Program Profile: Mallard Creek Mavericks

The Mallard Creek Mavericks had an up-and-down season last year. They showed they could compete with some of the best teams around - beating Independence and losing by three to a nationally ranked Grayson team out of Georgia. However, losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs was not the goal for the Mavericks. With a large number of seniors, Head Coach Kennedy Tinsley feels like this team can do something special in his 4th year at the helm leading the Mavericks.   [player_tooltip player_id='1257574' first='Evan' last='Rambert'], a talented player with a very strong arm throwing the football, leads the Mavericks at the quarterback position. I personally observed him throwing the ball 65 yards in the air at a local football showcase event. At 6'2 and 195 pounds, the Class of 2025 prospect will be a big part of the Mavericks' success this upcoming season. Evan currently has an offer from Emory & Henry. Expect Caleb Knight to get some quarterback reps at times also - he played some QB and RB last season, and I think he has some capability to play wide receiver also. The 6'0 180 pound Class of 2025 prospect currently holds an offer from Lenoir-Rhyne and has shown some electric speed and agility with the football in his hands.   At running back, the Mavericks have a few different options to throw at a team on Friday Nights. Besides Knight, Christian Dixon is the leading returning rusher for the Mavericks. The Class of 2025 prospect is a track sensation and simply does not get caught from behind in the open field. Dixon is a tough runner inside and shows the ability to run through tackles at the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense. Samaritan Page and Curtis Clark will also see some action in the backfield. Both players are also very dynamic and fast athletes on the track, and this carries over to their performance on the field. Page is also an All-Conference wrestler at 5'8 and 180 pounds. Clark can also play some receiver in the slot at 5'7 and 165 pounds and boasts a 4.3 40-yard dash time on his Twitter profile. Both players are Class of 2025 prospects.   The receiver position will have a different look to it after Ben Black's graduation and playing college football at Rutgers. Elijah Thompson will have an excellent chance to step into some big shoes to fill. The 6'2 185 pound Class of 2025 prospect has offers from Ohio and Austin Peay at the moment. Elijah also runs track and reports a 3.8 GPA on his Twitter profile. I think Elijah has good speed and uses his physical frame well to win 50/50 balls against man coverage. Jamal Haizlip was a contributor at receiver last season at 5'11 and 170 pounds. The Class of 2025 prospect has an offer from UNC Pembroke currently. Jamal has had a good summer developing synergy with Rambert during 7 on 7 action and looks to be a legitimate threat on the outside on a variety of routes. Andre Henderson is also a name to watch, at 5'10 and 170 pounds, the Class of 2025 prospect picked up an offer from Monroe College this spring. I saw Andre at a local camp this spring and he displayed some very strong hands catching the football. [player_tooltip player_id='338729' first='Khalil' last='Price'] has come into the program from North Mecklenburg High School and will be a strong addition to the receiving corps. At 6'3 and 165 pounds, Khalil recently picked up an offer from Campbell. He is also a major Track runner and should add even more speed to an extremely athletic team overall. Expect Addison Powell to line up at the Tight End spot for the Mavericks. At 6'3 and 210 pounds, Addison has the potential to be a nice safety net for Rambert delivering the football in the air.   On the offensive line, expect [player_tooltip player_id='1360451' first='Jordan' last='Shaw'] to set the tone. I wrote about Jordan earlier this year, and one of his trademarks is his overall strength - he will not get pushed around by interior defensive linemen at either center or guard. At 6'2 and 265 pounds, expect the Class of 2025 prospect to play some defensive tackle as well. Jordan currently has some college interest from schools. [player_tooltip player_id='225399' first='Anthony' last='Cook'] has joined the program from North Mecklenburg High School. Anthony is one of the better offensive linemen overall in the Charlotte Metro Area. At 6'1 and 270 pounds, the Class of 2026 prospect was a 1st team All-Conference selection last season and can play either Center or Guard on the line. Anthony currently does have some college interest from a couple of different schools on the next level.   Defensively, the Mavericks have some talent at all three levels. Starting on the defensive line, [player_tooltip player_id='457612' first='Zion' last='Burden'] is an incredibly fast EDGE/OLB prospect. Standing at 5'11 and 230 pounds, Zion shows an incredible burst at the snap to gain an elite pass rush against offensive tackles. Zion also shows the overall speed to track plays down from the backside when teams try to run away from him. Zion currently has an offer from Hampden-Sydney College and is a Class of 2025 prospect. Opposite him, [player_tooltip player_id='1357041' first='Nick' last='Griffith'] is a strong prospect at 6'2 and 205 pounds at the EDGE/OLB spot. Nick is also a Class of 2025 prospect, and he also shows a good get-off at the snap of the football. Nick is showing some versatility this offseason as an off-ball linebacker that can effectively drop and play pass coverage as well. Nick has offers from both Hampden-Sydney College and Emory & Henry. Another name to watch is Darius Battle - at 6'2 and 230 pounds, he can play both Defensive End and Defensive Tackle spots and be strong at the point of attack. Dadrian Hilliard will also provide some interior force at both defensive tackle and defensive and at 6'2 and 220 pounds. Both Darius and Dadrian are Class of 2025 prospects.   At the linebacker spot, expect [player_tooltip player_id='892289' first='Deuce' last='Midgett'] to be a force at the middle linebacker spot. At 6'2 and 195 pounds, Deuce is a three-sport athlete who reports a 3.5 GPA on his Twitter profile. The Class of 2026 prospect has a very good opportunity to have a breakout season from a recruiting perspective. Deuce got some playing time in some big games last season and looked as if he belonged, making good tackles in open space and flashing some good overall athleticism. Another Class of 2026 prospect to note is Askia Caine Mustafa, standing at 6'0 and 205 pounds. Askia can play both middle and outside linebacker positions.   In the secondary, Mallard Creek has a couple of dynamic players to shine a light on. At safety, [player_tooltip player_id='1254540' first='Brandon' last='Rose'] will be an impact player. The 6'0 185 Class of 2025 prospect has committed to Coastal Carolina and is an excellent player in both the passing game and run game. Brandon is not afraid to come up and fill in the run game and does a good job of making open-field solo tackles. Brandon also does a good job of being disciplined in zone coverage, making the correct read, and attacking the football in the air. Finally, Brandon gets it done in the classroom, boasting a 3.6 overall GPA. Joining him in the Mavericks secondary is Class of 2025 prospect [player_tooltip player_id='1303818' first='Nassor' last='Ashenafi']. At 5'9 and 160 pounds, Nassor has a major strength in man coverage against wide receivers. Nassor had a strong offseason, picking up offers from both Lenoir-Rhyne and Western Carolina. Nassor displays excellent overall speed with the ability to run with wide receivers all over the field. Nassor also excels on the track, showing good overall times there in the 100-meter dash.   Overall, the Mavericks I think are definitely a playoff team. If the offense is able to come together and distribute the football to all of their weapons well, they can be a dark horse team to make a deep run in the playoffs and contend for a State Championship. Coach Tinsley told me in an interview that the Mavericks are placing high expectations on themselves, and it will come down to if they can find that consistency to deliver their best football week in and week out on their schedule.

The Mallard Creek Mavericks had an up-and-down season last year. They showed they could compete with some of the best teams around - beating Independence and losing by three to a nationally ranked Grayson team out of Georgia. However, losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs was not the goal for the Mavericks. With a large number of seniors, Head Coach Kennedy Tinsley feels like this team can do something special in his 4th year at the helm leading the Mavericks.