Time: 7:30 p.m.
Records: East Rowan 3-1; Cox Mill 0-3
Series: First meeting
Last week: East Rowan won 28-22 at Hickory Ridge; Cox Mill lost to South Stanly 34-6
Next week: Cox Mill is at Hickory Ridge to begin its SPC slate; East opens NPC action at home against West Iredell
Game notes: Cox Mill is a brand new 3A school in Cabarrus County and is located off Poplar Tent Road.
Cox Mill has no seniors. Its sophomores and juniors previously attended nearby Northwest Cabarrus. The Chargers’ primary colors are new-school ó purple and teal.The head coach is Greg Neuendorf, who has no illusions about setting the world on fire overnight.
Cox Mill’s introduction to the world of varsity football has been as rough as expected. The Chargers were outscored 110-6 in their first three games, including a 45-0 pummeling by Parkwood (2-2).
Cox Mill scored last week for the first time in school history ó with one second left on the clock.
Tonight’s game will mark the first time Cox Mill has played at home, so the Mustangs will be part of history.
East is making noise in its own right as it shoots for a 4-1 record for one of only a handful of times in school history. East won its first five in 1968 and 1969 and stood 4-1 after five games in 1997 and 2007. East was also very strong in 1970, but it had a forfeit loss and a tie in its first five outings.
East’s defense owns two shutouts and ranks second in the county stats.
Quentin Sifford’s sacks have boosted the defense, and Sam Edmonds is a strong linebacker.
QB Jamey Blalock has accounted for 441 yards with an even run-pass mix. Receiver Preston Troutman averages 30.4 yards per catch.