| The Salisbury Post

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Tonight's games

West Rowan vs. R-S Central, 1st Qtr

Havelock vs. East Rowan, 1st Qtr

Shelby vs. Salisbury, 1st Qtr

Cardinal Gibbons vs. Carson, 1st Qtr

A.L. Brown vs. Asheville Erwin, 1st Qtr

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Roaming the county getting ready for tonight ...

As four of the six county teams move on in the state playoffs, let's not forget one of the teams that isn't.

South Rowan deserves some kudos.

We took basketball photos at South on Wednesday and there were so many of those kids who wanted to still be wearing pads. You felt for them.

Head coach Jason Rollins sure did, but he is showing why he's the leader of that program. He keeps reminding them of what they accomplished, not the 28-21 loss to R-S Central last week in Round 1.

"Our kids were disappointed," Rollins said. "I told them, 'You didn't win that ballgame, but you have to look at the positives.' "

There were plenty of them.

"We beat a good Kannapolis team and we beat a good Salisbury team," Rollins said. "We finished second in the conference to what could possibly be a state championship team (in West Rowan)."

Somebody from Salisbury asked me the the other day if the Hornets got more all-county players because they went farther in the playoffs.

No, South beat you.

Somebody from East asked the same thing.

No, South beat you.

South Rowan was the second-best team in the county this season, hands down. The Raiders defeated Salisbury, Carson and East, losing only to that juggernaut over in Mount Ulla that no one can beat. And it held K.P. Parks to 167 yards, quite a feat considering Parks is averaging 242.

South set records on offense. It set records on defense.

"We had a lot of success stories this year," said Rollins, who noted an appreciative community has been very good to him and his players since the loss last Friday.

"I've been real positive about it," he said. "There were a lot of sad parts, but man, we talked about how proud we we were of this team.

"And we're excited about next season, too."

R-S Central now gets its crack at that juggernaut in Mount Ulla — defending state 3A champ, and 12-0 West Rowan.

Just for the record, Parks needs 232 yards tonight to break Toney Baker's North Carolina's career rushing mark of 10,241.

Baker played his high school ball in High Point, where miniscule crowds follow those teams. It's only appropriate that the greatest running back in state history plays in the country, where communities thrive on their high school athletics and come to the games by the thousands — where football isn't about how big your facilities are, but how important you are to that community.

West's practice football field is beside a big corn field, similar to all of our teams in rural Rowan County.

We're country and we love it.

Chris Moore has seen the agony of defeat and the ecstacy of winning — all in a two-week span.

He fumbled late in a 27-20 loss to South in the regular-season finale. Coach Brian Hinson didn't want his running back to stay down.

Moore didn't. He scored the winning touchdown in overtime of a 14-11 win against South Brunswick in the first round.

Moore credited running backs coach Sean Rinehart with a good pep talk at halftime and credited his linemen for the scoring run.

As you read this, East has probably already boarded their bus, headed on a five-hour trek to Havelock.

East's 9-3 record is the biggest story of the year, if you don't count ...

Carson.

The Cougars are going to top seed Cardinal-Gibbons tonight in Raleigh for their second-round playoff game.

With a first-round win against Ledford, 7-5 Carson has secured a winning record. Everyone who knows him talks about what a good coach Mark Woody is. He proved it this season in only the fourth year of the school's existence.

And then, there's Salisbury, who is always in the playoffs. The Hornets may have played their most well-rounded game in a 35-6 win against East Burke.

Now, it's on to Shelby.

"It's a football town," Salisbury coach Joe Pinyan said. "I'm sure there will be a ton of people there."

On the air ...

- Howard Platt and Wilson Cherry will be at West for perhaps a record-breaking performance by Parks on WSTP 1490 AM.

- WSAT 1280 AM is sending Johnny Cloer and Glen Taylor to Shelby to call Salisbury's game.

If you don't go to West, get in your car and follow your team on the road. Those kids deserve it for giving you a great season of high school football.

And as always, be nice.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Common Sense says no one wants to go into overtime with East Rowan's football team.

The Mustangs, who topped South Brunswick 14-11 in overtime in the first round of the 3A playoffs, have defied all odds by winning their last eight overtime games.

East has gone two decades without losing in OT.

Its most recent overtime prior to last Friday was a 21-20 verdict at North Stanly in 2006.

In 2001, East won a pair of mind-boggling OT games, topping Northwest Cabarrus 43-42 and beating North Iredell 38-35 in three OTs.

Other OT victories by the Mustangs in the streak came in 1996 (Parkwood), 1992 (Salisbury), 1991 (Statesville) and 1990 (Salisbury). The 35-34 victory against Statesville in the first round of the playoffs was the only time prior to last week's excitement that East had gone to overtime in a postseason game.

To find the last time East lost an OT contest, you have to go all the way back to a 22-21 setback against North Stanly in 1989.

A deadlock at the end of regulation was an acceptable result even in conference games before the implementation of provisions for overtime periods in the 1970s. Eight East games have officially ended in draws since the school opened in 1959.

East's first official overtime contest was a 14-6 victory against Northwest Cabarrus in 1977. East lost to the Trojans in OT in 1978.

East's 1979 team set the bar high when it came to extra football, playing three OTs in a span of six weeks and winning twice.

The Mustangs beat South Rowan and Forest Hills. They also played overtime with NWC for the third straight year but lost.

