From staff reports
Getting ready for another prep football season …
Five questions that need to be answered:
1. Can West Rowan repeat as 3A state champs?West coach Scott Young can ask former A.L. Brown coach Bruce Hardin, who is now at Providence Day, what might and might not happen.
The Wonders won the whole thing in 1997, returned the state’s top running back in Nick Maddox, and fell short in the 1998 playoffs.
West returns the state’s top running back in K.P. Parks. But it also has a “college-like” defensive line and quality players at every position. The Falcons also have Jon Crucitti, who can play every position.
2. Is this the year of the running back?It’s difficult to remember this many potential Rowan County running stars entering a season together. Five of the six schools have a “name” back.
We have speedsters in Salisbury’s Romar Morris and Carson’s Shaun “Bush” Warren. We have bruisers in South’s D’Andre Harris and North’s Vince Shropshire.
South’s Thomas Lowe is making a much-anticipated comeback.
And there’s that Parks kid at West Rowan.
3. Will North be successful in its new 1A league?After a season of no wins on the field, the Cavaliers are new to the Yadkin Valley Conference. Just because it’s 1A doesn’t mean there isn’t good football being played. This conference has won more than its share of state championships.
Albemarle, South Stanly and West Montgomery are perennially tough, but the Cavs could surprise some people this season.
4. Is the South ready to rise again?The southern end of the county could produce two winning records at South and Carson, thanks to better talent and more favorable schedules.
South has been waiting for a senior class this talented for a long time. Carson has its first four-year class. Both teams lost close games last year and believe this year those close ones are going their way.
5. Does Windsor Eagle still have the most booming voice of any P.A. announcer?We kid the Salisbury principal about his yelling over the mic, but you have to respect a principal who enjoys being a part of the action as he does. Not only is he the P.A. man, his perch in the press box gives him a perfect view of everything in Ludwig Stadium.
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO: Avery Cutshaw.
North Rowan is going 1A and so is its former head coach.
After leaving the North Rowan program two seasons ago and watching a son, Zach Smith, play at Carson last year, Cutshaw is deep in the mountains, serving as an assistant at Andrews.
Andrews is near Murphy, almost on the Tennessee line, but Cutshaw has family there.
Wife Ruby is still here, watching Zach and teaching at Knox.
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TOUGHEST SCHEDULE? Look down the list of Rowan County foes and Salisbury’s Joe Pinyan is sure he has the toughest schedule.
“The state and our AD didn’t do us any favors,” laughed Pinyan, who is, of course, the athletics director. “When you add Thomasville, West Rowan and Davie County, that’s not very good. It might be one of the toughest schedules in the state. It’s the toughest one since we’ve been here.”
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NEW SCHOOLS: Thomasville joins Salisbury in the Central Carolina 2A Conference, but Pinyan doesn’t think realignment is all that bad.
“We lost Ledford and Providence Grove, which are probably the two farthest schools from us,” he said. “And we should’ve been playing Thomasville all along.”
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SPEAKING OF T-VILLE: Playing in Thomasville’s Cushwa Stadium should be a big deal for Pinyan’s Hornets. It’s steeped in tradition.
“It’s big-time high school football,” Pinyan said. “It’s different. You see that big white “T” on the helmet and it gets your attention. That helmet demands respect, like when you see that blue helmet at West Rowan. I hope that when teams see our gold helmet it gets their attention.”
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1A FAN: There weren’t many happy campers at North Rowan after the Cavaliers were placed in a 1A conference, mainly because of the road trips to parts unknown.
But there is one person who likes the move: East Rowan coach Brian Hinson.
He’s a graduate of Yadkin Valley member East Montgomery in Biscoe.
The Eagles will have nephews and nieces of Hinson on the football, tennis, basketball and softball teams.
“I’m looking forward to making it back over to North to watch them,” he said.
Hinson’s first coaching job was at North during Roger Secreast’s final two seasons.
“I had a great time at North,” Hinson said.
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE: North Rowan assistant Robert “Hoss” Myers has been around. He played on the first North team in 1958 and was North’s first East-West All-Star. Old-timers still claim he could’ve played in the NFL.
Myers refereed forever and brings a unique perspective to the Cavs.
“He was a ref so he knows some tricks, what you can do and what you can’t do,” North assistant Mike White said. “He’s old-school. I’m new old-school.”
Myers will coach centers and guards. His son, Bobby, Rowan County Offensive Player of the Year back-to-back in 1978-79, is again coaching North’s quarterbacks.
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FAMILY AFFAIR: North Rowan’s trainer is Corrine Mauldin. Her husband, Mark, is a part-time North coach when he’s not busy being pit crew coach for Hendrick Motorsports.
Their sons, Sam and Matt, are on North’s varsity football team.
Sam’s played all along. Matt is making a football comeback this season and is one of the four quarterbacks, including returner Jesse Rudisell, competing for playing time.
“I watched last year and it looked fun,” Matt said. “I came out, gave it a try and I liked it.”
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CROSS TRAINING: Matt Mauldin and receiver Matt Laurens are better known for baseball, while quarterback Hunter Feezor and safety Reggie Smyre are known for basketball, but North coaches are making a concerted effort to get all the school’s athletes involved in football.
Another multi-sport athlete, Cameron Mallett is best known for track, but DBs coach Ron Bost said he will make an impact in the secondary.
“Cameron’s a fast football player,” Bost said. “He’s not just a fast track guy trying to play football. There’s a difference. He’ll stick his nose in there.”
