Numerous celebrations are planned for North Rowan’s Eagle Stadium.
The 11-1 1982 team was honored last week, and the current Cavaliers responded with a win against East Rowan.
Tonight, North will salute the 1992 Cavaliers, the team that set the school record for wins and reached the 3A state championship game.
A night of recognition also is planned for North’s 11-1 1985 team at the Oct. 5 Albemarle game, and North’s reigning track state champs will receive championship rings on homecoming night against East Montgomery on Sept. 21.
What the 1982 and 1992 North teams had in common was amazing 3A playoff wins against A.L. Brown on muddy fields. North is 5-16 all-time against the Wonders, but it won the two big ones, one in Spencer and one in Kannapolis.
While North’s 1982 and 1985 teams went unbeaten in the regular season but faltered in the second round of the playoffs, the 1992 squad took the opposite approach. It dropped regular-season SPC games to A.L. Brown and Concord but made a storied run after it won a draw to get into the playoffs.
The 1992 Cavaliers had Rowan County’s offensive player of the year (QB Carvie Kepley) and defensive player of the year (linebacker Fred Lewis). Kepley was a four-starter as North rose under coach Roger Secreast from the depths of 1-9 in 1989 to playing for a state title in 1992. Kepley threw for 1,712 yards as a senior and hit 16 TD passes to receivers such as Nick White and Jamel Aldrich. Lewis picked off six passes, made a million tackles and returned two fumbles for touchdowns.
There were 11 Cavaliers on a 27-man all-county team, with the late Nathanial Hyde, a 225-pound bulldozer of a running back, perhaps the best remembered of them all.
North was 4-0 when it played Bruce Hardin’s A.L. Brown’s team in Kannapolis in the regular season, but the Cavaliers were overmatched and overwhelmed. The Wonders took the opening kickoff, marched nearly eight minutes, kicked a field goal, and never were challenged in a 25-0 romp. North’s balanced offense was completely shut down, managing just four first downs and 51 yards.
North’s rematch with A.L. Brown came in the third round of the 3A playoffs after the Cavs had taken care of North Davidson and Pisgah in the first two rounds.
Heavy rain fell for days prior to the game, and helicopters were brought in to dry the field. That made it playable, but Kannapolis’ Memorial Stadium still was a swamp and a perfect environment for Hyde to thrive in. He was the difference in an astonishing upset. The Wonders hadn’t lost a home game since early in the 1989 season, but they would lose this one 14-12 in overtime.
North had 27 running plays that night. Hyde, who rushed for 1,768 yards and 21 TDs in 1992, carried the ball on 23 of them.
It was 6-6 at the end of regulation, and both teams would alternate possessions from the 10-yard line.
North got the ball first, and Hyde plowed straight to the end zone on first down. Secreast elected to go for two, and Hyde dragged tacklers across the goal line for a 14-6 lead.
Fullback Taurus Johnson answered with a touchdown for the Wonders, but when he was stopped just short of the goal on the try for two extra points, North owned the biggest win in school history and was headed for the fourth round.
North beat East Rutherford 24-7 to punch its ticket to Chapel Hill for the 3A final.
North came up short against Burlington Cummings – 25-14 – to finish 12-3, but the team’s place in school and county history remains secure. No North team before or since has won a dozen games.
The picks are slowly improving. They were 5-1 last week, although Carson remains a serious puzzle. Common Sense is 0-3 trying to figure out the Cougars.West 21, North 6
It’s not going to be 60-0 this time, but a North win would be a bigger upset than the one the Cavaliers pulled off at Kannapolis in 1992.Make it 43 straight county wins for the Falcons.Salisbury 42, South 14The Hornets will take out their frustrations from last week’s disappointment on the winless Raiders.Porter Ridge 28, A.L. Brown 21Should be one of the games of the night in the state – and maybe the world.Carson 35, Robinson 31Any game involving the Cougars is strictly a wild guess, but they do have a prolific offense.Hickory Ridge 35, East Rowan 20Hickory Ridge has performed well against Rowan teams, but it will be introduced to West Rowan in 2013.Davie 28, Lexington 12It looks like Lexingon is down some and it looks like Davie is headed for a strong season.