North Shore slips past Shadow Creek 33-10


SHADOW CREEK — For the second straight year. the Shadow Creek Sharks faced state-power North Shore in their first game of the 2021 football season and the No. 4 state-ranked Mustangs showed why they are one of the premier Class 6A schools in the state.

While the Sharks did manage to hold the Mustangs to 33 points, Shadow Creek could only manage 10 points as the offense was held to 101 total yards which included only five yards rushing.

North Shore is rebuilding their offense this season, but the defense showed their strength as their first score of the game came on a 58-yard pass interception by Jayven Anderson for a 7-0 lead with 4:27 left in the opening quarter.

“We expected it,” North Shore coach Jon Kay said of his defense’s stellar, five-takeaway performance. “But anytime you play a team like Shadow Creek, you never know what you’re going to go through. So we obviously had some growing pains offensively, but we were also playing a darn good defense in Shadow Creek.

“So we know the type of competition we’re lining up against, and we take that into consideration in our evaluations.”

North Shore would add two more scores in the second quarter on a 15-yard pass from QB Wyndell Mitchell to Jhalyn Bailey at the 8:53 mark making the score 14-0.

But the Sharks weren't going to go down easy as QB Duke Butler fired a 43-yard scoring pass to Lawrence Armstrong to cut the lead in half to 14-7 with 7:00 minutes remaining in the second period.

However, North Shore score again before the end of the first half on a 1-yard plunge by Rashaad Johnson to take a 21-7 lead in the dressing room at intermission.

With 8:05 in the third quarter, Shadow Creek got a 37-yard field goal from Matt Allison to cut the lead to 21-10, but that would be the last time the Sharks would get any points.

After North Shore intercepted Butler three times in the first half, Jacoby Davis returned his pick 45 yards for a score and 27-10 lead with 4:48 to go in the third quarter.

The Mustangs got one more score on a 3-yard run by Damon Ford with 3;12 left in the game to make the final score 33-10 following the missed PAT.

Butler finished 8-of-23 passing, with 98 yards, one TD and four INTs.

“Their defense had a whole lot to do with (our issues),” Shadow Creek head coach Brad Butler said. “I don’t know that we’ll see another defensive unit with that kind of skill, and that scheme, the rest of the year, so it was a real test for us, for the first ballgame, with a bunch of young guys who hadn’t taken a varsity snap.”

The scheduled didn't get any easier for Shadow Creek as they will travel to face No. 6 Bridgeland on Saturday, September 4 at FCU Stadium.