No. 1 Vance shuts down No. 7 Mallard Creek in impressive football season opener

In the first half of its 27-7 win over archrival Mallard Creek, Vance High tried to throw the ball a lot, particularly quick passes to the sidelines.

The strategy worked, to a point.

But in the second half, on a rainy night, Vance turned to the run game, and Mallard Creek couldn’t stop the defending 4AA state champions.

Vance scored seven points in the first half on the soggy turf at Mallard Creek, but the Cougars got two quick third quarter touchdowns — by running the ball — to put the game away.

Joseph Morris had a 16-yard scoring run just 2 minutes, 19 seconds into the third quarter, backing up some excellent running from sophomore Daylan Smothers.

After that score, Vance’s defense bowed up and a short punt gave the Cougars the ball at the Mallard Creek 36.

A few plays after that, Vance senior QB Austin Grier scored from 6 yards out. The Cougars were up 20-0, and that was enough on a night when the Vance defense looked every bit as good as the unit that allowed nine points per game last season.

In the fourth quarter, Mallard Creek senior Mike Works returned an interception to Vance’s 25 with 7:53 left, but Vance’s vaunted defense forced a turnover on downs.

Mallard Creek did score on its next possession. After a good drive, QB Xavion Brower crossed the plane from 3 yards out.

Smothers helped Vance get back on the board one more time, though, with a big run to get the Cougars deep into Mavericks’ territory. A few plays later, he scored on a short run.

This story will be updated.