East is 11-3 all-time in overtime.

South (6-6), North (6-6) and Salisbury (8-8) have all split their overtime games, which is exactly the ratio that should be expected.

Carson hasn't had one yet.

The school that's had little luck in overtime is West Rowan.

The Falcons are 4-8 in overtime games, and they broke a four-game OT losing streak when they beat Lake Norman in double overtime in 2008. That victory ended an 18-year drought for West as far as winning a game that went past regulation.

The picks were 6-2 last week, fumbling South's loss to R-S Central and Northwest's setback to Concord. For the season, Common Sense is a struggling 127-26.

Only West is favored tonight among the Rowan schools, but Common Sense has a gut feeling there will be an upset in Shelby.

The picks:

Havelock 27, E. Rowan 14

If it goes to overtime, Havelock is in real trouble, but can get the Mustangs get there?

Havelock has been an offensive machine all season, putting up at least 21 points every game. The Rams' only loss was 36-28 to Kinston on Sept. 18.

The unknown here is the severity of an injury to Havelock QB Danny Webster, one of the state's best juniors. Webster strained his knee in Havelock's first-round victory Monday, and it will be a quick turnaround for him.

Webster is a high school version of Tim Tebow. He went 15-for-16 passing on for 196 yards and rushed for 89 yards on Monday. He also plays safety and is the Rams' punter.

West 35, R-S Central 14

R-S Central beat South Rowan with its old-school buck sweeps last week, but West has allowed 100 rushing yards just once in its last eight games.

Not that R-S Central isn't pretty good. Probably good enough to keep K.P. Parks on the field for four quarters. West hasn't needed a complete game from Parks since September.

Gibbons 21, Carson 14

The Cougars are on the road facing a No. 1 seed.

Ordinarily that's an automatic season-ender, but Cardinal Gibbons' 11-1 record has been fashioned against a schedule softer than marshmallows.

It's likely there are several teams in the 3A East bracket better than Gibbons.

This is winnable for the Cougars if they avoid turnovers.

Salisbury 17, Shelby 14Shapes up as a great matchup. While Shelby is 11-1, the disparity in the teams' records reflects the more challenging schedule played by the Hornets (8-4).

Salisbury has a slightly more potent offense. Shelby has a slightly stouter defense. It'll be low-scoring, physical and athletic.

A.L. Brown 35, Erwin 28Erwin likes to throw it and can throw it, and Brown's pass defense has allowed 140-plus passing yards five times.

The good news for the Wonders is Erwin has struggled to stop physical running attacks. The Warriors may see Travis Riley coming at them 30 times.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

Pete Stout strolled into the NCHSAA Hall of Fame last Saturday, capping an athletic journey that started when Haw River High put a great basketball team on the floor in 1954.

Earl Ruth was Catawba's basketball coach, and he was fascinated by Haw River's 6-foot-5 center. Ruth recruited most of the team, figuring he'd get the center. It was a decent plan. It didn't work.

"The center ended up at East Carolina," Stout said. "Coach Ruth got stuck with two of the little guys."

Stout was of those little guys. He lettered four years for Catawba in basketball, logging 348 points, but football became his best sport, much to the delight of coach Clyde Biggers. Playing halfback and defensive back, the basketball recruit blossomed into team MVP. He was Honorable Mention Little All-America in 1956.

Stout remembers the Lenoir-Rhyne games because those Thanksgiving battles were reasonably close to life and death.

"The last football game I played was a 75-0 loss to Lenoir-Rhyne (in 1957)," Stout said. "We had to cancel three games because of a flu epidemic, and we hadn't been on the field in a long time when we played them. And they were good."

Stout waited nearly three decades for revenge, but he got it as Catawba's head coach. In his final game at the helm of the Tribe in 1986, the Indians beat L-R.

Stout knew in high school where he was headed. His football coach at Haw River was Bud Phillips, who went on to a legendary career at Burlington Williams and Greenville Rose."Coach Phillips was way ahead of his time," Stout said. "We were running the split-T at Haw River when most were using the old single-wing. I knew I wanted to coach and I prepared myself at Catawba. I listened to our defensive coaches. I sat in on quarterback meetings. I kept all my playbooks."

After graduation, Stout returned home and assisted at Burlington Williams. Then he was offered a head job at a tiny Alamance school called Altamahaw-Ossipee.

A-O is an elementary school now, but it's also a shrine. It's where Stout, at age 23, became a head coach for the first time. It was the 1959 season. His first team was 4-4-1. It was a start.

Stout had Altamahaw-Ossipee winning big by the time a consolidated school — Western Alamance — opened in 1962. He was hired, and Western Alamance piled up titles.

By the spring of 1966, football at Salisbury's Boyden High, proud state champions in 1955 and 1957 under Bill Ludwig, had bottomed. From 1960-65, the Yellow Jackets won just 11 times.

J.J. Knox, superintendent of Salisbury city schools, announced the hiring of Stout in April, 1966. He was a whiz at organization. He put together a staff. He two-platooned, put his studs on defense and ran the ball.

Boyden lost to A.L. Brown in his debut, but his team tied North Rowan in his second game and beat South Rowan 6-0 in his third. Boyden put a 6-3-2 season in the books, a decent first season.

