Roaming the county getting ready for tonight …
Joe Pinyan is the athletic director and football coach at Salisbury, but he could easily move over to the math department.
He proved it while summing up his chances tonight against 1-0 Carson.
Pinyan’s Hornets beat East Rowan last week 35-6. Carson beat North Rowan 36-0.
“They scored one more point than we did,” Pinyan explained. “We gave up six more than they did.
“So Mark Woody needs to give us seven points and we’ll go from there.”
Told of this, the Carson coach laughed out loud.
“I’ve known Coach Pinyan a long time,” he said. “He’s a neat guy to be around. But he always keeps the pot stirred a little bit.”
Pinyan would love to be the underdog when Carson plays host to Salisbury. He won’t be, of course. His wishbone offense is clicking, and the Hornets are 2-0. But with the Cougars winning their opener, all he has heard the past week is Carson, Carson, Carson.
“It’s better you’re talking about them than all of the mistakes we’re making,” he chuckled.
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It’s not a bad decision that Carson rescheduled the game for Thursday instead of Friday. Tropical Storm Hanna was on the way toward Rowan County when the decision was made on Wednesday to switch days.
“I’m one of those coaches who want to play on Friday if at all possible,” Woody said. “But we’re going to live with the decision, right or wrong.”
Pinyan also thinks Friday night is for prep football.
“But I understand the call to play on Thursday,” he said. “You never know what a storm like that is going to do. I remember Hugo.
“Hugo and Hanna start with the same letter. So it could be the same mess.”
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North Rowan also played it safe. The Cavaliers are playing host to East Rowan tonight.
As of Wednesday night, A.L Brown-Mooresville and Davie-Thomasville were still set for Friday night.
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Much of China Grove is at a fever pitch right now because of Carson’s first-ever win last week.
Now, Woody meets a coach he is very familiar with in Pinyan.
They actually coached on the same side of the ball back in 1996 as assistants to Mike Carter at Mooresville. That’s why Pinyan felt so bad for Woody during 22 straight losses at Carson and why he feels so good for Woody now.
“I remember he really wanted to be a good coach,” Pinyan said. “He worked hard at it. If he sticks with it at Carson, they’re going to be successful.”
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Pinyan pointed to the principals at both schools as the reason for success.
Windsor Eagle, he pointed out, wants a good mix of athletics and academics.
“Henry Kluttz is the same way at Carson,” Pinyan said.
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Carson finally has a place that looks like a real stadium. In its third year, a press box is in place.
It might have been the quickest a building has ever been put up.
“They said it took three days,” Woody said.
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WSTP-1490 AM will move up its coverage as well. The dynamic duo of Howard Platt and Wilson Cherry will be at North for the Mustangs and the Cavaliers.
Tonight’s Carson-Salisbury game is being broadcast by WSAT-1280 with Mark Lowman and Glenn Taylor calling the action; Kannapolis’ WRKB-1460 and China Grove’s WRNA-1140 will also air the broadcast.
South Rowan and West Rowan are idle.
Go watch some Thursday night football tonight at Carson or North Rowan.
And remember the two rules of prep sports: Have fun and be nice.
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com.