By David Shaw
dshaw@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Tasker Fleming knows he’s in for a bumpy ride as North Rowan’s new head football coach.
It’s been less than two months since he replaced Avery Cutshaw in a much-publicized and somewhat awkward transition, but that didn’t stop him from turning Friday’s season-opening practice into a productive, getting-to-know-you session.
“We’re behind. Whenever a coaching change comes late, it puts you behind,” Fleming conceded after 51 players took part in North’s 21/2-hour workout. “But even when a change comes early, it still takes a while for everyone to get it together. These guys were working hard.
“It may not look smooth today, but I’m confident we’ll smooth it out.”
Fleming, who coached North Davidson the past two years, hopes to make the Cavaliers’ final 2A season ó and the school’s 50th ó a year-long surprise party.
“That’s exactly what we want people to think,” said senior Trey Rivers, a wideout and safety who formerly played for Lexington and Salisbury. “We’re the underdogs, the little guy sneaking up on you. Come and get us.”
All-CCC linebacker Vince Shropshire, a junior who will also line up at running back this fall, said Fleming has injected the team with 100 cc’s of pure motivation.
“We’ve got something to fight for,” he said. “We’ve got something to prove.”
North hit the ground running at Friday’s initial practice. After a few minutes of stretching, Fleming put his team through a no-holds-barred pursuit drill.
“That was a big eye-opener,” defensive coordinator Rodney Goodine said. “He lined ’em up in four lines and had them sprinting through the dummies. That’s something these kids have never seen. Then after a while I started hearing players saying, ‘Man, I like this drill.’ ”
And they seem to like Fleming, a no-nonsense type who remains calm on the outside and quietly aggressive internally.
“He focuses a lot on discipline and being responsible as a team,” fourth-year lineman Josh Young said. “Instead of playing as individuals, he’s making us one unit. That’s a huge difference. Last year there was a lot of crazy stuff going on. All I know is when we’re out there playing together as a team, it’s a lot more fun.”
You get the feeling the future can’t happen soon enough for the Cavs, 5-7 a year ago. North has scheduled scrimmages Aug. 12 and Aug. 15 before launching its regular-season Aug. 22 at West Rowan.
“If we can only run six plays, we’ll run them well,” Fleming said. “Defensively, we’ll make sure we’ll be able to line up and play hard and forward. I don’t know how complicated we’ll be. But hopefully we can keep it simple and our kids will be able to just relax and play.”
Rivers, for one, already feels at home under Fleming’s watchful eye.
“He doesn’t judge off the past,” he said. “He judges off what he sees. It’s only been one practice, but it feels like we’ve had this coach in place for a long time.”
Shropshire found himself in complete agreement.
“It feels like we’ve been playing for him forever,” he said. “He’ll take you aside and teach you, step-by-step, what you need to know. It may take us five times to get one play right, but in the end we’ll have it down pat.”
It’s never easy being the new guy, particularly when surrounded by the swirl of controversy. But give Fleming credit for taking a less-than-perfect situation and attempting to point it in the right direction.
“I’m very happy with the first day,” he said, keeping it simple. “I don’t know what happened before me, but I’m very excited and proud to be here getting ready for the season.”