Salisbury's black school, J.C. Price, was strong when Stout returned, but black students had a choice of schools, and the trickle of black athletes suiting up for Boyden in 1966 became a powerful tide by 1968.After the doors closed at Price in the spring of 1969, Stout's team was a powerhouse, capable of taking on anyone. It was a time of change. Stout and his staff, which included Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Pharr, were instrumental in making it happen peacefully.

"Athletics played a big role in the integration process," Stout said. "At a lot of places, they had trouble. We had very little. I'd credit James Bridges and Fred Evans, the Price coaches. They could have made a lot of problems. Instead, they made it easier."

In 1970, Boyden was loaded. Talented quarterback Kenny Holt and sprinters Aubrey Childers and Roger Jackson led a blistering offense. Massive tackle Robert Pulliam anchored an immovable defense.

Those legends headed to Shelby to face 2,000-yard back Marcus Mauney. Boyden was 10-0-2 when it took on the Golden Lions for the WNCHSAA title.

Boyden took the opening kickoff and drove inside the Shelby 10. Holt had to go out to repair his helmet. There was a fumble. The game turned. Shelby won 13-6.

Crushed with disappointment, assistant coach Charlie Little told Stout, "If we can't win with these guys, Pete, maybe we can't win."

That game marked the last time a team known as Boyden took the football field. In 1971, the school was christened Salisbury and its athletic teams were Hornets. Red was added to the colors to reflect the heritage of the Price Red Devils.

The Hornets tied South Point in 1971 for a WNCHSAA co-championship. Then Salisbury beat Watauga for an undisputed crown in 1973.

In 1974, the Hornets returned to Shelby, their shoes painted bright red to answer Shelby's gold cleats, and this time they won 14-3.

"The people at Shelby always fed the visiting team sandwiches after a game, but I told Coach (Gerald) Allen we'd already made plans to stop at a steakhouse on the way back so if it was OK with him we'd just go on," Stout said. "Coach Allen said they were gonna be pretty upset if we didn't eat their sandwiches. We didn't want to make 'em any madder than they already were so we ate 'em. But we still stopped at a steakhouse coming back. We ate twice."

Stout coached his final game at Salisbury in 1975. Salisbury was 8-1-1 but didn't make the playoffs.

"The SPC then was just a very challenging league," he said. "Every school had a great program."

Stout's record at SHS was 83-20-10 in 10 seasons and he never lost to a county foe. But then he headed back home to rebuild Burlington Williams, and several loyal staffers went with him.

"My mother had passed away, but my dad was still there in Alamance, and it was a good teaching situation," Stout said.

Stout constructed a monster, taking Williams to back-to-back 3A championships in 1980-81 and 43 straight victories. He was 71-12 during his stay.

Stout's next challenge was to revive Catawba's fortunes. He piloted the Indians from 1983-86, but wins proved elusive.

"I really enjoyed coaching college talent because every player was the captain of his high school team and was all-conference," Stout said. "We could identify that talent, but recruiting was a challenge, we were inexperienced at it, and we made mistakes. We did make progress as far as the program getting the financial support it needed."

After four seasons at Catawba, Stout realized he was still years away from getting the program where he wanted. He was also four years from having 30 invested in the state's high school system and qualifying for full retirement.

He took the head job at Morganton Freedom in the spring of 1987. He coached four years and was 32-12. His final record as a high school coach was 234-63-14.

Even after his 30 years had been served, Stout lived and breathed football. In the summer of 1991, he became defensive coordinator for coach Mike Carter at Mooresville. Carter had played for Stout at Western Alamance and had assisted him at Williams.

While he was coaching at Mooresville, Stout got to know a defensive assistant named Joe Pinyan, and Pinyan eagerly soaked up knowledge from a master.

"When the Salisbury job came open (in 2003), I encouraged Joe to apply," Stout said. "He was ready."

Pinyan has proven a worthy pupil. He's revived the SHS program by organizing, two-platooning, putting his studs on defense and running the football. Now the Hornets travel to Shelby for their first meeting with the Golden Lions since Stout's team dined twice in the same night 35 years ago.

Pinyan still gets advice from Stout and called him earlier this week.

"I told Joe to punt on fourth down and to throw a few passes," Stout said with a laugh. "Salisbury has played a lot of good teams this year, and that will help them. They've got a chance."

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Ronnie Gallagher

rgallagher@salisburypost.com

The opening tip went like this:

Jessica Heilig easily controls to Ayanna Holmes, who whips a pass to twin sister Ashia for a layup.

It took all of three seconds for the Hornets to go up 2-0.

Game over.

Well, it might as well have been.

Always remember, as soon as it scores, Salisbury plays defense. And that's scarier than how productive the defending state 2A champ's offense is.

The Hornets beat East Rowan 80-31 in the season opener for both teams last night in the Salisbury gym. It was never close with Salisbury leading by 10 after one, 29 at halftime and 47 after three.

Even in the fourth quarter, when coach Andrew Mitchell played nothing but his bench, the Hornets outscored the Mustangs 16-14.

Scary.

"They're awesome — again," said a thoroughly impressed East coach Karen Garmon. "They're just as strong as last year. They'll be state champions."

Eleven of the 12 Hornets scored with only Hannah Lebowitz left out of the point total. But Lebowitz is like all the Hornets — unselfish. She had one open look in particular but instead fired a pass inside to Najwa Allison for a layup.

"She had three assists," Mitchell beamed. "I love the team spirit and togetherness."