Speaking of Bost, he played DB at West Rowan and graduated in 1999.
“I don’t wear the colors over here,” Bost said. “No more Carolina blue. I’m a Cavalier now.”
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IN SHAPE: Smyre said the team is in much better shape heading into this season.
“We’ve got more coaches out here,” he said. “That’s meant extra conditioning, and we’re way ahead of where we were last year.”
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SMALL NUMBERS: North won’t have ideal numbers, even for 1A, but two-way standout Vince Shropshire doesn’t mind.
“If it’s got to be ironman football for us, then so be it,” he said.
North has to stay healthy because of depth issues, but the coaches are convinced that the team is much better than last season.
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SIGN LANGUAGE: On the wall at North: The six W’s ó Work Will Win When Wishing Won’t.
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BASEBALL FAN: Davie assistant Mike Herndon has been watching the Rowan Legion team closely this summer.
He coached Corbin Shive, Preston Troutman and Noah Holmes on his 14-under Bases Loaded team a few years ago.
He also coached East quarterback Jamey Blalock and Carson baseball star Gunnar Hogan.
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FAMILIAR FACES: Billy Simiton, a standout DB for A.L. Brown and the 3A champ in the high jump, says he’s headed to N.C. Central on a football scholarship to play cornerback. He said he also plans to participate in track as a walk-on for the Eagles.
Simiton is excited about N.C. Central’s game this fall with Appalachian State. He hopes to make the trip to Boone to catch up with Jamill Lott, an ASU signee who was Brown’s quarterback in 2008.
Dwayne Stroud, a stalwart defensive end for the Wonders last season, said he’s headed to Western Carolina.
Ivory Simiton and Derek Stroud, younger brothers of the graduated stars, are on this year’s roster.
nNEW COACH: Chris Duplisea will coach kickers at A.L. Brown this season and knows what making a clutch field goal is all about.
Duplisea kicked one of the bigger ones in Wonder history against Concord in 1995. It led to a 5-0 victory in mire, muck and mud at Bailey Stadium.
Concord came into that regular-season finale undefeated. The loss knocked the Spiders out of the playoffs.
Those were the days ó when making the playoffs still was one heck of an achievement.
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MISSING PERSON: Longtime A.L. Brown receivers coach Empsy Thompson, who is the school’s head baseball coach and a fall showcase coach with the South Charlotte Panthers, isn’t coaching football this season. Lanny Gray is mentoring an unproven group of receivers.
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INJURY BUG: Scott Jordan, one of A.L. Brown’s DBs coaches, was wearing a boot on picture day because of an Achilles injury.
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YER OUT: A.L. Brown assistant Jeremy Ryan umpires Area III American Legion games and also fills in occasionally to call Intimidators games at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium.
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NEW LEAGUE: With the realigned SPC, A.L. Brown has traded its trips to Union County for battles with neighbors in Cabarrus County.
That’s good news and bad news.
“Those Union County schools didn’t really care about us ó they just hated each other,” Massey said. “Now we’re playing a lot of schools that probably look at us as a big rival.”
Massey said that there have been so many coaching changes in the Cabarrus schools (including Concord) that the 2009 season is going to be a “feeling-out process.”
“Take Northwest Cabarrus ó we haven’t seen them in a while,” Massey said. “It will take some time to figure out what they like to do.”
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BYE, BARRY: Long-time Davie coach Barry Whitlock is calling it quits after 23 years.
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CAN’T MISS GAMES: Here are some dates to remember.
Aug. 21
Salisbury at South Rowan: With A.L. Brown waiting for the Raiders in Game 2, this opener is considered a must-win for the Raiders.
North Rowan at East Rowan: Another must-win for teams that combined for one victory on the field last year ó East’s win over North.
August 28A.L. Brown at South Rowan: Expect those great fans at South to storm the field if the talented Raiders beat their tradition-laden rival. If it happens, guard the goal posts. They may be torn down.Northwest Cabarrus at West Rowan: The Trojans have moved out of West’s conference so this will be one of the few times county fans can watch highly touted Northwest quarterback Jeremy Cannon.
Sept. 4Davie at West Rowan: Always one of the best games of the season. It’s usually an offensive explosion.
“A lot of our kids live right with each other and they spend a lot of time in the summer and offseason together,” said the War Eagles’ successful coach Doug Illing. “A lot of trash talking is being done on weekends and in the summertime. Throw out the records.”
Sept. 11West Rowan at Salisbury: Not many running backs get past West’s defensive line, but if Romar Morris, the county’s fastest man, zips past, he’s gone.
That’s a big “if,” however.
Sept. 18
Salisbury at North Rowan:It’s insane that these two schools aren’t in the same conference. North should’ve been allowed to play up.
Sept. 25South Rowan at West Rowan: South has never stopped Parks or West. This is the Raiders’ biggest challenge of the year.
South Stanly at North Rowan: The Cavaliers’ first game in its 1A conference is against one of the league favorites. A quick test.
Oct. 16South Rowan at West Iredell: South lost to the Warriors on one of the wackiest last plays of a game you’ll ever see. You know the Raiders will be seeing red on that bus ride over.
Oct. 23Carson at South Rowan: Carson thinks it can get its first-ever win against South.
South thinks not.
Oct. 30Salisbury at Thomasville: This could well decide the CCC championship.
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Ronnie Gallagher, Mike London and Brian Pitts contributed to the notebook.