Time: 7:30 p.m.
Records: North Rowan 1-0; Salisbury 0-1
Series: Salisbury leads 26-19-2. Salisbury coach Joe Pinyan’s 7-2 record against North includes the forfeit loss in 2008 of a game the Hornets won easily on the field.
The last time the Cavaliers were able to savor a victory against Salisbury on the field was a 16-13 decision in 2003 on a Kevin McMillan field goal as time expired at Ludwig Stadium.
Last meeting: Salisbury rushed for 368 yards and rolled 35-6 in Spencer. Justin Ruffin scored two TDs for the Hornets.
Last week: North won 19-14 at Carson; SHS lost 20-14 to East
Next week: North will play its first home game under coach Joe Nixon against East Rowan; Salisbury is at West Rowan
Game notes: It’s the first time since 2006 that North hasn’t been trying to climb out of an 0-1 hole after opening night. That year also was the last time North (8-5) won more games than it lost.
On the flip side, the last time Salisbury opened 0-1 was in 2009 when it was smacked by South Rowan. It should be noted that the Hornets bounced back strong from that loss with a victory and a 10-win season.
Salisbury rushed for 270 yards — the most by any Rowan team on opening night — but it didn’t put many points on the board. Pinyan will look for more visits to the end zone from Ruffin, Brian Bauk and Max Allen tonight.
North had many penalties opening night, but it did a lot of things right, combining a balanced offense with stingy defense and no turnovers.
Soph QB Alexis Archie avoided mistakes and threw for 96 yards, and North found a potential star in Jareke Chambers, who rushed for 85 yards and three TDs. — M. London

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