The Marvin Ridge Mavericks move to 5-1 in conference play with Friday’s 42-12 win over Sun Valley. With just one regular season game left to play, the Mavericks are in the running to earn a playoff spot in the race for the 3A state title. The Mavericks are currently tied for second in the conference with Charlotte Catholic; Weddington holds first place at 6-0. Current NCHSAA playoff rules call for the top two finishers, in a conference of eight or less, to advance into tournament play. As it stands, the second and final playoff seed for the SCC 3A conference will be awarded to the winner of Marvin Ridge vs. Charlotte Catholic, to be played on November 8.
The Mavericks have called upon a set of key players to lead them to victory throughout the season, and Friday’s game against Sun Valley was no different. Marvin Ridge has found a star quarterback this year in junior Sully McDermott; he has been a driving force for the Mavericks in each of his 10 starting appearances this season. Averaging 206 passing yards per game, McDermott has passed for 21 touchdowns this year, and holds a completion average of nearly 70 percent. While the junior quarterback is certainly a leader for the Mavericks, he is far from alone in his leading role. High-level position players like junior running back Jeb Despard, and receivers Ian Hutter and Bryce Kennon, have made McDermott’s job this year much more manageable. It’s also hard to forget the powerful offensive line that provides the team with ample time to make sound decisions once the ball is snapped.
Kennon and Hutter have been essential parts of the team’s success since the beginning of the season, with most of the Mavericks’ passing yards coming at the hands of the two receivers. They have more than 1000 receiving yards and ten touchdowns between them. Jeb Despard, the go-to back for the Mavericks currently has 521 yards on the season, with seven touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns came on Friday against Sun Valley.
Expect to see much of the same from these key players as the Mavericks take on Charlotte Catholic at home on November 8, for the final regular season game of the year.
