This is the third of eight features on area football practices.
Today: North Rowan
Thursday: Carson
By Nick Bowton
nbowton@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Bob Myers doesn’t make a big deal of his return to the North Rowan football program.
The way he tells it, Myers was done with his career as an official and wanted to both stay involved with the game and help out his former high school. It sounds like a small gesture, but it’s one that will surely please fans of both North Rowan High and its football program.
During a time when North Rowan’s enrollment is lagging and the school is preparing for a drop to 1A next season, Myers is trying to do his part to help restore some pride in Spencer.
Myers played on the inaugural North football team in 1958. He graduated in 1962, played in the East-West All-Star Game that summer went on to play one season at Virginia Tech before moving back to start a family. Now, after spending the past few decades as an official, Myers has joined his son Bobby as an assistant at North.
“I don’t know, I wanted to be out here,” said Myers, still perhaps the most physically imposing of the Cavaliers coaches despite being in his mid-60s. “It’s hard to get everybody to coach now. I just wanted to help them out the best way I could. … We’re gonna be out-numbered, but I don’t think we’re gonna be out-talented.”
Myers’ addition to the staff is the type of gesture new head coach Tasker Fleming wants to see. Fleming has a handful of former Cavs on his coaching staff.
“All of these guys, the volunteer coaches all played here,” Fleming said. “That means a lot to me. They’ve showed their pride in the school, a tradition that some outsiders might say has lost a little bit of its polish. But I think the pride is back.
“There’s a big push with the parents right now to just support North Rowan, the players and this program as well as the school.”
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STAFF SITUATION: Several assistants have returned from Avery Cutshaw’s staff, including defensive coordinator Rodney Goodine.
Zach Greene returned to work with the offensive line, Mark Mauldin with the defensive backs, Bobby Myers with the quarterbacks and Rob Linder with the receivers. Track coach Matt Price joined the staff to help with defensive backs, while Tremayne Gilmore came on as a defensive line coach and Kenneth Womble as a running backs coach. Curtis Miller will volunteer with the linebackers.
Fleming said Goodine might be the defensive coordinator, but he considers him an assistant head coach.
“He’s just stepped in and, knowing the kids, has made the transition really easy for me,” Fleming said.
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KICKING IT: North Rowan struggled mightily with its kicking game in 2007, when the Cavaliers lost three CCC games by a combined four points. Two of those games would have involved overtime and the third would‚ve been a victory had North made all of its extra points.
Fleming said he doesn’t have any game tape from last season but does know kicking was an issue.
It’s one he’s already made steps to resolve.
“I brought in the kicking coach from Guilford College for a one-day camp back in July,” Fleming said. “We made 18 of 20 extra-point attempts and 9 of 10 field-goal attempts just before we left that day.
“We’ve been working at it. We’re still not good at it, but I think the basics, the fundamentals have been introduced to these guys. We’ve got some kids that are capable of becoming kickers and punters.”
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PLAYERS PLEASED: Lathan Charleston, a senior wide receiver and one of the leaders of this team, said the players still have positive reviews for Fleming, just as they did after the first practice of 2008.
“It’s going well, the way he puts the team as a unit,” Charleston said. “He doesn’t point out individuals. If we play as a unit, we’ll be all right.”
Sophomore quarterback Jesse Rudisell echoed those sentiments.
“They’re embracing him very well,” Rudisell said. “He likes to make something happen. He plans on us going farther than we’ve been going.”