SPENCER — North Rowan quarterback Alfonzo Miller was easily good enough to break the Rowan County total offense record for a single season on Friday night.
More importantly, Miller was just barely good enough to lead the coughing, sputtering Cavaliers (10-2) into the second round of the state 2A playoffs.
Seventh-seeded North survived Pisgah’s underdog Black Bears 24-20, even though North’s famous quarterback had one of his quieter nights of the season.
Miller threw for 197 yards and two TDs and rushed for another 37, including a 1-yard sneak for a score.
A great night by ordinary standards, but hardly the sort of phone-book numbers Miller usually rings up.
Miller’s efforts pushed him to 3,306 yards of total offense for the season (2,237 passing, 1,069 rushing), surpassing former North and Catawba star Mitch Ellis’ 3,138 in 1994.
“Records are good things and I like this one a lot,” smiled Miller. “You know Mitch worked with us at practice Wednesday and Thursday this week.
“He asked me not to break his record. I said, ‘I don’t know about that, Mitch. I’ve got to win this game.”
North assistant Ron Raper who was the head coach at West when Ellis was filling the air with footballs for the Cavs, has seen both QBs, up close and personal.
“Alfonzo is the more outstanding athlete,” said Raper. “Both of them are great. There were things Mitch could do that Alfonzo can’t do. But as far as sheer athletic ability there are not many who can do the things Alfonzo does.
“Alfonzo can create things you’ve never even thought of. What (North head coach) Roger (Secreast) has done such a great job of is not overcoached Alfonzo. He’s just let him play. When you’ve got a player like Alfonzo or Mitch or Timmy Hogue (a great QB whom Raper coached in the mid-’90s, that’s what you have to do.”
Last night, Miller had to play through some rough moments.
He had thrown only two picks in his last 10 games, but tossed two (one was a tip off the hand of North receiver Jeremiah Cauthen) last night to the fired-up Black Bears, who refused to fold even after the Cavs jumped all over them 24-0.
The Cavs were even outgained through the air by the visitors 232-197, only the second time this season Air Miller’s been upstaged by the enemy.
“Alfonzo had a good game in the first half,” said Secreast. “In the second half he made mistakes. He’s just got to settle down a little bit.”
Raper analyzed that Miller might have been a bit nervous, because as a senior, he’s reached the point where the next game he loses will mark the end of his fabulous career.
“A couple of times, he didn’t make good decisions,” said Raper. “He was a little indecisive on when to pass and when to run and he usually makes those decisions a little quicker.”
Still, don’t get the idea that Alfonzo was Awful-fonzo. He had some magical moments in that first half in which the Cavs dominated.
On North’s opening possession he floated a strike out to Lamar Geter in the flat. Then Geter turned on the jets and raced by defenders for a 46-yard touchdown.
“Geter surprised me,” said Miller. “I knew he was fast, but I didn’t know he was that kind of fast.”
A smiling Geter said he’d been getting double-teamed in recent weeks and was glad to see a single defender matched up with him. That defender was giving Geter a huge cushion and Miller took advantage.
“I guess they didn’t think I could beat my man,” said Geter. “But I had him back on his toes and I ran by him.”
On North’s second drive, Miller produced two brilliant plays. He faked a pass and ran for 16 yards. Then he faked a run and passed for 30 to Tony Walker to set up his sneak for a TD and a 12-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Miller put the Cavs up 18-0, scrambling to his left, eluding tacklers and flipping a 28-yard strike to a wide-open Walker for an easy score.
“That play’s not supposed to go to Tony,” said Miller. “But I got out of the pocket and then I saw the DB covering him fall down.”
But that stunner with 4:42 left in the third marked Miller’s last highlight of the night.
Even after Leonard Atkins made it 24-0, scoring on a fake punt, the Cavs finished the night dangling from a ledge by a rope.
“I give Pisgah the credit for that,” said Miller. “They wouldn’t quit. They had a good offense, a good defense and they didn’t talk a whole lot.”
North coaches had likened Pisgah to Central Carolina Conference rival Ledford in terms of talent and how hard they
It got dicey enough at the end that Miller had to take an intentional safety, then had to go in the game as the last line of defense when North kicked off on the last play of the game.
Fortunately, with Miller mostly quiet, the Cavs proved their not just a one-man show. North’s defense, particularly its massive front four rose up and saved the night.
“It’s the playoffs and no one wants to go home,” said North’s two-way star James House.
Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com
.
Today's News
