How much does winning a state football championship mean to a high school?
Let West Rowan coach Scott Young count the ways.
It’s a fun time to be around Young because every single time he turns around something good seems to happen.
The 3A title was claimed on Dec. 15 with a 35-7 win over West Craven.
Since then:
– Young and his family took a whirlwind trip of the eastern seaboard. First, Young attended the EagleBank Bowl in Washington D.C., to watch Wake Forest Demon Deacon and former Falcon standout Tristan Dorty. Soon after, Young went to Orlando, Fla., for the Capital One Bowl.
– Young was spotted in Tampa, Fla., watching Pittsburgh beat Arizona in the Super Bowl.
How in the world did he get tickets to the Super Bowl?
“I knew somebody who knew somebody,” he laughed.
– He received a signed letter from Alabama coach Nick Saban congratulating him on the state title.
– He was informed congressman Howard Coble is bringing the flag that flew over the capitol the day West won the championship.
– He is joining MaxPreps All-American running back K.P. Parks on recruiting trips.
– He is watching loyal booster club members roll up their sleeves and prepare to raise the money to build a first-class, two-story field house in one of the end zones.
– He has been named as an assistant to Jim Oddo for next season’s Shrine Bowl.
– On Thursday, he stood proudly by as not one but two of his players announced they are attending the Naval Academy.
That’s a lot of energy spent by Young, but he is on such an emotional high that he has plenty of energy to go around.
“What is so nice is the excitement is still here,” he said.
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Spend an afternoon with Young and you feel the success beaming off of him. It’s the same feeling you had while hanging around Mike Gurley after he won two straight state titles in basketball in 2002-03.
Young’s cell phone rings constantly. One coach from a Division III school checks in. Then another coach calls. Then another.
He looks out at a football field that already has a different look. All of the pine trees have been cleared. The school is in the process of a stadium renovation. Seats will be added.
“It looks totally different, doesn’t it?” Young said with a smile.
He walks into the gym and spots sophomore defensive back Dominique Noble.
“You lift?” he asks. “You’re not sweating.”
Noble just grins.
“If he works,” Young says, “he’ll be ACC.”
And if Noble doesn’t work as hard as his coach wants?
“I’ll call your mama,” Young said.
Noble’s grin disappears.
Young chuckles. He knows Noble will work. He’s confident all of his Falcons will work because there is a state championship to defend in the fall. He knows he has the horses to accomplish that feat.
Until he kicks the football program into high gear this spring, he’ll do for Gurley what Gurley did for him. Cheer on the athletes that play both sports.
And just for the record, Gurley’s Falcons are 23-2 after Wednesday night’s NPC tournament win. Together, he and Young have given West Rowan fans 38 wins in 41 tries in the two major sports.
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Want more on what it’s like to be at West Rowan right now? Joe Nixon said he was perfectly content as one of Young’s assistants when the topic of him leaving for a head coaching job recently came up.
He could probably secure a head job at a struggling program. He has the talent and the experience. But he won’t leave West or Young.
He likes winning.
Nixon has seldom lost since leaving his hometown of Clayton after high school.
Counting his redshirt year at Catawba, where he became one of the most quotable offensive lineman in Indian history, the Indians were 50-10. In five years at West Rowan, he is 60-9.
That’s a lot of victories.
And Nixon’s head coach is letting every bit of it soak in.
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com.