SPENCER — At North Rowan practices, head coach Roger Secreast has learned to keep an eye on one guy — linebacker Leonard Atkins III.
“Two reasons,” says Secreast, who looks excited about his 14th season at the helm of the Cavaliers. “One, it’s hot and Leonard might work himself into a coma. Two, Leonard could hurt somebody.”
Adkins knows but one speed — full out. The pedal-to-the-metal senior hitman gets his money’s worth every minute of every practice, every game. Wary veteran teammates grant him a wide berth. Kids coming up from the jayvees, who know Adkins only by reputation, stare in awe as the brawny bruiser roars through a basic special teams drill as if he were charging up San Juan Hill.
“In our passing leagues this summer, you were supposed to tag the receiver when he caught a pass,” says Secreast, shaking his head as Adkins takes flight toward an unsuspecting QB candidate. “Yeah, Leonard tagged those receivers all right. He tagged ’em about four feet backwards.”
Adkins isn’t long — maybe 5-foot-10 — but he’s strong. He’s one of those guys whose muscles appear to have muscles. Prep guidebooks say he checks in at a modest 185, but he likely goes at least 10 solid pounds heavier than that.
The Cavs have made Adkins a captain this year, which reveals just how much they respect his stunning style.
“Leonard leads by example, but he’s also vocal,” says North defensive guru Ron Raper. “When someone doesn’t do right, he lets ’em know. You don’t see many kids like that these days.”
Adkins pushes himself because he has a great deal of family tradition to live up to. His dad was the Leonard Atkins who was all-county in 1974 and ’75 as a wishbone fullback for Salisbury High. Leonard’s pa might have been county offensive player of the year material as a senior, but those were the days when mighty Mark Sturgis ruled at North.
“I had the chance to coach Leonard’s dad at Salisbury,” says Raper, who was part of the legendary Pete Stout’s staff as a rookie. “I kid our Leonard about that. I tell him he’s a lot better-looking than his daddy, but his daddy could run a whole lot faster.”
Raper vividly recalls the 1974 Western North Carolina High School Athletic Association championship game. That was as far as you could go in those days and, as usual, the Hornets and Shelby Lions were going at it. Shelby led 3-0 until late in the game when Atkins broke a trap play, scoring the TD that put the Hornets on the road to a 14-3 win.
The current Atkins nods when he hears this true tale. He’s taken in the stories about how good his old man was a few times already. He adds that his dad’s still got a thing for Shelby — that he got him extra fired up before it was the Cavs’ turn to take on Shelby in last season’s 2A playoffs.
Adkins extra fired up? That’s a scary concept.
Still, both Raper and Secreast are quick to add that the feisty fireplug is more than just a wild man flying around, looking for humans to hammer.
“He’s got good speed, good strength and he’s also a good student,” says Secreast. “He can’t help his lack of height — he’s got that in his genes — but he could wind up being a great Division III player.”
Could be, but you have to admit that Adkins has D-I confidence.
“What would have happened if I’d had the chance to play against my dad at Salisbury?” grins Adkins. “Man, if he ever faced me, I would have hurt him.”
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REALLY BIG: When fans think of North, they generally think of lots of speedy little guys running around.
But that stereotype’s only half right this season. Yeah, the Cavs are rapid as ever, but they’re also humongous. They definitely won’t be inferior on the interior.
“It cycles,” said Raper. “We’ve had some big individuals here, but never this many big ones as a group. We’re very large, yet very quick. That’s an unusual combination, but it’s a pretty good one.”
Biggest of the big: Junior Farmer, the 6-foot-7 specimen who joined the basketball team after Christmas.
“Junior’s football career is only eight days old at this point,” said Raper. “But he can help us.”
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DOCTORS OF D: The Cavs have played awfully young on defense for the past couple of years, but this time they’re practically oozing experience. Marcus Hayes,James House, strongman Kenny Brown, Aundray Russell, Jon Lomax ... and the list goes on and on and on.
“Last year we pretty much had to line up in one front,” said Raper. “Experience should allow us to do more things this year— put more pressure on people.”
“I don’t mean to brag,” said Adkins, “but this defense is gonna be the best in the county and the conference.”
“No one will be able to run on us,” predicted Dominique Bates, who has beefed up and moved from the defensive backfield to an end post. “We’re getting to the ball a whole lot quicker.”
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TOUGH SLATE:As usual, North will attack one of the hardest schedules in captivity, including scrimmages with big boys, Ashbrook, Butler and East Meck.
“Our kids have a way of rising to the occasion,” said Raper. “They enjoy the challenge of playing bigger schools and this year, we should stack up with most people.”
