Common Sense won’t call it the resistible force against the moveable object because thousands of readers got a trifle upset with that description three years ago when South Rowan and East Rowan squared off with matching 0-9 records.
But any way you look at it, Carson-North Rowan isn’t an ordinary tussle of muscle.
This is a game with historic implications.
Carson could get its first win, a win that will be sung about and written about for decades, but it’s not Common Sensical to pick a school with an 0-22 lifetime record when it’s on the road.
Yes, Carson is better than it’s been in the past. That’s a given.
Yes, Carson has been working hard on the road to victory for a long time. That’s a given.
Yes, the Carson guys who were walking around at West Rowan checking out the Cavaliers last week looked big, strong and serious.
That’s all fine and good, but 0-22 is 0-22.
On the flip side, like Ferdinand Magellan, the North Rowan ship is sailing in uncharted waters.
Common Sense isn’t sure how North will respond to a 60-0 loss against West Rowan because North has never lost to anyone, not even the New England Patriots, by 60.
So do we go with the hungry guys who have never tasted victory or the angry guys coming off the worst loss in school history.
There are reasons to pick the Cavaliers. They’re at home, they’ve got a game under their belts, they have incentive to redeem themselves, and this is a proud program that’s won more frequently than any school in the county the last 50 years ó 316 times if you’re keeping score at home.
After much thought, deliberation, consultation and analysisó never a real good idea for Common Sense ó we’ll take the Cougars to break through.
Carson 21, North 16While the water-cooler talk seems to be mostly about Carson-North, there are three other matchups that would be the Game of the Week in an ordinary week.
Salisbury 28, East 21One of the county’s traditional rivalries. Boyden beat East 40-19 in 1970 in arguably the biggest game in county history.
East ended a long string of futility against Salisbury last season by wiping out the Hornets 42-21. Thomas Lowe ran wild and scored four TDs. Brandon Clodfelter got hurt. Salisbury’s defense collapsed.
Hornets were breathing fire when we visited them this week, so Common Sense says the revenge factor and home field make the difference.
A.L. Brown 35, South 21South looked as good as advertised opening night, but the Wonders are even faster, stronger and better than usual and they’re at home.
South’s won only one of the last 13 meetings in a heated rivalry.
West 28, Davie 24The home team always seems to win this one, but we’ll go with the Falcons to break a trend of recent setbacks when they visit Mocksville.
You have to figure if it comes down to the last five minutes, K.P. Parks will do what he has to do.
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Common Sense was 5-2 last week, underestimating a Jeremy Cannon-less Northwest Cabarrus squad (picked to lose, the Trojans routed Robinson) and underestimating a Bandys junior named Kyle Houser. We’d never heard of him, but he threw for a school-record 452 yards to beat Mooresville 40-35.
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In other games tonight, Common Sense says West Davidson bombs South Davidson 42-7 and Northwest mashes Central Cabarrus 35-14.