By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — In the end, North Rowan senior Jeremiah Alford, the most prolific passer in Rowan County history, decided to stay home at Catawba — to play linebacker.

“I loved being the quarterback, but I also loved playing linebacker,” Alford said. “I did both as far back as I can remember.”

As fantastic as his high school career was, Alford’s body type worked against him being recruited as a college quarterback. He’s a physical, thick, muscular, 5-foot-10, 210-pounder who looks more like a linebacker than the prototype QB.

“Every college coach that came in here to see him I told them the same thing,” North head coach Josh Sophia said. “I told them Jeremiah was a football player. It didn’t matter if they put him at quarterback, linebacker or H-back, he was going to be good wherever they put him. But it’s really tough right now for high school seniors to get recruited because college teams can get instant help through the transfer portal.”

Alford had a list of accolades a mile long. He was the Rowan County Offensive Player of the Year and the Central Carolina Conference Player of the Year as a senior. He became the first quarterback in Rowan history to surpass 10,000 yards of total offense. He is the county record-holder for career passing yards (7,220) and TD passes (82). He rushed for almost 3,000 yards and 47 touchdowns.

His teams won. Playing as a 1A in a mostly 2A league, North’s Cavaliers won 33 games in Alford’s four seasons. He quarterbacked eight playoff wins.

He demonstrated his durability and toughness during a senior year in which he had to play through ankle and elbow injuries.

“No doubt in my mind that he’s one of the best players in Rowan County history,” Sophia said. “His longevity, his toughness and his versatility match any player that I’ve ever had a chance to coach. He played with talented teammates, but he was always the straw that stirred the drink, and he always represented North Rowan with a lot of class.”

There’s no doubt Alford was the straw, but recruiting offers trickled in his direction. The first came from a Georgia junior college. Another came from Minnesota West Community & Technical College, the school that signed West Rowan running back Jaylen Neely.

“Minnesota is a long way off, but I gave that offer serious consideration,” Alford said. “Every option I had, I looked at it seriously. When the recruiting process is starting, you’ve got all these hopes and plans, but after a while you learn that the only schools you need to be looking at are the schools that like you and are looking at you. You start narrowing your options down to what’s real. I’m not going to sit here and tell you you Catawba was my first choice when the recruiting process started, but I do believe Catawba is my best choice. It just kind of hit me one day. I felt it in my heart that Catawba was the right place for me to go. My visit there went great and confirmed the positive feelings I had. Catawba is in Salisbury, but when you walk on that campus, it doesn’t feel like you’re in Salisbury.”

Former Catawba players Steven Thurston and Nick Means are on the North staff. That had to help open some doors with the Indians.

Alford has been interested in Catawba football since his youth. Catawba was always in his head as a possibility for his next destination. His parents (Brian and Kami) have to be elated that he’s not heading out of state.

Going to Catawba means he can stay close and help North’s coaching staff mentor his younger brother, Michael, an all-county receiver and defensive player in 2024, but the likely QB1 for the Cavaliers next fall. There’s also another younger Alford brother who has been terrorizing Rowan youth football. He can also benefit from a record-setting big brother’s knowledge.

“Playing for Catawba means I can be there for my family,” Alford said. “That’s a plus.”

Alford believes that he’ll wake up one day 20 years from now and be shocked that he threw for all those yards and touchdowns in the green and gold.  But he did, and no one can ever take that away from him.

As far as his best memory of North football, it’s going to simply be, the fact that he was a Cavalier.

“I wasn’t even planning on going to North Rowan when I was in the eighth grade,” Alford said. “But things happened, and I was given an opportunity to be the starting quarterback as a freshman. Things worked out for the best. I’ve always tried to make the most of every opportunity.”

Now he’ll have more opportunities as a Catawba Indian.

He’s planning a sports management major. He’s excited about opportunities for athletes to get excellent jobs with NASCAR pit crews.