The third quarter was a perfect example. The first five baskets were scored off assists by four different Hornets: two by Ayanna Holmes, as well as Bubbles Phifer, Olivia Rankin and Heilig.

It turned a 40-11 lead at intermission into a 51-12 advantage.

"We said at halftime it would be easy to go back out and start clowning and make it rec ball," Mitchell said. "We said look for a teammate and make a teammate better."

Garmon was hurt by the strained quad muscle of Ashley Goins, her starting point guard. Turnovers had East trailing 10-0 very quickly.

Alaina Vanderford was a warrior, scoring all six of the Mustangs' points in the opening quarter. She had to be the ballhandler against that rugged press and didn't shoot very often.

"Alaina did a good job leading us," Garmon said. "She's tough as nails. They beat the snot out of her and she kept coming."

Phifer, last year's state championship MVP, got hot in the second quarter, scoring 10 of her 14 points, two buckets on rainbow threes. Ayanna Holmes had six steals, five assists and 11 points. Rankin, who transferred from East, had 10 points.

Three other Hornets, Heilig, Ashia Holmes and Doreen Richardson, each had eight.

Garmon may have discovered a sidekick for Vanderford in Tempest Means. She was the only Mustang with speed enough to stay up with the Hornets and scored seven. Taylor Honeycutt chipped in with six.

"Tempest was our firestarter tonight," Garmon said. "She wasn't afraid to go to the basket and she hit her free throws. She showed what kind of player she can be."

But it didn't matter. The Hornets looked in midseason form.

"That's a typical Salisbury team," Garmon sighed.

When told that Garmon is already predicting another state title for his team, Mitchell just smiled.

"I hope she's a prophet," he said.

EAST ROWAN (31) — Vanderford 8, Means 7, Honeycutt 6, B. Boling 4, Sabo 2, Corpening 2, Dunlap 2, Holshouser, Drew, Fine, A. Boling, Eagle. Salisbury (80) — Phifer 14, Ay. Holmes 11, Rankin 10, Ash. Holmes 8, Heilig 8, Richardson 8, Miller 6, Feamster 5, Allison 4, Woods 4, Young 2, Lebowitz.

E. Rowan 6 5 6 14 — 31

Salisbury 16 24 24 16 — 80

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Jim O'Connell

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Deon Thompson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 North Carolina managed to hold on for a 77-73 victory over No. 15 Ohio State in the 2K Sports Classic semifinals on Thursday night.

The Tar Heels (4-0), who led by 19 points with 10:23 to play, will face Syracuse, which beat No. 13 California 95-73, in Friday night's championship game of the tournament that benefits Coaches vs. Cancer.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams hadn't been overly pleased with the Tar Heels' play in their three double-digit victories, including ones over Florida International and North Carolina Central, to advance to New York.

He couldn't find much to be upset with early against Ohio State (2-1) as the defending national champions — only one starter returned from the team that beat Michigan State in April — were in charge for most of the game.

The Buckeyes finally started hitting from the outside at the same time the Tar Heels starting missing free throws, and Ohio State was within 75-73 on a 3 by Jon Diebler with 11 seconds left.

Larry Drew II, who missed four of his previous six free throws in the final minute, then made two from the line with 11 seconds left for the final margin.

Evan Turner, who had a triple-double in Ohio State's opening win over Alcorn State with 14 points, 17 rebounds and 10 assists, matched that feat against the Tar Heels but it was a lot different as he finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 turnovers.

The 6-foot-7 junior swingman, who had 17 rebounds in each of the first two games, couldn't go anywhere on the court without Marcus Ginyard, North Carolina's defensive specialist who missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his left foot.

Turner's time was limited as well by foul trouble, and his second personal was an offensive drawn by Ginyard.

Ohio State chipped away at the lead and were finally within single digits when David Lighty scored on a drive that made it 68-60 with 2:09 to go. Ginyard hit a 3 with the shot clock winding down to make it 71-60 with 1:36 to go, but the Buckeyes finally hit from the outside as William Buford and Lighty hit 3s as Drew struggled at the line.

Will Graves had 14 points for North Carolina, and Drew finished with 11 points and eight assists and was 6 of 10 from the line.

Diebler had 17 points for Ohio State, which finished 6 of 21 from 3-point range after going 1 of 10 in the first half.

The Tar Heels had the lead to 10 points within the first 6 minutes, and it reached 16 points three times, the first at 29-13 on a 3-pointer by Ginyard with 5:40 left in the half.

Ohio State missed its first nine 3-point attempts, and the Buckeyes finished 1 of 10 from beyond the arc and shot just 29 percent (9 for 31) overall in falling behind 38-24 at the half.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Mike Cranston

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE — Ricky Williams is 32 and far from done. And even without Ronnie Brown, the once written-off Miami Dolphins are back in the playoff picture.

Williams rushed for 119 yards and scored three touchdowns, and the Dolphins beat the Carolina Panthers 24-17 on Thursday night for their fourth win in six games.

A day after learning Brown is lost for the season, the Dolphins (5-5) continued their surge after an 0-3 start behind Williams. The 2002 NFL rushing champion had a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game for the first time in his career that includes a couple of lost seasons.

"Coach always talks about finishing," Williams said. "Sometimes in this league, in a physical game, it's difficult to finish. I think in the past we've prided ourselves on finishing games and we did a good job tonight."

