By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
Salisbury visits Newton-Conover’s Gurley Stadium tonight for a state semifinal matchup that should take football fans back a few decades.
Think Oklahoma vs. Texas in the 1970s. The forward pass will be a novelty, and time of possession will be a more meaningful stat than usual.
Both teams are exceptional at triple-option offense. The team that controls the ball and clock wins. The team that loses a fumble or two can expect its season to end.
The survivor plays the Reidsville-Kinston winner for the 2AA state championship at 11 a.m. next Saturday at North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill.
While it’s a No. 7 seed, it’s no surprise Newton-Conover (13-1) is here. The Red Devils claimed the 2A state title in 2008 by putting 51 points on Tarboro. They are 24-9 at Gurley Stadium in playoff games, including a 2000 win against North Rowan. That was the last time the Red Devils faced a Rowan County team.Salisbury coach Joe Pinyan is very familiar with Newton-Conover from his days as an assistant at Mooresville.
“Newton-Conover, Maiden and Mooresville, three sets of Devils right there played each other, and one of those games usually ended up being for the conference championship,” Pinyan said. “They carry on some of the same traditions they had when Don Patrick was the head coach there, and Coach (Nick) Bazzle coached underneath him.”
Like eighth-seeded Salisbury, Newton-Conover won two playoff games on the road to reach this point.
Bazzle had to replace the skill people from his championship team, but his linemen are seasoned veterans. Newton-Conover has rolled since losing at Bandys on Oct. 2.
Pinyan, who learned the trade from wishbone master Mike Carter and defensive wizard Pete Stout, returned good skill people from last season’s forfeit-plagued powerhouse but had to develop new linemen.
The Hornets (10-4) have steadily progressed. They’ve won seven of their last eight, with their lone loss in that span coming in a 14-7 headknocker at Thomasville.
Newton-Conover’s concern is Salisbury’s speed. The Hornets should be faster, and it’s hard to get any quicker than running back Romar Morris (1,282 rushing yards, 21 TDs) if you’re limiting the conversation to human beings.
“Salisbury is big, strong and super-fast, without a doubt the best team we’ve faced in 2009, so we’re going to have to play exceptionally well to have a chance,” Bazzle said. “This team, I really don’t see how they lost four to be honest, except for the caliber of teams they played. They’re about as talented a group as I’ve seen all year.”
Salisbury’s concern is Newton-Conover’s strength in the trenches, where the Red Devils are large and mobile.
In the past, they have been quicker and smaller, but they now have excellent size. Bazzle said it’s the biggest Newton-Conover squad since the late 1980s when he was an assistant.
“They are by far the best offensive and defensive lines we’ve seen, and I thought Thomasville had a great set of linemen,” Pinyan said. “Shucks, I’m scared to death of their defensive line. They’re a lot like us when you look at their athletes. It’s a mirror image on offense. They do a lot of the same things we do, but there’s a vast difference when you look down there in the trenches. They have some big critters, and they get after it.”
Tevin James (6-foot-2, 265 pounds), Jordan Gibbs (6-1, 265), Mike Comer (6-3, 280) and Dylan Scism (5-11, 230) are among the line studs for Newton-Conover. James, Gibbs and Scism usually play both ways. Anthony Gill may have been the best of all, but he is out with a knee injury.
“When you put them beside Salisbury’s 6-4, 390 (nose guard Kiontae Rankin), that brings them back down to reality in a hurry,” Bazzle said with a laugh.
“It’s not like we’re overly huge. It’s not like we have 300-pounders, but the kids we have are good-size kids that can move. That’s what makes them effective.”
Newton-Conover quarterback Sam Royall had to fill the big shoes left behind by Bazzle’s son, A.J., but he’s been a good enough runner to make opponents respect the “keep” segment of the Red Devils’ triple-option.
Running back Octavius “Octane” Harden is the key weapon. In a second-round rematch with Bandys, he amassed 25 carries for 202 yards and four TDs. Ty Brown, a 6-foot-6 receiver, and 200-pound fullback Jamal Coates are also dangerous.
Salisbury has scored 474 points this season (33.9 per game), with the defense contributing three TDs. Newton-Conover has been even more prolific with 502 points.
Defensively, the Hornets have allowed 177 points to Newton-Conover’s 188.
Junior John Knox directs Salisbury’s wishbone formation ó so-called because the four backs will align in a Y shape. He’s rushed for 705 yards and thrown for an efficient 1,029 ó with 17 TDs and only two picks. Fullback Ike “Iron Man” Whitaker has rushed for 812 yards and 10 TDs. Tight end Riley Gallagher has nine TD receptions.
Salisbury averages seven pass attempts per game. Newton-Conover averages five. This one won’t take long. The team that controls the ball on the ground and hits one or two big pass plays probably wins.
“Newton-Conover is a senior-dominated team,” Pinyan said. “They’ve been there, and they know what it takes to get back there. That’s part of our task at hand. We haven’t; they have. We have to figure out how to get it done.”
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Common Sense pick: Salisbury 21, Newton-Conover 14
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Bret Strelow contributed to this story.