By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — North Rowan’s football team made it interesting, but no surprise there.

The Cavaliers have won seven straight, but they sometimes ride a roller coaster of ups and downs. That was the case again on Thursday when Lexington, talented and tough, visited Eagle Stadium.

“Cardiac Cavs,” North head coach Josh Sophia barked, as his team enjoyed a victorious postgame meal provided by parents.

North Rowan (8-1, 5-0) led 21-0 with under 10 minutes left and seemingly had the Central Carolina Conference game under control.

But momentum is a fickle friend. In a blink, it was 21-14, and Lexington (5-4, 3-2) was knocking at the door, eager to tie it up — or maybe even take the lead with a TD and a 2-point conversion.

Fortunately for the Cavaliers, they got a turnover when they needed it most. Robert Caldwell pounced on a fumble with about two minutes left at the North 10, and the Cavaliers were able to hold on, 21-14.

“Frantic comeback by Lexington,” Sophia said with a sigh. “They’re good.”

North was favored by several touchdowns, but Sophia knew it wouldn’t be that easy. Lexington had lost 44-13 to undefeated Salisbury a week earlier, but that one-sided score, fueled by snap issues and turnovers, was misleading. There were stretches in which Lexington was able to go toe to toe with the Hornets. If they fixed the snaps, they could be a problem — and they fixed the snaps.

The first half was a stalemate — 0-0. North got an interception from Jaiden Brown in the end zone. Offensively, North moved the ball and the chains, but not the scoreboard.

“We were good between the 20-yard lines, must have had 200 yards of offense in the first half,” Sophia said. “But we stopped ourselves, stopped our drives with penalties.”

The game remained scoreless until the final minute of the third quarter. That’s when the Cavaliers connected on a pass play. It was Jeremiah Alford to Amir Alexander for 66 yards and a 7-0 lead. It was the eighth TD catch of the season for Alexander.

On the ensuing kickoff, Jordan Bailey made a loud hit to knock the ball loose from a Yellow Jacket returner. Khor’on Miller scooped the fumble and returned it inside the Lexington 10.

Jaemias Morrow got the touchdown and the Cavaliers led 14-0 with 11 minutes left. They had scored twice in 97 seconds.

Barely a minute later, the Cavaliers had their third touchdown. This one came on defense. Brown’s second interception of the game was an 82-yard pick-six.

Now it was 21-0, but instead of being done, Lexington was just getting started.

With 8:55 left, Lexington got its first touchdown.

At the 3:52 mark, Lexington scored again to make it 21-14.

North was prepared for an onside kick, but Lexington kicked off deep. It turned out to be sound strategy. Lexington’s defense quickly got a stop, and with 2:39 left the Cavaliers were punting the ball back to the surging Yellow Jackets.

Lexington returned the punt to the North 12 and was in position to tie the game — or even win it with a 2-point conversion.

But Caldwell’s recovery followed, and North could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Our defense played great until that fourth quarter,” Sophia said. “But then we got the stop we had to have. That’s all that matters. We did what we had to do.”

Alford threw for 171 yards with one interception and one TD.. He also ran 13 times for 46 yards.

Morrow contributed 72 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Alexander topped 100 receiving yards, and Tsion Kelly had three catches for 65 yards.

North’s latest victory sets up a humongous game at Ludwig Stadium next week, with North and Salisbury both undefeated in the CCC.

Both are ranked as top five teams in their classifications. Both are assured of being seeded as “1s” in their respective playoffs.

“It will be a great atmosphere,” Sophia said. “It’s a great game for the county and for Rowan County football.”