By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
SPENCER ó Assistant coach Robert Steele has agreed to take North Rowan’s defensive players out to dinner if the Cavaliers pitch a shutout.
Doughnuts, which are shaped like zeroes, were a suitable consolation prize.
The team gathered in head coach Tasker Fleming’s classroom Monday afternoon to study video of its 40-12 win against East Montgomery, which returned two North fumbles for touchdowns.
Fleming bought doughnuts for the entire group, and defensive lineman Javon Hargrave laughed while admitting that he ate five.
“Everybody was trying to get more,” he said. “I don’t think we had any left.”
Attempts to stop a motivated Hargrave, as offensive linemen have learned, are often futile.
Hargrave returned a fumble for a touchdown and recorded 21/2 sacks against East Montgomery, which rushed for minus-55 yards. The Eagles finished with minus-22 yards of offense.
Even though North’s defense didn’t allow any points, Steele wasn’t willing to concede that 40-12 qualified as a dinner-worthy outcome.
“Gotta be a goose egg,” he said. “We’re trying to keep them hungry ó in more ways than one.”
The Cavaliers, who entered conference play with an 0-4 overall record, are tied for first place in the YVC following wins at South Stanly and East Montgomery.
Hargrave recovered two fumbles and tackled South Stanly quarterback Jalen Holt for a momentum-swinging safety as North erased a two-touchdown deficit in a 16-14 victory two weeks ago.
Hargrave recorded sacks on consecutive plays late in the first half against East Montgomery ó he split a double team before forcing a fumble on the second one ó and returned a third-quarter fumble 32 yards for a score.
A junior in his third varsity season, Hargrave leads the county with six fumble recoveries, including four in the last three games.
“He just quietly lines up every play and gives unblockable effort,” Fleming said. “No one’s been able to keep him out of the backfield for two years. He’s still a baby in a lot of ways. He’s growing, and his technique gets better every week.
“Last week, I don’t know if they ever blocked him. It was one of those deals, every play you looked up, if they ran away from him, he was trailing the play. Otherwise, he was making the play.”
The recovery Friday made Hargrave reminisce about a missed opportunity against Carson earlier this season.
He envisioned picking up a loose ball and racing into the end zone when the Cougars fumbled at their own 15-yard line. Instead, he settled for an unsatisfactory result.
“It was raining that night, and I had a chance to pick up the ball and scoop it,” Hargrave said. “When I went for the ball I tripped and fell.
“I thought I had a touchdown. It stuck in my mind for a while.”
North led 12-0 at halftime against East Montgomery and scored one minute into the third quarter. A shotgun snap sailed over Eagles quarterback Aaron Taylor’s head to open the next series, and several defenders pursued the ball.
Terry Allen inadvertently deflected it back to Hargrave, who led a convoy of Cavaliers to the end zone.
“I finally did it if I was going to do it,” he said. “I was scared I was going to trip again, but the team was there with me this time.”
A group effort shut down East Montgomery’s offense, and North’s encouraging start to its debut season in a 1A conference has lifted spirits in Spencer.
The Cavaliers had dropped 16 consecutive games on the field before they stunned South Stanly, and a win against North Moore (0-6) on Friday could set up a matchup with Albemarle to decide the league title.
“The whole school is smiling,” Hargrave said. “When we were losing, everybody was talking junk, calling us sorry. Now we’re winning. It’s all smiles and no frowns.”