By David Shaw
dshaw@salisburypost.com
CONCORD ó It would be tempting to draw an unfavorable conclusion after South Rowan dropped its season opener at Central Cabarrus, a team that hadnít won a game on the field since 2007.
Yes, it was a game the Raiders had long ago pencilled into the win column. And no, they wonít likely be selling any playoff tickets come November. And yes, itís always difficult to connect all the dots both on and off the field this early in the season.
Then again, head coach Jason Rollins made it sound like Fridayís 31-23 loss was chock full of positives ó and heís right.
ěWe saw so many bright spots,î he said after the Raiders racked up 16 first downs and 384 total yards. ěOur offense moved the ball up and down the field. That was the best our offense has been since two years ago.î
South had little trouble obtaining real estate against Central, a team thatís endured successive 0-11 seasons. Junior quarterback Nathan Lambert passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and scampered 15 yards for another. Teammate Ricky Sherrill, a fight-for-everything running back, bulldozed his way for 141 between-the-tackles yards. And receivers Brandon Williams and Josh Medlin flashed Charmin-soft hands, combining for seven catches that netted 215 yards.
ěIím not upset,î said Sherrill, a 210-pound junior workhorse. ěWe gave it everything we had. We have some work to do, but I still love coming out here and playing the game, win or lose.î
This one wasnít cemented until Lambert misfired on a fourth-down pass to Drew Glenn with 7.9 seconds remaining. Two big plays doomed the Raiders, who led 23-14 after Lambert spiraled a 75-yard TD pass to Williams early in the third quarter.
ěThat was a great play,î Lambert said. ěA quick slant of the middle and he happened to break away. We were feeling pretty confident. I thought we were gonna pull it off.î
Central refused to back down and responded immediately. Vikings junior Ty Young took the ensuing kickoff and motored 87 yards down the left sideline and into the end zone, trimming Southís lead to 23-21.
ěWe couldnít make a tackle, couldnít stop him,î said Williams, a member of Southís special teams unit. ěHe came right through the middle, right past us. It didnít change anybodyís mind or anything. We still needed to finish it out.î
ěIt looked like two boxers trading blows,î winning coach Chris Shinn added. ěTheyíd take a swing and then weíd take a swing. The difference tonight was we kept swinging.î
It was still a two-point game late in the third period when Central quarterback Hasaan Klugh (73 yards rushing, 60 passing) steered the hosts to SR 1-yard line. But on fourth-and goal South defensive lineman Devin Mason cornered the scrambling QB and forced him out of bounds a foot from the goal line.
South took over and methodically marched to the Central 28, where Lambert faced a second-and-8 with just over 10 minutes remaining. ěA passing situation,î Shinn said. ěWe decided to pressure him, get in his face.î
The result was a broken play ó a pass to no one ó that Centralís Jamaal Klugh picked off and returned 80 yards for the gameís decisive touchdown. ěIt was just a miscommunication,î Lambert said afterward. ěI saw the defender, but I let the ball sail a little bit.î
And with it, so did Southís hope of winning just its second opener in the past eight years. Rollins didnít see it as a major concern.
ěA year ago, those things happen to us and weíd fall apart,î he said. ěI didnít see that tonight. These guys picked themselves up and fought until the end.î
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NOTES: Williams also caught a two-point conversion pass and made an interception. Mason recovered a fumble on the seasonís first play from scrimmage.