By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
The West Rowan notebook …West Rowan coach Scott Young watched his star running back K.P. Parks go to the ground along with a defensive back on the first day of contact.
Young sheepishly admits he fussed at the defensive back.
Young also admits his assistants fussed at him.
“They said, ‘That defensive back didn’t tackle him. K.P. ran over him,” Young laughed.
But you can’t blame Young. Parks, who holds every imaginable rushing record in Rowan County football history, should soon be North Carolina’s all-time leader in carries and 100-yard games. He needs only 170 totes and six 100-yard games.
“He doesn’t need to take any more hits than he has to,” Young said.
So what about Chris Smith? The defensive end, who has committed to Arkansas, has been slamming Falcon ballcarriers to the ground so far in practice. Has he gotten a good shot in on his good friend, K.P.?
“No,” Young said quickly. “That’s a sin in our program.”
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THE NEXT GREAT FALCON: Last year, Young pointed toward Dominique Noble during P.E. class and said, “If he works hard, he’ll be an ACC defensive back.”
Reminded of that comment last week, Young said Noble could be West’s next big thing on the college recruiting scene.
The 6-foot-2 junior may have his choice of colleges and just not from the ACC.
“He’s getting hand-written notes from Florida and other schools,” Young said. “If he has a good year, he could be an early commitment.”
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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Jon Crucitti had a national tour in Greenville, Sumter and Fargo playing for the Rowan Legion baseball team in the state, regional and national tournaments. He missed a lot of football practice.
Or did he?
While in Sumter, Young said Crucitti practiced before or after the Legion’s games with Crestwood High School, located nearby.
East Rowan coach Brian Hinson called Young and got Preston Troutman, another Legion player, to join Crucitti.
Did Crucitti get tired practicing football and playing baseball every day?
“Not him,” Young said. “He’s a highly conditioned athlete.”
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GOOD FOOT: Crucitti continues to wow coaches everywhere with his ability to punt.
He averaged 41.8 yards last year but at a recent Shrine Bowl combine he was even better.
Young said one boot went 70 yards and two others were 60-plus.
“He punted better than anyone there,” Young said.
Young is an assistant on the North Carolina team and has a tough decision. A coach can take no more than two players. Young has at least four who are deserving.
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X-FACTOR: They call Xavier Still “the X-factor.”
As in size XXXXX.
And X.
This is one big Falcon.
In fact, Young said he had never coached a kid that came close to Still’s size. The junior is 6-foot-5, 390.
Asked what position Steele would play, Young responded, “He’s gotta be a tackle.”
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COACHING STATUS: Darrell Misenheimer returns to the staff after five years, serving as an offensive line assistant to Joe Nixon.
“I’m the good guy,” Misenheimer joked. “He’s the bad guy.”
Misenheimer was a great player for East Rowan in the 70’s, playing in the East-West and Shrine Bowl games.
– Earlier this summer, Lee Linville thought he’d be returning to his alma mater Davie County. But things didn’t work out and Young happily reports Linville is back.
– West certainly has veteran coaches. Ed Bowles is in his 42nd season. David Hunt is starting his 40th. And Ralph Ellis has been at it for 29 ó all at West.
“That’s a lot of football games,” Young whewed. “I hope I can do it.”
In fact, Bowles will celebrate his 66th birthday on Nov. 6, the final night of the regular season when the Falcons visit North Iredell.
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SURPRISES? When the season begins on Friday, the name “Eric Cowan” may be a surprise to West fans, but not to the coaches.
Young moved Cowan, the jayvee fullback, to the secondary and he’s been making big plays.
“He has played at as high a level as anyone,” Young said.
Young indicated Maxx Gore has been a pleasant surprise at linebacker.
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IMPROVEMENTS: New bleachers are being added to the stadium’s visitor’s side and a new scoreboard should be ready by the first home game Aug. 28 against Northwest Cabarrus.
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REALIGNMENT: Young said playing Central Cabarrus in the opener would be “weird.”
Realignment opened up some nonconference spots on the schedule and the Vikings, located in Concord, were added.
“We haven’t played them since 2000,” Young said.
What does Young like best about the revamped seven-team North Piedmont Conference?
“I like the proximity,” he said. “There are no long trips.”