Time: 7:30 p.m.
Records: South Davidson 3-7, 2-4 YVC; North Rowan 3-7, 2-4 YVC
Series: North leads 2-0
Last meeting: North led 35-6 going to the fourth quarter and won 35-18 in 2010 in Denton, even though it was outgained in total yardage by the Wildcats.
Last week: South Davidson got waxed 63-0 by South Stanly. North scored first at West Montgomery but lost 38-7.
Next week: Playoffs should be a sure thing for the winner, and the loser could also slip into the postseason. Sixty-four schools are needed to fill the 1A and 1AA brackets.
Game notes: A North win tonight is likely, although that still won’t lift the Cavaliers any higher than the YVC’s No. 5 seed for the playoffs. That usually means a long trip to face a conference champ.
North owns a non-league win against East Rowan and YVC victories against Chatham Central and North Moore.
South Davidson’s season has been identical to NR’s with a narrow win over Chatham Central and a lopsided romp against North Moore accounting for its two YVC successes.
Outside the league, South Davidson logged a victory against Bishop McGuinness, which is somewhat less proficient in football than it is in girls hoops.
Both teams lost close ones to East Montgomery. Both lost big to the YVC’s ranked trio — Albemarle, South Stanly and West Montgomery.
On paper, it’s a pretty even game, with North ranked 347th in the state and South Davidson 367th by the computers. North will count on defensive coordinator Rodney Goodine and young players such as Kasaun Coney to tame the Wildcats.
Matthew Bryant (956 yards, 11 TDs) is the workhorse for the Wildcats and has run wild in their wins.