It was enough to beat the Panthers (4-6) when Jake Delhomme's desperation pass into the end zone was knocked down as time expired.

DeAngelo Williams rushed for 122 yards, but Delhomme had his streak of three games without an interception snapped, then couldn't lead a late comeback bid.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano hinted his team might abandon the wildcat without Brown, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday because of a foot injury. And Miami didn't use the formation until the second quarter. It coincided with the Dolphins' first touchdown drive — Chad Henne's 14-yard touchdown pass to Williams, who wrestled away from linebacker Na'il Diggs.

Miami took a 14-3 halftime lead when Williams took the direct snap at the 1 and got to the end zone ahead of speedy linebacker Jon Beason.

"Our offense really clicked," Dolphins left tackle Jake Long said. "Ricky ran great."

The Panthers got within 17-14 on Steve Smith's leaping 27-yard touchdown catch and DeAngelo Williams' 2-point conversion run with 5:18 left. But Ricky Williams bounced to the outside and shook off Sherrod Martin at the Carolina 5 on a 46-yard touchdown run on the ensuing possession.

Williams also caught two passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. Chad Henne overcame losing his center and his backup and committed no turnovers.

Still, the Dolphins had to hold off the Panthers. After Williams' long run, the Panthers kicked a field goal. They then forced a punt, and Delhomme found Gary Barnidge on passes of 29 and 17 yards. But from the Miami 26, Delhomme's lob into the end zone was knocked down by Tyrone Culver as time ran out.

"We battled. It just wasn't good enough," Delhomme said.

Early on, Carolina's offense stalled under the weight of its makeshift offensive line — and the return of Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter from exile.

Benched from Sunday's win over Tampa Bay, Porter served as a captain for the coin toss, then sacked Delhomme on third down on Carolina's opening drive, leading to John Kasay's 29-yard field goal.

The Panthers mixed in some of the no-huddle offense on the drive after its effective debut Sunday against Atlanta. But they used it sparingly after that, and the offense got bogged down without Pro Bowl left tackle Jordan Gross.

Porter had two of Delhomme's three first-half sacks, beating Gross' replacement Travelle Wharton.

The Dolphins had their own offensive line troubles. Center Jake Grove left in the third quarter with an ankle injury and was replaced by Joe Berger. Nate Garner moved to center when Berger went down early in the fourth. Henne bobbled Garner's second snap, but he recovered.

Berger returned on the next series and was injured again, but Henne made it look seamless. He completed 17 of 29 passes for 172 yards.

DeAngelo Williams' 50-yard run early in the third quarter seemed to give Carolina life, but the drive ended when Nathan Jones picked off Delhomme's pass intended for Smith at the 4.

Smith caught seven passes for 87 yards despite getting into a minor car accident on the way to the game.

Delhomme, who had thrown 13 interceptions in his first six games, had gone turnover-free this month. He was just 19 of 42 for 247 yards, and Carolina fell to 0-4 against the Dolphins. It was a crushing loss for the Panthers, who also began eyeing the playoffs after starting 0-3.

"I think there's a lot of fight and they'll continue to work," Panthers coach John Fox said. "There's still a lot of football left and we're still no way in any stretch out of it."

But the loss to Fox's old offensive coordinator leaves them in tough shape. Dan Henning, fired by Carolina after the 2006 season, found a way to score just enough without Brown.

Williams, the 1998 Heisman Trophy winner, continued his resurgence after a career that included a brief retirement and a drug-related suspension. The time off might be helping him now when many running backs decline after they turn 30.

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bracket: 2A West

Seeds: No. 8 Salisbury Hornets vs. No. 1 Shelby Golden Lions

Records: Salisbury 8-4; Shelby 11-1

Power ratings: Ken's Massey's system ranks Shelby 46th and Salisbury 68th in N.C.

Head coaches: Shelby: Chris Norman; Salisbury: Joe Pinyan (7th year, 63-26)

Salisbury offense: 33.8 ppg

Salisbury defense: 12.0 ppg

Shelby offense: 25.6 ppg

Shelby defense: 11.3 ppg

Salisbury vs. winning teams: 3-3n Shelby vs. winning teams: 2-1

Salisbury on the road: 4-2, lost at South Rowan and Thomasville

Shelby at home: 7-0

Who beat Shelby? Crest (7-4)

Series: 1-1

Next week: Winner takes on the survivor of the No. 5 Pisgah vs. No. 4 Forest Hills winner

Game notes: It'll be like going back to the 1970s when the Golden Lions clash with the Hornets.

The two schools were the top powers in the WNCHSAA for years and met in championship games in Shelby in both 1970 and 1974. They split those meetings.

Shelby's defense has impressive numbers outside of a 31-21 loss to Crest in September and a 42-30 win against Lincolnton. The Lions own three shutouts and limited three more teams to single digits.

Salisbury's defense, which includes Tre Jackson, has only blanked one opponent, but since allowing 38 to South Rowan on opening night the defense has done more than its share, holding West Rowan and Thomasville to 14 apiece in hard-fought losses.

Dominique Dismuke's emergence gives the Hornets five backs who are serious threats.

