friday in an I-Meck 4A game, while Mallard Creek faces West Charlotte at the old Waddell High field.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

Game summary

Mallard Creek 3 0 14 7 — 24

Lake Norman 0 7 8 14 — 29

MC: FG Aditya Turamalla 24

LN: Caleb Douthit 10 run (Nick McCue kick)

MC: Kaleb Washington 17 pass from Xavion Brower (Turamalla kick)

LN: Crishon Shepard 86 kickoff return (Bradley Wilson run)

MC: Dante Harbison 17 pass from Brower (Turamalla kick)

MC: Damonte Furman 1 pass from Brower (Turamalla kick)

LN: Douthit 2 run (McCue kick)

LN: Douthit 12 run (McCue kick)