Common Sense once again sets its eyes on Mount Ulla.

East Rowan travels across Rowan County this week for a game with heated rival West Rowan. It’s no secret the Falcons and Mustangs do not like each other, and that is putting it lightly. Although the rivalry is there, this time of year teams are eyeing bigger goals — making the playoffs and winning the conference championship. At least they should be.

The Mustangs are 3-4 right now. A fourth win helps them make a case for a spot in the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.

The Mustangs bring their high-powered offense into a game against the county’s best pass defense and second-best overall defense. That’ll be a big hurdle to overcome for the upset-minded East Rowan.

The Falcons, with no losses in league play, have a chance to take the outright lead in the SPC. Granted, that requires Carson beating Rocky Reid and Concord, but still. The chance to be atop the league is there. If that upset doesn’t happen, a win keeps the Falcons and Spiders tied for the league lead. That means there’ll be a huge showdown in Concord next week between the Falcons and the Spiders.

Common Sense is getting ahead of itself. There’s just so much going on, though.

West Rowan’s passing game — which has come alive in a way not thought possible at the beginning of the year — now has a full complement of weapons. Shakir Simmons is back after a missing the last three games because of an injury. Throw him in the mix with Jovon Quarles and Kortez Weeks, and that gives the Falcons another reason to take to the air.

Common Sense is riding high after back-to-back undefeated weeks. A perfect 6-0 week boosted the overall record to 32-9 this season.

That leaves Common Sense feeling good about itself. Confident without being cocky. OK, a little cocky. It cannot be stopped.

Maybe we’ll take this column into other areas. Common Sense: On Romance? Common Sense: On Politics? Common Sense: On Religion? Common Sense says, on second thought, that can only end badly. We’ll just stick to area high school football.

On to this week’s action…

East Rowan at West Rowan

East Rowan’s defense will not stop West Rowan’s offense. It will be close, but the Falcons take this one.

Common Sense pick: West Rowan 49, East Rowan 42

South Rowan at Central Cabarrus

The Raiders’ defense will be put to the test on Friday. The Vikings have not been held to less than 21 points in any of their seven games this season. The Raiders’ defense may hold the Vikings’ offense, but only for a while. South Rowan’s offense will not be able to keep pace.

Common Sense pick: Central Cabarrus 35, South Rowan 9

Concord at Carson

Rocky Reid and the Spiders come to town. That means a lot of running the ball on Friday night in China Grove. The Cougars’ defense isn’t the strongest. So, it will be a up to the successful rushing attack to carry the load. In the end, Reid leads the Spiders to victory.
Common Sense pick: Concord 36, Carson 21

Lexington at Salisbury

Salisbury played up to its potential last week against East Davidson. The Hornets had to survive a fourth-quarter rally, but the game was not as close as the score indicates. This week, the Hornets take on the Lexington Yellow Jackets, which lost 35-12 to North Rowan last week.

The Hornets reached the easier part of the schedule relatively intact. It’ll be interesting to see if they can get a winning streak going.

Lexington, still winless, is battle tested. This one won’t be easy by any stretch.

Common Sense pick: Salisbury 34, Lexington 21

West Davidson at
North Rowan

West Davidson has scored more than 16 points in a game once this year. That was a 50-17 victory over South Davidson. The Dragons have been shut out three times this season. The Cavaliers should roll in this one.

Common Sense pick: North Rowan 50, West Davidson 0

Davie County at
West Forsyth

Davie County has not scored less than 29 points in a game this season. That’s usually a good statistic. The War Eagles, however, allowed 117 points in back-to-back losses to Reagan and North Davidson. The Titans, tied for 7th in the 4A AP state poll, are on a roll right now. Their last three opponents combined to score just 14 points.

Common Sense pick: West Forsyth 42, Davie County 14

A.L. Brown at Hough

The Huskies are coming off a loss that should have been a win. Hough was ahead of Mallard Creek 30-7 last Friday before giving up 30 unanswered points to lose 37-30. Hough is going to come out fighting after letting one get away.

Brown can hang for a little while, but Hough will pull away and leave with a win.

Common Sense pick: Hough 28, Brown 14