— Mike London

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bracket: 3AA West

Seeds: No. 11 Asheville Clyde Erwin Warriors vs. No. 3 A.L. Brown Wonders

Records: Erwin 8-4; A.L. Brown 10-2

Power ratings: Ken Massey's system ranks Erwin No. 100 in the state, while the Wonders are 66th

Head coaches: Erwin: Mike Sexton; A.L. Brown: Ron Massey (107-29 at Brown, 192-80-3 overall)

Erwin offense: 31.8 ppg

Erwin defense: 25.5 ppg

Brown offense: 35.4 ppg

Brown defense: 14.9 ppg

Brown vs. winning teams: 3-1n Erwin vs. winning teams: 2-3

Brown at home: 6-1

Erwin on the road: 4-2

Who beat Erwin? Black Mountain Owen (6-6), Pisgah (8-4), A.C. Reynolds (10-2), Asheville (10-1-1)

Series: First meeting

Next week: Winner faces the No. 7 South Point vs. No. 2 Gastonia Forestview winner

Game notes: Erwin finished third in the 4A/3A Mountain Athletic Conference. A.L. Brown won the SPC.

Since Sept. 1, Erwin has lost only to powers A.C. Reynolds and Asheville, and the Warriors battled fiercely in a 28-21 loss to unbeaten Asheville on Nov. 6. Then they won big at Charlotte Catholic last week, an impressive feat.

Erwin has a well-balanced, high-powered offense. Martese Jackson has rushed for 1,925 yards and 25 TDs, while QB Garrett Brown is a high-percentage thrower with 1,498 passing yards.

Brown may have to win a shootout and needs big games from QB Martel Campbell and fullback Antwoine Jordan in support of tailback Travis Riley (1,864 rushing yards).

Erwin has only two playoff wins this century. Wonder tradition could make the difference.

— Mike London

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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bracket: 3A West

Seeds: No. 10 Rutherfordton-Spindale Hilltoppers vs. No. 2 West Rowan Falcons

Records: R-S Central 9-3; West Rowan 12-0

Power ratings: Ken Massey's system ranks R-S Central 81st in the state. West Rowan is 7th.

Head coaches: R-S Central: Mike Cheek; West: Scott Young (12th year, 115-37)

Hilltoppers offense: 27.0 ppg

Hilltoppers defense: 13.4 ppg

West offense: 43.0 ppg

West defense: 9.3 ppg

R-S Central vs. winning teams: 3-4, beat Polk County (10-2)

R-S Central on the road: 4-2

West vs. winning teams: 5-0

West at home: 6-0

Common opponents: South Rowan. R-S Central beat the Raiders 28-21 in the first round. West beat South Rowan 28-0 in September.

Both teams handled Freedom.

Who beat R-S Central? Tuscola (10-1-1), Shelby (11-1), Burns (6-6)

Series: First meeting

Next week: Next for the winners is No. 3 Asheville or No. 6 Franklin

Game notes: R-S Central placed third in the South Mountain 2A/3A behind Shelby and Burns.

R-S Central shoved it down South Rowan's throat last Friday for 398 rushing yards, while West allowed zero rushing yards to Freedom.

That indicates the key struggle tonight will be R-S Central's strong O-line against West's defensive front.

On the other side, West's K.P. Parks needs 233 yards to break the all-time state rushing record, and this should be a game in which he's out there for four quarter for a change.

West has won 26 in a row because it has 40 good players in addition to Parks. Maxx Gore is a terror on special teams. Davon Quarles is a masher on the O-line.

— Mike London

•

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bracket: 3A East

Seeds: No. 6 East Rowan Mustangs vs. No. 3 Havelock Rams

Records: East Rowan 9-3; Havelock 11-1

Power ratings: Ken Massey's system ranks Havelock No. 57 in the state, while East is rated 111th

Head coaches: Havelock: Jim Bob Bryant; East: Brian Hinson (3rd year, 17-18)

East offense: 20.3 ppg

East defense: 19.1 ppg

Havelock offense: 36.1 ppg

Havelock defense: 14.5 ppg

Havelock vs. winning teams: 2-1, beat West Craven (10-2)n East vs. winning teams: 2-3, beat Carson (7-5) and Hickory Ridge (7-5)n East on the road: 5-0

Havelock at home: 6-0

Who beat Havelock? Kinston (10-2)

Series: First meeting

Next week: Winner takes on No. 2 Hertford County or No. 7 Western Alamance.

Game notes: Havelock won the Coastal 3A.

Havelock junior QB Danny Webster strained a knee four days ago so his status is unknown. Assuming his leaving Monday's game was just a precaution, he should be a handful. Webster has passed for 2,301 yards, rushed for 1,194 and accounted for 40 touchdowns. He's also a safety and the punter.

If Webster is out or limited, East's chances obviously increase exponentially, although Havelock also has a good running back in Andretti George (838 rushing yards) and a beast on the offensive line. Shrine Bowl pick Corey Robinson (6-foot-7, 295) has committed to South Carolina.

East will count on defenders such as Chris Demitraszek and Taylor Lester to slow the Rams and will count on QB Jamey Blalock to control the clock. — Mike London The similarities start with the numbers. Webster has set a new standard for passing in Havelock this season, breaking three school records: one for passing yards in a game (396), one for 200-yard passing games (five) in a season and another for passing yards in a season (1,890 yards). He also became the first Havelock player to ever pass for 1,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

•

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Bracket: 3A East

Seeds: No. 9 Carson Cougars vs. No. 1 Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders.