The first three regular-season games are also against bigger schools and will tell the Cavs exactly how good their defense is — South Rowan, A.L. Brown and West Rowan. That trio went 31-7 last season.
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LITTLE BROTHER: North junior offensive lineman Mack Ellis is the younger brother of last season’s superstar Catawba quarterback, Mitch Ellis.
“Everyone asks me what Mitch is gonna do,” said Mack. “Hey, I dunno.”
Mack, who weighs 260 or so, says he’s not sure where his athletic future will lead.
“I like baseball, but I might be getting too big for that,” he said. “So I might do track.”
In track, young Ellis is a powerful shot putter.
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HE’S BACK: Aaron Young, who’s a middle-sized Cav defender at “only” 240 pounds, says he’s nearly 100 percent after tearing an ACL on a kickoff in the Shelby playoff game.
“It was a little sore after the first few practices,” said Young, who rehabbed from February to May. “But now it feels pretty good.”
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SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT:O-line coach Brian Hinson, who’s sported a shaved head on and off, has now opted for a riskier frizzy blonde look that brings back memories of the ABA. Or maybe John Riggins’ outrageous “do” when he was a New York Jet in the early ’70s.
“My mom’s offered me $100 to get a haircut,” reports a proud Hinson. “Told her I didn’t need the money right now.”
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LOOKING UP:Quarterbacks coach Bobby Myers is always the first Cav to ask how South Rowan looks.
“I’d love to see Coach (Rick) Vanhoy do well,” said Myers. “That’s who I idolized when I was coming along.”
Myers went on to become county offensive player of the year in 1978 and 1979 as North’s QB. Vanhoy, an East Rowan back, was county athlete of the year in ’76.
Myers won’t be pulling for Vanhoy on Aug. 24, though. That’s when the Cavs and Raiders tangle in what could be one of the best games of the year.
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BATTLE OF THE BULGE: Secreast was funnier than Seinfeld as he discussed his undeclared war with his waistline.
“I got up to 230 pounds, my heaviest ever, back in February,” he confided. “That’s when I started walking and running to get ready for that first big clinic in March. You go up there and all your coaching friends tell you how you look a year fatter and a year balder. The balder part I can’t help, but the fatter part I can. So I lost some weight and then I went up there and told everyone else how much fatter they looked.”
These days Secreast is svelte, but admits his impressively slim days are fleeting.
“Once the season starts, it means bad hours and not eating right anymore,” he sighed. “That’s why I haven’t sold any of my old clothes that have gotten too big. Won’t be long before I’ll be back wearing them.
“It also won’t be long before elastic is my friend again.”
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TOOTH SCARY: Asked for the weirdest North story of the year, Secreast offered an award winner.
While playing basketball, the all-out Adkins bit House, who was on the same team. Adkins suffered a mangled gum, but House got by far the worst of it. He received a cut and that wound promptly got infected. He ended up in the hospital hooked up to I.V. tubes for three days and with doctors worrying about gangrene.
House is healthy now, but Adkins still catches grief about the incident.
“Lamar Geter (the designated team wise guy) said he wasn’t playing with Leonard anymore. Not until we put some Listerine in Leonard’s locker,” said
Secreast.
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THE WORST:The Cavs always practice lighter than most area teams and that was especially true during this week’s heat.
“I’ve been reading about how hard all the other teams are working,” Secreast said. “So I guess we’re the worst practicers in the county — maybe the state. We spend most of our time teaching and not so much time having kids run into each other.”
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MAKE A WISH:Even without Shrine Bowler Jarrett Wishon, the Cavs could be fine on the O-line. Secreast has three experienced — and massive — returners in Alex Gordon, Ben Motley and Ellis. Motley’s being switched to Wishon’s all-important center post.
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NEW GUY:The Cavs have lost coach Gary Atwell, but have gained Ronnie McNeill.
McNeill, who comes to North from Richmond County, will help out with running backs, outside linebackers and with the jayvees.
“We’re lucky to have him,” said Secreast. “He’s really good with people.”
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MISSING YOU:Surprisingly, the Cavs’ players and coaches unanimously stated they were going to miss rival High Point Central, which has moved up to 3A and is now off the schedule. North won two and the Bison won two in their four frantic years of high-scoring hostility.
“I’ll miss them,” said Bates. “That was always an exciting week around here.”
“High Point made us raise our level of play,” said Secreast. “They’re athletes were very much like ours.”
North Stanly’s also missing from the schedule now. The Cavs, surprisingly, also split four tilts with the Comets.
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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
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