Common Sense was as perfect as the 1972 Miami Dolphins last week, correctly calling all six games involving local football teams, including South Rowan’s victory over A.L. Brown, one of those upsets that wasn’t much of an upset. Not if you’ve had a chance to see South play.
Common Sense says the Raiders are the real deal, folks, and they’ll prove it again tonight at Northwest Cabarrus in a game some believe will bring them crashing back to reality.
Should West Rowan be worried about South?
No. West shouldn’t be worried about any team that doesn’t give scholarships.
Everyone else can prepare to take their lumps from the resurgent Raiders.
I mention last week’s perfection and 10-2 season record only because this could be a rough night for your favorite fearless forecaster. Carson-Salisbury and A.L. Brown-Thomasville are iffy picks.
Salisbury 21, Carson 20
Carson-Salisbury is tough to predict, especially when I haven’t had a chance to see the Cougars play.
Carson dropped a weird opener that dragged on two nights. That didn’t tell me much. Then the Cougars beat up on a North Rowan team they were supposed to beat. That told me even less.
How good are the Cougars?
I have no clue, but I do know Shaun Warren is good, and I do know this would be a dance-in-the-streets win for the school. A victory would elbow the Cougars into the top half of the county’s pecking order, and that’s a place they’ve never been.
Still, Salisbury is at home, coach Joe Pinyan doesn’t lose very often and speeding bullet Romar Morris is reminiscent of the wheels Mercury Morris brought to those 1972 Dolphins.
Blink and Romar is gone, and I think he’ll disappear a couple of times.
Salisbury in a thriller.
West 41, Davie 7
People have an annoying tendency to snicker out loud when I tell them this West team can be better than last year’s 3A state champs, but live and learn.
These Falcons not only have nice new uniforms, they are bigger and faster than the 2008 edition that went 15-1. If the key guys stay healthy and the young guys learn the ropes, they can run the table.
Davie’s been a pain in the posterior for West in recent years, but that will change tonight unless Cooter Arnold, Raeshon McNeil and Patrick Lowery show up in pads.
South 24, NW Cabarrus 17
South’s on the road against a team with double motivation. The Trojans lost last week and lost to South last season, but I don’t see the Raiders dwelling on last Friday’s magic. I see them moving on and collectively withstanding the individual brilliance of Northwest QB Jeremy Cannon.
Blake Houston, B.J. Grant, D’Andre Harris, Thomas Lowe. You can stop one or two, but not all four.
South should be aided by Northwest playing West Rowan last week. No one plays the Falcons without six guys getting banged up and missing the next game and another half-dozen hurting.
Brown 27, Thomasville 21
Travis Riley should run amok against a youthful defense that got trampled by Mount Airy last week.
Thomasville lost just one game from 2005-08, but the Bulldogs could lose two weeks in a row at Cushwa Stadium.
Concord 14, East Rowan 7
East last beat Concord 30 years ago. After that, former Concord coach E.Z. Smith went undefeated against eight different East coaches.
Glen Padgett is the new Concord coach. He’s 0-0 vs. the Mustangs, while East coach Brian Hinson is 0-0 against the Spiders. A fresh start is usually a positive.