Records: Carson (7-5), Cardinal Gibbons (11-1)

Power ratings: Ken Massey's system rates Cardinal Gibbons No. 93 in N.C. Carson is ranked 136th. nHead coaches: Gibbons: Mike Sheehan ; Carson: Mark Woody (4th year, 10-35)

Gibbons offense: 28.3 ppg

Gibbons defense: 8.2 ppg

Carson offense: 26.1 ppg

Carson defense: 23.3 ppg

Carson vs. winning teams: 1-4, beat Hickory Ridge (7-5)

Gibbons vs. winning teams: 1-1, beat Cedar Ridge (7-5)

Gibbons at home: 7-0

Carson on the road: 3-4

Who beat Cardinal Gibbons? Louisburg (9-3)

Series: First meeting

Next week: Winner takes on the No. 5 Eastern Alamance-No. 4 West Craven winner

Game notes:Cardinal Gibbons won the Carolina 6 Conference. Carson coaches believe they can win this game despite the gaps in records and seeds — plus a long road trip — and it's hard not to have faith in the Cougars at this point.

Carson is glad to be facing an I-formation team for a change. Gibbons' base offense is similar to what the Cougars employ.

Carson tailback Shaun Warren (1,852 rushing yards) should be good to go after an injury scare last week.

Zack Gragg, who didn't play opening night, has thrown for 1,257 yards. Receiver Cody Clanton is 48 yards away from 1,000.

Carson's defense still doesn't have imposing stats, but young players such as Garrett Smith, Ryan Shoaf and Chris Barnhardt are improving every week. — Mike London

•

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

LANDIS — A.L. Brown's Jasmine Parker shot and missed twice during a third-quarter flurry in the lane, but her third offensive rebound of the possession finally resulted in two points.

And so it went in a girls basketball opener on Thursday at the South Rowan gym.

Any South defensive rebound was a pretty good reason for a standing ovation. The Wonders won the battle on the boards 46-15 — if 46-15 can be called a battle — and buried the Raiders 76-34.

It was the varsity debut for South coach Jarrod Smith."A lot of our girls are young and they have to grow up quick," he said. "We were pretty nervous, but I don't think we'll let this game define who we are. We'll get better, and we'll fight back."

South lost four starters from last season, but a blowout wasn't expected.

It happened. Brown got eight early points from Sara Tuttle, led 20-6 after eight minutes and wasn't threatened. It was 39-14 at halftime.

"I was looking at the names in their scorebook before the game, and I recognized a lot of them," Smith said. "They have a lot of veterans, and they've obviously worked hard. They're very much improved, the best Brown team I've seen in years."

Briana McGuine had 20 points for the Wonders, scoring with a variety of shots, including one old-school hook straight out of the 1950s.

Jasmine McCauley contributed 15 points. Tuttle had 14. Parker powered in 10.

Smith praised the play of Taylor Lookabill and Kayla Corriher, who scored five points each. Asia Caple had six to lead the Raiders.

South's most experienced and tallest player is senior post Kayla Morrow, but she got in foul trouble and was limited to four points.

"We've got to do a better job of getting her involved," Smith said. "It's hard for us to win if she takes five shots."

Morrow rarely touched the ball mostly because South turned it over frequently in the midcourt area. Brown's Zebresha Blakeney, Jayana Lott and Aaliyah Spears created havoc with quickness.

"We're starting to settle into some maturity," Brown coach Tosha Robinson said. "We've learned a lot about playing together as a team."

nNOTES: South lost guard Lauren Miller to an ankle injury and played without Chelsea McManus (concussion). ... Brown won the jayvee girls game 41-31.

A.L. Brown (76) — McGuine 20, McCauley 15, Tuttle 14, Parker 10, Blakeney 7, Lott 6, Spears 4, Cannon, Blackwelder, Forrest. SOUTH ROWAN (34) — Caple 6, Corriher 5, Lookabill 5, Sides 4, Barringer 4, Morrow 4, Goins 3, Waldroup 2, Bost 1, Weber, Stancil, Miller, Swartz, Mabry.

A.L. Brown 20 19 14 23 — 76

S. Rowan 6 8 11 9 — 34

•

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

By Mike London

mlondon@salisburypost.com

LANDIS — A.L. Brown coach Shelwyn Klutz called on three freshmen in a varsity boys basketball game, and Tevin Stark, Derrick Copeland and Michael Carr came through.

The ninth-graders combined for 32 points as the short-handed Wonders surprised South Rowan 83-73 in Thursday's opener at South.

Playing without seven football players still involved in the state playoffs, Klutz had nothing to lose and his players won with superior motivation, greater intensity and solid foul-shooting.

"We had little emotion at times and no emotion at others," South coach John Davis said. "Kannapolis had a lot of young guys with something to prove and they proved it. No excuses. The bottom line is they came in here, outplayed us and beat our butts."

Brown had only a handful of recognizable names and no famous ones, but J.J. Jones (19 points), Ian Rogers (15), Stark (15), Zach Fesperman (13) and Carr (11) all scored in double figures. Chandler Reynolds took two fourth-quarter charges.

Rogers and Jones both left the floor with injuries, but both were in there at the end and the No. 2 guards handled the ball well enough for Brown to hold on.

"I'm extremely proud of the effort all our guys gave," said Brown coach Shelwyn Klutz, who opened his 12th season at the helm with an unexpected victory. "Anytime you win at South, no matter who we have or who they have, it's a very good win. It's never easy here."

