Cal Hayes out for East; Senior Matt Baker gets his spot

GRANITEQUARRY— East Rowan’s trio of starting running backs won’t include Cal Hayes Jr. for the second straight week.

This Friday, Hayes won’t line up behind center, either.

Mustang coach Tom Eanes learned Monday that what he feared on Friday was in fact reality: Hayes must sit out this week’s game against North Iredell.

Hayes, who started at quarterback against Jay Robinson and rushed for 344 yards, will not play after being ejected from the Mustangs’ 29-21 victory against the Bulldogs with 9:01 left.

“There is no recourse,” Eanes said. “You have to go with what the officials say.”

Rick Strunk, the associate executive director of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, said his organization doesn’t hear appeals questioning the judgement of a referee.

He said the officials and school involved are required to file separate reports within 48 hours of an incident.

“Officials send an ejection report, which tells the play of the game, the site, what he was ejected for,”Strunk said. “The school also files a report to say it was informed Cal Hayes or whoever has been ejected.”

Senior Matt Baker will probably start in Hayes’ normal place in the backfield along side fullback Jacob Moore and A-back Corry Davis.

“You can’t replace Cal,” Eanes said. “We have to put a game plan together with the young men we have.”

The good news for Eanes is that he expects to have Drew Davis back starting at the position Hayes temporarily filled last week.

Davis’ return is critical to the Mustangs. He separated his right shoulder two weeks ago and wasn’t expected to play against Jay Robinson.

Davis entered the game with 5:10 left in the third quarter Friday night and finished with 40 yards rushing and 15 passing.

Davis has practiced this week, but he hasn’t thrown any. He could take part in some soft toss this afternoon, Eanes said.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,”Eanes said.

Eanes thinks Davis will probably suit up against North Iredell, but he doubts that his senior quarterback will throw much when he’s in the game.

“It will be down to the last minute until we know for sure,”Eanes said of Davis’ status.

Eanes needed Davis’ arm against Jay Robinson. The Bulldogs blitzed their linebackers on almost every play because Hayes wasn’t a passing threat at quarterback.

Enter Davis, who completed a 15-yard pass to Hayes on his second play in the game.

“The game was so tight, they were sending the house,” Eanes said.“Every time I turned around they were sending backers, sending backers. I had to hit one pass or two just to try and back them off.”

Davis and Hayes stood side-by-side after the game, Hayes with a South Carolina baseball cap covering his head, Davis with a large bandage covering his iced-down right shoulder.

“I wouldn’t have played if it wasn’t all right,”Davis said. “The plan was for me to take it easy this game, if anything happened I could go in.”

Even if Davis plays on Friday, the Mustangs still face a tough task without Hayes’ services.

“We’ll run our offense, instead it won’t be 30-yard gains,”Eanes said. “We just don’t have another guy like Cal.”

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Contact Bret Strelow at 704-797-4258 or bstrelow@salisburypost.com .