By Adam Houston

adam.houston@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — What happened Friday in Spencer was supposed to happen. The Cavaliers dominated on offense and defense for a 62-8 victory over visiting West Davidson.

The offense was as close to perfect as anything can get. The Cavaliers scored on all eight of their possessions. Quarterback Alexis Archie was 8 for 8 for 113 yards and a touchdown, and he ran the ball five times for 57 yards and a pair of scores.

“We knew we had to put the ball the ball in the hands of our athletes and let them do what they do,” Archie said. “We had great blocks from our lineman, and we just made big plays.”

The first touchdown was as close to a hiccup the offense got on Friday. Archie threw a pass intended for Sakil Harrison. The high throw was tipped by Harrison, but Charles Watkins was behind him to make the catch. Watkins took off as soon as it was in his hands, and he reached the end zone for a 7-0 lead at with 7 minutes, 17 seconds left in the first quarter.

The backbreaker, though, came midway through the quarter. After Andre Cowan’s touchdown run made it 21-0, Wesley Jeffries forced a fumble on the Dragons’ second play of the ensuing drive. Dennis Davis scooped up the ball at the West Davidson 38 and took off for the end zone. He was shoved across the line for a 28-0 advantage with 6:40 left in the first half.

“I just saw grass. Just go,” Davis said.

It was one of five North Rowan touchdowns in the second quarter. Archie had two scoring runs while Cowan and Jareke Chambers had one apiece.

North Rowan (6-2, 2-0 CCC) led 41-0 at halftime. After getting the opening kick of the second half, it needed only seven plays to get Chambers into the end zone for the second time of the night. That touchdown run brought the 42-point clock rule into play with 7:35 left in the third.

“We challenged our guys to build off Lexington last week in the third quarter and to play like we can play,” head coach Joe Nixon said. “We came out tonight and all phases of the game was clicking. I thought we played fast and didn’t make a lot of mistakes.”

Chambers added a second scoring run in the second half. He had 111 rushing yards on 11 carries, but his night was finished on the kickoff

The Cavaliers’ defense was dominant. The Dragons (1-7, 0-2 CCC) sniffed midfield a few times in the first half, but they didn’t make it into North Rowan territory until there was 7 minutes left in the ball game. A 4-yard run by quarterback Carter Beck got the ball to the North Rowan 48. Beck found Justin Bennett for a 25-yard gain on the next play, and the drive was capped by Kyle Smith’s 16-yard touchdown run, his longest run of the night.

Smith had 56 yards rushing on 15 carries. Beck threw for 63 yards on 6-of-12 passing, and he ran the ball 12 times for 24 yards.

Chambers’ night was finished on the ensuing kickoff. He fielded the squib kick up the middle at the North Rowan 29. He made people miss and slipped a few tackles before getting in the open field. Chambers won the footrace with two defenders to the end zone for a 71-yard return for touchdown with 4:14 left in the game.

Adam Houston:
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AdamRHouston