You know those “older” kids that come to the front door and take all the candy at Halloween instead of just taking one piece? That’s Grimsley. They walked into Jamesion stadium and took all the points leaving the North Mecklenburg Vikings looking at an empty bowl and an ended season. In winning in the first round of the 4A playoffs, the Whirlies dominated the first half, coming up with big plays in all three phases and cruising to a 54-0 win over the visiting Vikings. In doing so they showed the State they are not a 4 seed. Halloween may be over, but the Whirlies are scary good.
When playoff football starts the games take on a different meaning. It truly becomes a time where playing your best matters. The Grimsley defensive and offensive lines controlled the line of scrimmage, special teams blocked a punt and Whirlie playmakers on both sides of the ball made play after play, keeping North Mecklenburg one step behind. The Grimsley offense racked up 375 yards by halftime while the defense only allowed 95 yards. Grimsley scored touchdowns on 5 of 6 first half drives, scoring 41 points by the intermission. North Mecklenburg meanwhile committed 10 first half penalties, had a punt blocked, failed to convert a fourth down and threw an interception. A 27 point second quarter sealed the Vikings fate and left many wondering if they should stick around for the second half.
Fazion Brandon threw for 236 yards in the first half, including a 52 yard touchdown throw to Terrell Anderson on the opening drive to start the scoring for Grimsley. Later in the first quarter, Brandon would call his own number and run in from 6 yards out to make it 14-0. As the second quarter began the Grimsley defense would force a three-and-out from North Meck and promptly go the length of the field, finished off by a 24 yard Mitchell Summers touchdown run. Summers would rush for 104 yards on the night, making it the 8th game he has rushed for over 100 yards on the season. On the next possession, the Vikings would again go three-and-out and have their punt blocked and recovered at their own 4 yard line. On the very next play, Terrell Anderson on the wildcat would run it in to make it 34-0 with 2:07 left to play until halftime.
Instead of taking a knee, the Vikings tried for first downs and the Grimsley defense rose to the challenge. With 1:35 left to play in the second quarter, the Viking tried a quarterback sneak on 4th and one only to lose yardage as Hill Jr and Keenan Hatcher pushed the pile back to give Grimsley good field position at their own 45. Three plays and 40 seconds later, Fazion Brandon took a designed quarterback run to the endzone from 7 yards out to make the rout official at 41-0. It was Brandon’s second rushing touchdown of the game. He would end up with 5 carries for 22 yards and those two touchdowns.
Grimsley wasted no time in the third quarter, quickly scoring on a three play 32 yard drive, finished off by a Alex Taylor 14 yard touchdown catch to make it 48-0. Alex Taylor had a huge night catching 11 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown. With the running clock in effect, the Whirlies would add a Fort Hihelgo touchdown at the end of the game to make the final 54-0 and send the Whirlie fans who had stuck around home happy.
It was a complete team effort that saw the Grimsley defense intercept two Zyon Hailey passes and limit the Viking offense to just 113 yards. Hailey completed 8-20 passes for 30 yards and Isaiah McKee led the Vikings with 48 yards rushing. .
Grimsley is scary, and if they keep playing like this, their going to keep a lot of opposing coaches up at night long after Halloween is over. Grimsley awaits to see who they play, either Sun Valley or Cox Mill next Friday.