South also had five players in double figures — B.J. Grant (17), Quan Glaspy (14), John Davis (14), Blake Houston (11) and Brad Akers (10). Davis had a team-high 12 rebounds.

"Grant went to work on us at times inside," Klutz said. "Once he gets his basketball legs, he'll be a terror."

The Wonders took a 7-6 edge on one of Fesperman's three 3-pointers three minutes into the game and never let that lead disappear.

Reserve guard John Gaddy sparked a South charge late in the first quarter, but South shot horrendously from outside in the second quarter (5-for-19) to slide behind 40-32 at the half. Rogers ended the half with a court-length drive that beat the buzzer and gave the Wonders momentum.

"We were very stagnant when they played zone," Coach Davis said. "We turned it over on questionable passes and didn't play well at all defensively. We've got guys still learning to mesh, still learning to play together."

South trailed by 11 with 5:39 remaining but pressed frantically, put the Wonders on the line frequently and rallied as close as 73-69 on a Glaspy runner with 1:27 left.

At that point, Jones hit two big free throws, Carr created a turnover, and Rogers nailed two free throws to put it away.

A.L. Brown (83) — Jones 19, Stark 15, Rogers 15, Fesperman 13, Carr 11, Copeland 6, Reynolds 4, Waddell, Miller. SOUTH ROWAN (73) — Grant 17, Glaspy 14, Davis 14, Houston 11, Akers 10, Gaddy 7, McDaniel, Maxwell, Ledbetter, Dessasore, Sharpe.

A.L. Brown 21 19 18 25 — 83

S. Rowan 19 13 21 20 — 73

•

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:00:00 GMT

From staff reports

George Washington freshman Shi-Heria Shipp (Salisbury) had six points, four rebounds and two assists in a 68-64 basketball victory against Coppin State on Thursday.

- Catawba basketball

Catawba's men are at home tonight at 7 p.m. against USC Aiken, the school that ended their 2008-09 season in the regional tournament. Catawba fell to the Pacers last March 85-72 despite 24 points by Rob Fields.

Fields recently led the Indians to a pair of wins in the Highway 52 Shootout tourney to open the season.

On Saturday at 4 p.m., Pfeiffer (1-1) takes on USC Aiken at Goodman Gym.

On Sunday at 3 p.m., Catawba and Pfeiffer will square off at Goodman Gym. They did not meet in the Highway 52 Shootout played at Pfeiffer's Merner Gym.

- Catawba baseball

Bunker Hill infielder Cameron Beard has signed to play baseball at Catawba.

Beard, also the quarterback for the football team, is a solid fielder who hit .342 as a sophomore and .244 as a junior.

- Prep wrestling

West Rowan's wrestling team defeated Salisbury 48-33 earlier this week.

- Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart's boys basketball team topped Davidson Home School Guardians 55-17 at the Boyd Dolphin Tank.

The Dolphins were led by Banks Fisher's 19 points and Eric Edwards' 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Max Fisher and Spencer Storey scored six points each. Max Barrios had seven steals. Chili Chilton had eight rebounds. Reilly Gokey had four assists.

- Middle school hoops

Erwin's eighth-grade girls opened conference play with a 48-18 victory over Southeast on Thursday.

Erwin (2-0, 1-0) was led by Karleigh Wike's 14 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. Josie McNeely, Katie Kepley and Lauren Thomas added nine points apiece. Thomas and Kepley each had six steals.

Southeast (0-1) was paced by Megan Gray and Quanice Miller with six and five points, respectively.

* Southeast's boys rolled over Erwin 68-31.

Southeast's boys (1-0) took a 68-31 victory behind the scoring of Tre Williams (15) and Devin Parks (12). Seth Martin made three 3-pointers for nine points. Dashaun Mason scored seven, and Darius Gabriel, Colton Laws and Myquon Stout added six points apiece.

Erwin's Doc Corpening, Donte Means and Calvin Edwards had seven points apiece. Corpening grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots for the Eagles (0-2, 0-1).

* South Davie's boys defeated West Rowan 43-31.

Caleb Martin scored 20 points to lead South Davie, while Cody Martin had 15.

For the Bulldogs, Daisean Reddick had 16 points. Malik Crump had nine rebounds.

- Rowan Rage softball

The Rowan Rage 10-under fast-pitch softball team finished second in the B Division of the Winter State Championships.

Players are Breeanna Medlin, Casey Ward, Meagan Kepley, Jade Koontz, Emmy Spry, Jocelyn Hunt, McKenzie Crawford, Anna Shafer, Haley Cole, Allysa Vanhoy, Victoria Trexler, Ashleyn Ellenburg and Madison Trexler.

Coaches are Mitch Medlin, Brian Koontz, Kim Koontz and Chelsea White.

- Prep soccer

Championships will be settled in NCHSAA soccer on Friday and Saturday in Cary.

In 2A, Shelby, which eliminated Salisbury, will take on Swansboro or Northwood on Saturday at 6 p.m.

- South Y basketball

South Rowan YMCA is accepting registrations through Dec. 5 for its boys basketball league. The program is for boys in grades 3-8. The cost is $36 for members and $60 for non-members.

* South YMCA also is accepting registrations through Dec. 5 for the Little Shooters program, a basketball program for boys and girls in grades 1-2. The fee is $36 for members and $60 for non-members. Contact Gary Earnhardt at South Rowan YMCA at 704-857-7011.