Time: 7:30 p.m.
Records: Carson 0-1; North Rowan 0-1
Series: Tied 1-1
Last meeting: Cougars romped 36-0 in 2008
Last time North won: North beat Carson 12-7 in 2007
Last week: Carson lost 25-13 to Hickory Ridge in a game that was started on Friday and completed Saturday due to weather issues; North Rowan lost a defensive-minded 7-0 struggle with East Rowan
Next week: Carson is at Salisbury; North is off
Game notes: Carson buried the Cavaliers last season for the first win in school history. North had minus-44 yards offensively in that game.
Shaun Warren, who scored a TD against North last season, got off to a good start with 140 rushing yards and two scores against Hickory Ridge. Warren broke Daniel Yates’ school records for career rushing yards and total offense. Warren has 1,332 rushing yards and 1,427 yards of total offense.
Nick Houston threw for a modest 54 yards, but he’s the county passing leader after one week. Cody Clanton was his favorite target.
The stat sheet shows Carson’s biggest shortcoming in the opener was stopping the run. The Cougars were punctured for 377 yards on the ground, a figure that puts them at the bottom of the county stats in the early going.
North’s defense acquitted itself very well in its first game, at times dominating East’s offensive line and permitting only seven first downs and 84 total yards. DB Eric Roberson secured two fumbles for the Cavs.
The offense was a different story. North scored only 80 points in 2008, and offensive struggles continued opening night. Cameron Mallett managed 36 rushing yards, but the Cavs failed to complete a pass.