North Rowan got off to a fast start, floundered through the second and third quarters, but still had enough firepower to subdue Lexington 30-8 Friday night.

“With high school kids, if good things happen too quickly, they lose focus,” said North coach Roger Secreast. “I’ve seen it happen too many times to count.”

North (4-4 overall, 3-0 Central Carolina 2A Conference) opened a 16-0 first-quarter lead and appeared ready to bury the Yellow Jackets (3-5, 1-2).

But a second-quarter touchdown by North’s Alonso Miller was nullified by a penalty, and from there the Cavalier offense sputtered until the final period. North finally put the Yellow Jackets away with a pair of fourth-quarter scores – coming on a 3-yard carry by Miller and a 64-yard sprint by Marcus Lawing.

“Lexington played a little harder after the first quarter and we didn’t play as well as we’re capable,” Secreast said of his team’s effort. “We finally went back to our game plan. We got impatient.”

The Cavaliers looked especially sharp in the early stages.

Following a short Lexington punt, North started its first possession at the Yellow Jackets’ 45-yard line.

It only took the Cavaliers six plays to score, the first touchdown coming on an 18-yard run by Lawing. Andre Byrd carried for the two-point conversion.

A bad snap on an attempted punt marred Lexington’s second possession. The hike to the Yellow Jackets’ Chad Frye cleared his head, resulting in a rush for the ball.

Miller recovered at the Yellow Jackets’ 16-yard line, then scored two plays later to stake North to a 14-0 advantage.

Before the quarter was over, another bad snap on a punt attempt resulted in a Yellow Jacket safety and a 16-0 North lead.

That’s the way the score remained until the fourth quarter.

“We started slowing down and Lexington started playing smarter,” said Lawing, who finished with 140 yards on 20 carries. “We got off to such a good start, it was hard to keep it up.”

North’s defense was superb throughout the game, not allowing Lexington past midfield until the third quarter. For the game, the Cavaliers held the Yellow Jackets to just 61 yards on 20 rushing attempts.

Lexington quarterback Cory Holt completed only five of 23 passes for 79 yards and had four of his tosses intercepted. Byrd snared two of those errant throws while Chris Phillips and James House had one each.

Miller, a junior who is filling in at quarterback for an injured Graham Hosch, completed only one of his six passes, but he directed a Cavalier offense that rushed for 330 yards on 50 carries.

Miller carried 18 times for 130 yards himself, but admitted he was ready to return to the receiving position he played prior to Hosch’s injury two weeks ago.

“I like catching the ball,” Miller said. “You’ve got a lot more to remember at quarterback.”

Whether or not Hosch will return to his quarterbacking duties in the coming week remains to be seen. The Cavaliers host long-time Central Carolina power High Point Central this coming Friday.

North coaches said Hosch is still suffering from an injury to his right knee, and may need orthoscopic surgery, which would mean he’ll be out another two weeks.

Lexington coach Billy Hunt said he didn’t think leaving Miller at quarterback would hurt the Cavaliers. He said he’d watched film of both Miller and Hosch directing North’s attack, and said he felt one was as competent as the other.

“(Miller) is tough back there,” Hunt said. “He’s so shifty, he gives their offense another dimension.”

The Cavaliers’ kicking game was in bad shape Friday. Kevin Rutherford, the team’s kicker, sprained his ankle in a soccer game earlier this week and won’t return to the lineup until next Friday. As a result, the Cavaliers were forced to settle for short kickoffs and opted to run or pass on all their extra-point attempts.

Hunt noted the game could have been lopsided than it was. North drove to Lexington’s 11-yard line in the game’s final minute, but Miller opted to take a knee and run out the clock rather than try for another score.

“Roger (Secreast) is a class guy,” Hunt said. “My hat’s off to him. They were the better team tonight, that’s obvious.”