Time: 7:30 p.m.
Records: South Rowan 9-6, 0-2 NPC; North Iredell 1-5, 0-1 NPC
Series: South is 8-0 against North Iredell. Coach Jason Rollins is 4-0 against NI since the series was resumed in 2007. South has outscored North Iredell 295-50 since the series began in 1973.
Last meeting: South rushed for 245 yards, got four TDs from Mark McDaniel and won 32-14 in 2010
Last game: South fell 52-12 to West Rowan on Friday; North Iredell lost 28-0 to Statesville in a lightning-shortened affair on Monday.
Next week: South is home against Carson; North Iredell is at East Rowan
Game notes: South’s total domination of the series — including a 63-0 thrashing in 2009 in which SR already led 49-0 at halftime — won’t mean all that much when the teams take the field tonight in rural Olin.
South is only a slight favorite with NI playing at home and depth-shy South trying desperately to plug the gaps in a defense that has been historically porous. South has scored at least 11 points in every game, but it’s allowing 47 per game. No kidding — 47 per game — with a low of 31 against un-scary Central Cabarrus.
Most of the damage to South’s defensive numbers has been done by very stout teams — A.L. Brown (63 points), Salisbury (56), West Iredell (47) and West Rowan (52), so it’s possible SR will look a lot better when matched against normal guys. NI’s offense averages 11.0 points a game, so it is certainly stoppable.
NI’s lone win was 16-7 against West Lincoln on Sept. 16.
SR’s Nathan Lambert is the county’s leading passer (1,044 yards) and Brandon Williams, one of his top targets, is expected back tonight. Brock Miller, Andrew Maudlin and Weston Faulkner will be among the linemen protecting Lambert.