By Ronnie Gallagher
rgallagher@salisburypost.com
MOUNT ULLA — Cocoa is a no go.
West Rowan football coach Scott Young said the Saturday, Sept. 10, matchup between his three-time defending state 3A champion and Cocoa High School of Cocoa Beach, Fla., also a three-time state champ, has been called off.
“They scheduled a game with West Monroe, La.,” Young said. “They’re limited by the state to only play four out-of-state games and they felt like that was a bigger game for them.”
Young had been excited about the prospect of playing Cocoa. Along with his game, North Rowan, West’s original opponent, was going to play another Florida team on Saturday, Sept. 10 in a doubleheader at West.
The Falcons will enter the 2011 campaign with a 46-game winning streak the best in the nation.
“We were trying to pump it with our kids,” Young said. “The level of competition was going way up. I think our guys were excited to see what we could do against a nationally ranked opponent and an elite team like that.
“That opportunity’s gone.”
The bright side, Young said, is that West and North will go back to its original schedule and play Friday, Sept. 9.
Young said the game with Cocoa was bittersweet in that West and North would not play, the second straight year that would happen.
“It’s a county rivalry,” said Young, who is happy to get the Cavaliers back on the schedule.