By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Week 11 has arrived, with meaningful games on the schedule, and that’s always good.

Salisbury vs. North Rowan always has some meaning, but there’s more on the line than usual this year. The game won’t impact the playoff seeding tremendously as Salisbury has clinched the Central Carolina Conference’s “1 seed” for the 2A state playoffs, while North Rowan wrapped up the  CCC’s ‘1 seed” for the 1A state playoffs a long time ago.

But the conference championship and all the accompanying bragging rights are still in doubt. A North win over the Hornets on Friday would make it a three-way tie at the top with Lexington (assuming Lexington beats Thomasville), which lost to Salisbury but beat North in an unbelievable game last week, joining the fun.

A Salisbury win over the Cavaliers obviously means another outright league title for a really solid program and coaching staff. It’s hard to believe Salisbury didn’t plunge off a cliff after losing a handful of legends to graduation and transfer, not to mention 10 defensive starters, but the drop-off has been minimal. Maybe the Hornets aren’t quite as devastating as they were last season, but they are still 8-1.

We haven’t checked in on the statistical deeds of North Rowan QB Jeremiah Alford lately, but that’s because a full-time CPA would be required to keep track of his records. He’s still making progress toward becoming a 10,000-yard man, a milestone that probably will happen in the first round of the playoffs. He has 9,710 yards now — 7,036 passing and 2,674 rushing. He has accounted for 125 touchdowns, throwing for 80 and rushing for 45.

West Rowan plays East Rowan in a 99-percent win probability game for the Falcons, who are 40-point favorites, so statisticians could get a workout.

West’s Evan Kennedy has stats that are virtually unique in county history, as he has 132 career catches (sixth all-time in the county) and 2,313 receiving yards (seventh all-time). What makes him a unicorn is he also has 1,854 rushing yards. Kennedy has 25 rushing TDs and 25 receiving TDs in a remarkable career. In what will probably be his final game in Mount Ulla on Friday, he may go for major numbers.

West’s Jaylen Neely has 1,859 career rushing yards, so he figures to get to 2,000 before the end of the season, He may even do it on Friday.

West QB Brant Graham, a junior, has surpassed 3,000 passing yards for his career now and has 28 TD passes in the bank.

It’s been a banner year for passing games in the county, as Salisbury QB Hank Webb already has broken single-season program records with 1,767 passing yards and 24 TD passes, while Macari House (49 catches, 709 yards) could set all the school receiving records for a season.

South Rowan QB Brooks Overcash has broken program career records. He’s thrown for 3,506 yards and 30 TDs.

Overcash will be one of the key guys as South tries to end a long streak of struggles against neighbor Carson on Friday. It will be the biggest game South’s seniors ever have played in, as a victory could put the Raiders in the playoffs for the first time in 15 years.

For Carson, it’s going to be about pride and sending the seniors out with a win. This will be Carson’s last game of the season.

A.L. Brown goes to Concord, looking to win the Bell Game one more time in what has been a great run in the long rivalry for the guys in green and white. The Wonders have beaten the Spiders nine straight times. It’s possible neither team will make the playoffs. It’s a certainty that the loser is going to have a very difficult time making the 32-team brackets. Both are 4-5.

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SALISBURY (8-1, 5-0 CCC) at NORTH ROWAN (6-3, 4-1 CCC), 7:30 p.m.

While a lot of fans will be watching the Alford/Webb QB matchup, running backs Hez Krider (SHS) and Jo Jo Tarver (North) will be key men. Tarver is the county’s leading rusher and is only 39 yards from 1,000, but can the Cavaliers run the ball against Salisbury? Lexington couldn’t make an inch on the ground against the Hornets’ front wall.

The Massey Ratings like the Hornets by four touchdowns with a 42-14 score projection and an 89-percent win probability, but it should be quite a bit closer than that.

Salisbury’s average game this year has been a 44-11 win. North’s average game has been a 36-21 win.

History is on Salisbury’s side, with three straight overwhelming romps in the series. North’s most recent win was in 2018. Salisbury leads the all-time series 31-25-2.

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EAST ROWAN (0-9, 0-6 SPC) at WEST ROWAN (5-4, 4-2 SPC), 7 p.m.

West Rowan is playoff-bound and is the South Piedmont Conference’s third-best team. East Rowan obviously is wrapping up a season that never found any traction. It will be the second straight 0-10 for the Mustangs, barring miraculous events. The Massey Ratings score projection is 47-7. East is given a 1-percent chance of winning, roughly the same odds as Frosty the Snowman dancing on your front porch on the Fourth of July.

Counting last season’s 57-13 romp, the Falcons have beaten the Mustangs nine straight times since East destroyed West 59-14 in 2014 in one of the most astounding results of all-time in Rowan County. In 2012, the Mustangs stopped West’s famed 44-game county winning streak. West leads the all-time series 34-23-1.

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SOUTH ROWAN (4-5, 3-3 SPC) at CARSON (3-6, 1-5 SPC), 7 p.m.

The Massey Ratings favor Carson by 16 points with a 30-14 score projection and an 81-percent win probability.

That prediction accurately reflects the history of the series, although it probably doesn’t reflect the way the teams are playing right now. Playing at home, playing with the emotion of Senior Night and playing with zero pressure and nothing to lose, Carson should be favored by a field goal.

Statistically, the teams are similar. Carson has scored a little more, while South has allowed slightly fewer points. But South has won against two teams — Concord and Central Cabarrus — that Carson lost to. That’s why their conference records look so much different.

Carson rolled 54-30 against the Raiders last season, the seventh straight victory in the series for the Cougars.

The schools didn’t play the first season Carson opened in 2006. That would have been a tough as a lot of South Rowan families had suddenly become Carson families.

The series began in 2007 when the Cougars were still struggling, still trying to get their first win. South won the first three meetings.

Carson won the next six seasons before a stunning South win in 2016. Stunning because South was 1-10 that year.

That was the last time South won in the series. A win this time could put the Raiders in the playoffs for the first time since the 9-3 team of 2009.

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A.L. BROWN (4-5) at CONCORD (4-5), 7 p.m.

Concord won 10 straight Bell games from 1961-1970, a feat the Wonders will be trying to match on Friday on E.Z. Smith Field at Bailey Stadium.

Both teams have had their struggles and are currently on the wrong side of the playoff  bubble. The loser is just about certain to miss the playoffs, and the winner won’t be a sure thing to make it. The Massey Ratings give the Wonders a 22-point edge, a 91-percent win probability, and a 35-13 score projection.

It’s been one of the greatest North Carolina high school rivalries. The Wonders lead the series 48-44-4 as the teams clash for the 97th time.