Mallard Creek vs. Independence – Game Observations

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mallard Creek defeated Independence 28-14 in the Charlotte Kickoff Classic this past Thursday Night at Memorial Stadium. Let's take a look at some of the standouts from this game:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mallard Creek</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#21 DB [player_tooltip player_id='1303818' first='Nassor' last='Ashenafi'] - An incredible performance from the junior cornerback who had two Pick 6 Interceptions that were literally the difference in the game. Standing at 5'8, he played the outside corner and showed excellent man coverage skills, staying in the hip pocket of wide receivers all night. He also showed excellent ball skills, as neither one of his interceptions were easy catches. And then ultimately, great speed in the open field to both stay with receivers and to run back those interceptions. A transfer from the Washington DC area, he obviously has made a big name for himself. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#33 DL [player_tooltip player_id='457612' first='Zion' last='Burden'] - Had 2 sacks in the game, and that was a big reason why the Independence offense was held in check so well. He has excellent speed off the edge with great pass-rush technique, running the hoop of the offensive tackle. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#4 RB Khalil Ali - Really helped flip the momentum of the game with a big run early in the 2nd half - the Class of 2024 prospect has some explosive speed and good vision to get in and out of the hole on a consistent basis. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#1 LB Tyrek Brown - This Class of 2024 linebacker is listed at 6'1 and 210 pounds. Tyrek did a great job flying to the football and making tackles in open space, both in the running game and the passing game. He holds an offer from Campbell, but with consistent performances like these, I wouldn't be surprised if more recruiting attention came his way. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#2 WR [player_tooltip player_id='396831' first='Benjamin' last='Black'] - The Class of 2024 playmaker is committed to Rutgers, and he showed why when he turned a quick screen that was snuffed out by Independence into a long catch and run touchdown that essentially ended up sealing the game for the Mavericks. Once Mallard Creek opens up the vertical passing game, Black could have a huge senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Independence </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#7 QB [player_tooltip player_id='828612' first='Justin' last='Little'] - Little had a rushing TD that opened up the scoring for the Patriots on a nice QB keeper. He displayed his dual-threat ability, but he didn't get a lot of help around him in this one, as he constantly faced pressure and had a receiver drop a pass that ended up being an interception. He will bounce back and learn a lot from this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#21 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1124842' first='Jayden' last='Jones'] - This sophomore had an explosive 62-yard TD run that gave the Patriots a 14-12 lead in the 3rd quarter. In the Class of 2026, he may have helped secure the lead running back role as the Patriots rotated through a few different options in this game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#4 LB [player_tooltip player_id='771231' first='Dallas' last='Brannon'] - The highly recruited sophomore helped shut down the Mallard Creek offense for the vast majority of the game, showing good speed and block-shed ability in the run game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->