By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
A.L. Brown’s last season in the SPC before entering an all-Cabarrus league for the 2009-2010 school year will be interesting.
If they can get healthy and stay healthy, the Wonders are the pick, but their games with the rest of the league’s cream ó Anson, Sun Valley and Concord ó will be tough and tense.
A.L. Brown plays Sun Valley at home and Anson on the road back-to-back in a grueling September stretch and finishes with the Spiders on Nov. 7.
The rest of the SPC may provide no more than scenic trips and decent exercise for the Big Four, but Parkwood, Hickory Ridge, Marvin Ridge and Porter Ridge all should be better than last year.
North Carolina verbal commitment Vincent “Ray-Ray” Davis gives Sun Valley one of the state’s top receivers (30 career TD catches), and Brown coach Ron Massey has a world of respect for quarterback Andy Capone.
Davis missed Sun Valley’s loss to Brown last year because of a suspension, and he’ll be highly motivated for his trip to Kannapolis.
Anson County has beaten Brown by three points on each of its last two visits to Memorial Stadium and will be a handful again.
The Bearcats were 11-3 despite being youthful in 2007. Corner Donte Fordham (15 career picks), receiver Rasaun Rorie and running back Patrick Polk are studs, and former Catawba Indian Tim McMahon is one of the better coaches around.
Concord doesn’t look as powerful as usual on paper, but it’s still Concord. That means tradition and coaching, and E.Z. Smith still has a marquee back in former Wonder Roger Smith.
Parkwood was 5-6 in 2007, but it could bump its record to 7-4. The Rebels have the SPC’s best punter in Jordon Hearring, but they also have so much speed they may not have to employ him as often as last season.
Hickory Ridge is the second-year Ridge in Harrisburg, and it has good team speed. QB Brett Lilly topped 1,000 passing yards for a 1-10 team that could jump all the way to a playoff berth.
Marvin Ridge, also a second-year school, had no seniors in 2007 and started a whopping eight freshmen. The Waxhaw-based Mavericks are more experienced, but it will be a challenge for them to top last year’s four victories.
Porter Ridge, a neighbor of Sun Valley, is older than the other two Ridges, but it hasn’t made much progress because of constant coaching changes.
The latest puts former Wonder receiver Blair Hardin, one of Bruce’s twin sons, at the controls. He could be the guy who finally gets the Pirates rolling.
Piedmont was a big factor when former Catawba Indian Rusty Jester was coaching, but the Panthers may not be favored in a game all season.