They'll be talking about this one for a very long time in Carolina. Both of them.
After scoring on its first three plays to take what looked like an unbeatable 21-0 lead, perennial national power
Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) watched visiting and No. 7
Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) pull off what looked to be a miraculous victory.
But according to numerous reports,
Thomas Cook made a 19-yard field goal with two seconds left to give Byrnes (3-0) a wild 31-29 victory in a driving rain and lightning storm on Friday night.
The ultimately lightning strike nearly occurred after Cook's field goal. A short squib kick was downed, and following a penalty, Mallard Creek had a chance for a potential game-winning field go. But it was blocked to finish off one of the wildest games of this or any other season.
"What a hard fought game with two great teams and two great powerhouses," Byrnes coach Brian Lane told Kevin Melton of
goupstate.com.
Said Cook: "I've just got got to thank my boys. They put me in position."
The lightning — figuratively speaking — started early.
On the first play of the game, Byrnes quarterback
Micah Young hit
Chavis Dawkins with a 62-yard touchdown bomb and after Byrnes recovered an onside kick, Young and Dawkins connected again.
This time it was a 47-yard connection for a touchdown and Byrnes was up by two touchdowns, stunning the visitors in the first 27 seconds of the game. But Young and Dawkins weren't finished.
On the Rebels' next offensive play, the two connected on a 78-yard TD, making it 21-0 with 1:11 left in the first quarter. If that wasn't bad enough for Mallard Creek, a heavy rain and lightning storm ensued and caused a delay in the game.
A touchdown cut the lead to 21-7 by halftime, but Byrnes went to the ground and powered in a rushing TD by
Jaylan Foster to take back control 28-7.
On the last play of the third quarter, Mallard Creek (2-1) cut the lead to 28-14 and a 4-yard TD run by
James Smith closed it to 28-21 with 3:16 to go.
Mallard Creek got the ball back at its own 21 with 1:30 remaining and drove the length of the field in just 45 seconds to close to 28-27 on a 31-yard TD pass from Smith the
Ryan Jones and the two-point conversion by Smith gave the North Carolina power its first lead 29-28 with 30 seconds left.
But Foster returned the ensuing kickoff to the Millard Creek 26 to set up Cook's go-ahead field goal and Byrnes understandably began to celebrate. But Mallard Creek was able to get off a 30-yard field goal try at the buzzer that was blocked.
