South Rowan (1-4, 1-0 NPC) at West Rowan (4-1, 0-1 NPC)
Series: South still leads it 21-19-1
History: South’s most recent victory in the series was 31-24 in two overtimes in 2000.
The last close game in the series was in 2003. West won 42-39.
It’s been 49-6, 56-0, 40-6, 56-7, 28-0, 66-7 and 52-12 the last seven years.
The 66-7 romp in 2010 was the most lopsided loss in South history.
South hasn’t won in Mount Ulla since 1995.
2011: South scored first and last. In between, the Falcons rolled up 52 unanswered points to win 52-12.
Coaches: West coach Scott Young is 12-2 against the Raiders. South coach Jason Rollins is 0-6 against the Falcons.
Streaks: West is looking for its 12th straight win against South and its 44th in a row against county opponents.
Last week: West turned the ball over five times and lost 39-20 at Statesville. South had a breakthrough 40-20 win against West Iredell.
Next week: South entertains North Iredell. West is at East Rowan.
Notable: West is looking for the 300th win in school history. Young has won 152. Thirteen coaches combined for the other 147 victories.
West hasn’t lost back-to-back games since 2002.
South is last in the county in rushing defense.
West is last in the county in total offense, but it’s first in total defense and rushing defense.
Salisbury (2-2) at Carson (1-4)
Series: Salisbury leads 4-1
History: The schools met for the first time in 2007, and the Hornets romped 48-14.
Carson won 42-27 at home in 2010 when both teams were really good. The Salisbury team the Cougars beat went on to win the 2AA state championship.
2011: The Hornets piled up 419 rushing yards, 159 by QB Brian Bauk, and ripped the Cougars 43-7.
Coaches: Carson’s Mark Woody and Salisbury’s Joe Pinyan were both on the Mooresville staff at one point and know each other well.
Streaks: Carson has dropped three straight since winning at Northwest Cabarrus.
Last week: Salisbury was off. Carson lost 27-7 at East Rowan in its NPC opener.
Next week: Salisbury opens CCC play against West Davidson. Carson is at Statesville.
Notable: Salisbury is the county’s top rushing team with 275 yards per game. Carson is the county’s top passing team with 193.4 yards per game.
Carson receiver K.J. Pressley leads the county in receiving yards and has 103 career catches.
Both teams have lost to East Rowan this season. Both teams need this non-conference win to gather momentum for league play.
East Rowan (2-3, 1-0 NPC) at West Iredell (1-4, 0-1 NPC)
Series: East leads 4-3History: When West Iredell opened in 1974, its first game was against East. It didn’t go well for the Warriors. They fell 52-0.
East’s most recent win in the series was 17-14 in 2009.
The last time East won at West Iredell’s “Warrior War Field” was in 2007 when Thomas Lowe, Shawn Eagle and friends rolled up 549 yards of offense.
2011: Down 26-3 at halftime after two defensive scores by the Warriors, the Mustangs played better in the second half and lost 39-24.
Last week: West Iredell lost 40-20 at South Rowan. East Rowan impressed in a 27-7 homecoming win against Carson.
Next week: East takes on West Rowan, while West Iredell tackles Statesville.
Notable: East leads Rowan County in total offense. Calvin Edwards leads county rushers with 579 yards, and Madison Hedrick is fourth with 420. Both have rushed for 100-plus two straight weeks. Jordan Phillips is third in the county in receiving with 16 catches for 376 yards.
East’s three losses are all to teams with winning records.
West Iredell averages 12.6 points per game. Its only win was 20-19 in Week 2 against Wilkes Central.
East Montgomery (2-3, 1-0 YVC) at North Rowan (3-2, 1-0 YVC)
Series: North leads 2-1
History: North won in 2009 and 2010 but fell to the Eagles last season in Biscoe.
2011: North rushed for 204 yards but three turnovers hurt in a 23-20 loss to the Eagles.
Last week: East Montgomery routed South Davidson 43-0, while North smashed South Stanly 42-14 to open YVC action.
Next week: East Montgomery is at South Stanly. North Rowan makes one of its long YVC trips to North Moore.
Notable: East Montgomery’s only win besides South Davidson was a forfeit. The Eagles dropped close games to Elkin and Union Pines and were beaten convincingly by Providence Grove.
North is first in the county in pass defense, and the offense is accelerating. Soph Alexis Archie has thrown for 375 yards the last two weeks.
North has held four of five opponents under 20 points, and the Cavaliers have scored three touchdowns on kick returns.
It’s homecoming for the Cavaliers, who have lost only to West Rowan and Salisbury.
A.L. Brown (4-1, 1-0 SPC) at Central Cabarrus (4-1, 0-1 SPC)
Series: They’ve met 23 times, and the Wonders are 23-0. Even when they had Natrone Means, the Vikings lost to the Wonders.
History: The series dates back to 1981.
Central came close to upsetting the Wonders in 2007 when it lost 7-6.
2011: Brown’s 65-0 victory over CC included 520 yards of offense. Keenan Medley and Kalif Phillips combined for 201 rushing yards.
Last week: A.L. Brown demolished Robinson 69-21. Central lost 33-26 to Hickory Ridge. Both games were SPC openers.
Next week: The Wonders face another challenge in Cox Mill. Central is at Concord.
Notable: Central has improved in a hurry with new head coach Donnie Kiefer and defensive coordinator Daniel Crosby.
Usually, the SPC is a long series of yawns for A.L. Brown until it finally meets Concord, but the league is deeper this year. Central has been scoring a ton of points. It put up 66 against South Rowan and 54 against West Stanly.
Kalif Phillips (13 TDs) leads the Wonders.
Lenoir Hibriten (3-2) at Davie (4-1)
Series: Davie leads 1-0.
2011: Davie dominated 56-12 on the road in the first meeting of the schools. Total yardage was almost even, but Davie won the turnover battle 5-0.
Last week: Hibriten lost to South Caldwell 36-29. Davie mashed Thomasville 35-0.
Next week: Hibriten is at Hickory St. Stephens. Davie finally opens CPC play at R.J. Reynolds.
Notable: Davie is at home for the first time since losing to West Rowan. Davie freshman Cade Carney has rushed for at least 160 yards four times already.