A season’s worth of championship dreams last year vanished for North Rowan as West Wilkes knocked the Cavaliers out of the 2A N.C. HighSchool Athletic Association baseball playoffs.

“We still talk about it now,”said Erik Mowery, one of six North players in last season’s 5-1 second-round loss. “Ithink last year we thought we’d just be cruising all the way through the playoffs. We found out it doesn’t happen that way.”

The Cavaliers apply that hard-learned lesson tonight at 7 when West Wilkes pays another visit to Spencer for another second-round game. North comes in 18-5 after a five-inning 11-1 win over North Henderson in the first round. West Wilkes (19-4) beat the Cavs’ Central Carolina Conference rival East Davidson 7-6 to advance.

“I’d have played East Davidson. I’d be happy to play either team,”Mowery said. “But Wilkes, that’s just revenge. We really have a chance to get them back.”

North entered last year’s game with legitimate championship aspirations. But West scored four runs in the first inning on an error and two misplays.

The Cavs never recovered and West advanced to the third round, where the Blackhawks lost to East Davidson. Adding insult to injury, East, which lost to theCavaliers in three CCC games, then won the 2A title.

Now West returns to Spencer, but head coach Craig Church isn’t concerned with the revenge factor.

“I would say they’re looking forward to it,”he said with a laugh. “When you get to this point in the season, it’s do-or-die baseball and I guess everybody’s going to be hyped up for the state playoffs. It’s just who makes the plays, who rises up to the occasion.”

Cavaliers head coach Bill Kesler knows North’s defense has to make the plays it didn’t in last season’s loss.

“Last year we had a real bad first inning, then started pressing offensively and didn’t hit the ball,”Kesler said. “If we get good defense and pitching early we can just play our game.

Church expects at least one thing to be different this time around. Last season, North ace Daniel Moore came on in relief instead of getting the start. While Kesler hasn’t decided who to give the ball to — Moore struck out 10 in four innings on Tuesday — Church thinks his Blackhawks will see Moore.

“He was a great pitcher last year and I’m sure he’s done nothing but gotten better,”Church said. “To win a state championship, you’re going to have to beat good pitching and beat good teams. All we can do is come and give it our best shot and see what happens.”

Lincoln Triplette should start for West. Church called Triplette his No. 2 starter, although West’s top two pitchers combined for just one loss in the Mountain Valley Conference.

The Blackhawks went with their No. 1 against East Davidson and had to rally for the one-run win. East led 5-0 in the fifth inning before Triplette connected for a go-ahead homer.

“We’ve played a lot like that all year,”Church said. “We’ve had some close games, tough conference games with Forbush and Surry Central. Our kids never say die. They’ve always got a chance.”

In West’s state title run, another tough game looms tonight. For the Cavs, plenty of games remain, they hope.

But tonight, it’s personal.