By Mike London

mike.london@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — The only place where North Rowan football isn’t stout is sheer numbers.

The Cavaliers have speed and strength in abundance, but depth is a challenge for North as it is for almost all 1A programs. Lots of players must go both ways. Injuries hit harder than they do at larger schools. The 3As and 4As have a next man up waiting his turn. North doesn’t have that luxury.

That why a Swiss Army knife player like Yasir Wactor is so important for the Cavaliers.

“My role as a senior has been to be whatever my team needs me to be,” Wactor said cheerfully. “Whatever we need that night, I try to give it.”

Wactor is about as versatile as it gets. He was an All-Central Carolina Conference player as a junior offensive lineman. He played guard and tackle.

As a senior, he’s been employed mostly on the defensive side of  the ball. He can play inside or outside on the defensive line. He still gets some snaps as a backup on the the offensive line, and the Cavaliers will even use No. 54 at fullback. He’s carried 19 times for 87 yards and a touchdown.

Wactor is a large man to be running the ball, but he’s learned to stay low and use his power to deliver the blow and punish tacklers. He’s eager for the chance to run the ball every time his number is called.

“He’s having another all-conference type of season,” North head coach Josh Sophia said. “He’s really made himself a very good defensive lineman. He’s one of our anchor players, one of our core guys. He’s athletic enough that I think we could play him at linebacker if we needed to. It’s that special versatility that kind of sets him apart.”

North Rowan was in a tough road game against a pretty good and much improved West Davidson team last Friday. The Green Dragons led 9-6 in the second quarter, but North (6-2, 4-0) came roaring back to win 34-9.

Wactor was a big factor with seven tackles, huge production for a lineman.

“He’s always been an athletic lineman,” Sophia said. “The difference in him this year is he’s worked so  hard at improving his technique. His technique is so strong now. He did a great job of squeezing against West Davidson.”

“Squeezing” in coach-speak doesn’t mean that Wactor was hugging Green Dragons. It means he was collapsing the offensive line inside. When a defensive lineman can do that, it clogs holes, shuts down running lanes. That’s a big reason West Davidson was shut out in the second half.

Wactor remembers two specific plays from the West Davidson game with fondness.

“Running play and the tight end was blocking me, but then I got my hands on him and I was able to make the tackle and cause a fumble,” Wactor said. “Even though they ruled it wasn’t a fumble.”

The second play put his athleticism on display.

“They ran a sweep and I was able to make a dive and get the tackle,” Wactor said. “West Davidson was better than they have been, but we came together at halftime and we played well in the second half on defense.”

Wactor, like many of the Cavaliers, benefits not only from having a coach who cares about the players as much as Sophia does, but by having assistant coaches like Jeff Chambers. Chambers, a Salisbury-Rowan Hall of Famer who was a defensive lineman/running back, back in the day, has been a tremendous mentor.

“Coach Chambers is humble, doesn’t talk about himself, but we all have heard about how good he was,” Wactor said. “It’s great having him working with us. I try to learn something from him every day.”

Wactor will take those lessons into a big game this weekend. North Rowan is at Lexington.