High school football roundup: Butler gives No. 1 Weddington a major scare on the road

Weddington High, the No. 1 team in The Observer’s Sweet 16, The Carolinas’ Top 25 and the N.C. 4A statewide poll, had its hands full with Butler on Friday night.

The Warriors got a late field and a good defensive stand to avoid a major upset, winning 27-19.

“It’s a big win,” Weddington coach Andy Capone said. “I told them on Monday, ‘Don’t look at (Butler’s) record. They’re a really good football team and each week, they are playing better and figuring out who they are.’”

Butler, which came in 0-3, rallied from a 24-point deficit and had the ball with a chance to pull off perhaps the season’s biggest upset.

Down 24-19, Butler drove into Weddington territory but two penalties on the same play, initiated by an illegal procedure, that pushed Butler back into its own territory where the drive stalled.

Weddington got the ball and, aided by another penalty, the Warriors got a field goal and one final defensive stop that ended the game.

Butler played the final quarter and half without quarterback Zach Lawrence, a Massachusetts recruit, who left the game with injury.

But for the second straight week, Butler played a top team tough. Last week, it lost by one point to Irmo, a top five-ranked S.C. team.

“We came out really strong and took our foot off the gas,” Capone said, “but they made some adjustments defensively that I’ve got to do a better job with. But they’re a good team. If they get into the playoffs, someone is going to have a tough matchup. That’s for sure.”

Independence 40, South Mecklenburg 13: Independence improved to 4-0 with an easy win. The Patriots led 19-0 at halftime and 26-0 after three quarters. Running back Jayden Jones ran 15 times for 211 yards and a touchdown. Independence QB Justin Little passed for 253 yards and two scores.

Richmond Senior 21, Myers Park 10: Richmond Senior rallied from a 10-0 deficit to win at home. Myers Park fell to 1-3. Richmond, which lost 31-13 to Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons last week, improved to 2-2. Richmond is 2-0 against Mecklenburg County teams, however. The Raiders beat Butler, 26-7, at home.