North Rowan’s Emari Russell. Jacqui Smith Watson photo.

By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — North Rowan senior quarterback Jeremiah Alford reached another milestone, but there were few additional highlights for the Cavaliers in Friday’s 33-8 loss at Eagle Stadium to Forest Hills.

A fourth-quarter rushing touchdown was the 39th of Alford’s career. He has thrown 61 touchdown passes in his four-year varsity career, so he has now accounted for an even 100 touchdowns.

Alford threw for 90 yards on Friday, while running for 81.

It was a wild weather night, with lightning striking Rowan County as hard as it did anywhere in the state. Most games were played around the state, but North was the only local team that was able to get a game in.

Most of the local teams will be playing night games on Labor Day.

North’s kickoff was delayed until 8:45 p.m., but the teams were able to play.

“If you’d asked me at 7 p.m. if we were going to play, I would have said there was no way,” North head coach Josh Sophia said. “But we got it in. Forest Hills had traveled a long way.”

The game was still scoreless in the middle of the second quarter when North (1-1) had a miscue on a punt attempt. That was the break that turned things Forest Hills’ way.

The Yellow Jackets (1-1) led 14-0 at the half.

Alford got banged up some. He took most of the snaps at quarterback, but the Cavaliers had to give him a break from his normal inside linebacker position on defense.

Forest Hills ran the ball very efficiently in the second half. Alford’s absence probably contributed to that.

“It was a humid night, and that hurt us more than it did them,” Sophia said. “They’re deeper. They can two-platoon, and we really can’t do that right now. We got gassed some in the second half, and they were just too much for us.”

It was 24-0 when North finally got on the board in the fourth quarter. Alford got the TD, and Jo Jo Tarver, who had 53 rushing yards, was able to add a 2-point conversion.

The Cavaliers tried an onside kick after the touchdown, but Forest Hills recovered and took advantage of great field position to score again.

The last two points for the visitors came on a safety after another North punting mishap.

Emari Russell had three catches for 48 yards. Mike Alford had two catches for 42.

Forest Hills racked up 437 yards of offense, 259 rushing and 178 passing.

Kylan Polk had 118 rushing yards for the Yellow Jackets, who bounced back from an opening-night loss to Ashbrook. Jerel Bolder topped 100 receiving yards.

“In the second quarter we had a drive of eight or nine minutes,” Sophia said. “We had almost 300 yards of offense, almost 200 rushing yards. It’s not like we didn’t move the ball, but we didn’t finish. We couldn’t punch it in.”

North is scheduled to play Anson (0-2) at home on Friday. Anson was drubbed 44-14 by Sun Valley on Saturday.