Staff report
The prep football notebook …When the first group of North Rowan Cavaliers headed to the practice field, only 18 were in the clump.
Before panic set in for the Cavs, more came out of the locker room. Second-year coach Tasker Fleming said he expected 60 on his team.
Fleming has several more participating in AAU basketball so the numbers will increase next week. The head coach and his team seem excited about realignment, which puts the Cavaliers in a 1A league.
“From December until today, they’ve worked harder than any bunch I’ve ever had,” Fleming said.
The weaknesses last season ó defensive backfield and line ó have been addressed.
“We’ve corrected some of that in the skill department,” he said.
This year’s opening day was much easier for Fleming.
“Last season it was, ‘Hello, I’m Coach Fleming,’ ” he said. “Today, it was, ‘It’s page 12 in the playbook.’ We’re getting right to work.”
CARSONHead coach Mark Woody welcomed over 90 prospects for his early-morning practice. He said 77 had been coming regularly to his mini-camps last week.
This is the fourth year of Carson football and Woody remembers the first season.
“It’s a lot less hectic now,” he smiled. “When you’ve got your staff in place, it makes things a lot easier.
“That first year was definitely an eye-opener. That seems like 100 years ago.”
EAST ROWAN
The Mustangs began at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
“Last year, we had the first practice early in the morning and I didn’t think we got as much out of the kids as we can,” head coach Brian Hinson said. “(In the afternooon), the kids are more alert.”
Hinson welcomed over 80 players.
“We had a good turnout in the summer,” Hinson said.
East was almost a one-man team last year in Ben DeCelle, who showed up for the first practice. He reports next week to UNC Pembroke. Hinson thinks the team will be more balanced this year.
“We’ve got people we can get the ball to,” he said. “It will be more of a team effort.”
SOUTH ROWANCoach Jason Rollins said his team had 85 show for the first practice.
Rollins has a talented senior class. With so many veterans, Rollins jumped right in.
“We’re going to have a normal practice, without, obviously, being able to hit,” he said.
There will be one major change in Landis.
“We’re doing things differently this year because we’re two-platooning,” Rollins pointed out. “That’s something we haven’t done because of numbers. But I finally pulled the trigger and said we’re going to do it.”