From staff reports

SALISBURY — Young quarterback Mike Geter bounced a pitch in the general direction of Marcus Cook, who scooped the football like a shortstop and hauled it 40 yards for a touchdown.

“We caught a lucky bounce on that one,” Salisbury head coach Brian Hinson said. “But when it goes your way, it goes your way.”

Everything went the Hornets’ way in a non-conference game at Ludwig Stadium. East Rowan was knocked out by the middle of the second quarter and the Hornets romped by a staggering 65-0.

At one point, the Hornets scored three TDs in 53 seconds.

It was 58-0 at halftime, so the second half passed in a blink with a running clock.

Salisbury’s defense dominated so thoroughly — East had zero first downs at halftime — that the Hornets’ offense was constantly starting in East territory. With short fields, the Hornets, who were 8-for-8 on converting third downs in the first half, proved unstoppable.

Salisbury took a knee late in the half, but scored on all six of its offensive possessions  besides that one— and scored three times on defense.

“We started a freshman on the offensive line because of quarantines, but those guys did OK,” Hinson said. “JyMikaah ran behind his pads tonight and used those 220 pounds. Geter was just making his second start, but he’s starting to grasp our offense, and he’s really special.”

Salisbury (2-0) had a receiver run the wrong route on one play, and Geter simply improvised and turned a potential problem into a long touchdown scramble.

Geter had 73 rushing yards on seven carries and scored three TDs. Wells rushed 12 times for 67 yards and found the end zone twice.

Salisbury’s defense contributed pick-sixes by Zae Neal and Jayden Gibson. Jaden Gaither had an interception to set up a score, and the Hornets buried a completed screen pass in the end zone for a safety.

“We knew they’d try to get rid of the ball quickly on outs and screens, to try to slow down our defensive line,” Hinson said. “But our guys on the back end were prepared and defended those plays very well.”

In the second half, Khiliga Ellis broke a 41-yard run for East’s only explosive play. That gain gave East (0-2) positive offensive stats for the night. The Mustangs had negative numbers at halftime.

Salisbury’s jayvee passing combination of Hank Webb and Tyree Brown connected for the only TD of the second half, with Brown turning a short pass into a 55-yard score.

Salisbury welcomes South Rowan next week, while East is scheduled to host North Davidson.

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NORTH ROWAN 36, NORTH STANLY 32

NEW LONDON — North Rowan receiver Amari McArthur enjoyed a record-breaking night as the Cavaliers survived a non-conference shootout with rival North Stanly.

McArthur had a modest five catches, but all were game-changers. He had 271 receiving yards (54 yards per catch) to break a school single-game record set by Alfonzo Miller in 1999 and the county record of 264 set by East Rowan’s Seth Wyrick against Freedom in the 2014 state playoffs.

McArthur’s 65-yard TD reception with 9:56 left to play gave the Cavaliers (2-0) a 36-24 lead in a wild game and proved decisive.

North Stanly had the ball a lot longer and ran a lot more plays, but North Rowan had the big plays.

McArthur, a 6-foot-3 junior who is the reigning county champ in the 100 meters, also produced touchdown catches of 80 yards and 51 yards.

North Rowan freshman Jeremiah Alford threw for 294 yards and also ran for a touchdown.

Jae’mias Morrow had nine carries for 134 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown.

North Rowan’s defense helped out with three sacks.

Luke Shaver threw three touchdown passes for North Stanly (1-1) and ran for a TD.

Karee Dykes powered for 168 rushing yards on 27 carries.

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CARSON 40, SOUTH STANLY 6

CHINA GROVE — Carson did some good things in all three phases and crushed 1A South Stanly in the first meeting of the programs.

Carter Dowd bulled in for three point-blank touchdowns, while QB Hunter Burris broke two long scoring runs for the Cougars (1-1).

Carson blocked a punt to set up Dowd’s first TD, and the Cougars took a 14-0 lead on a 24-yard scamper by Burris.

South Stanly (0-3) got back to 14-6 late in the first quarter, taking advantage of a short field after a Carson turnover.

Burris’ 62-yard scoring run restored the momentum to the Cougars and Carson put together a long, time-consuming drive for a field goal that provided a 24-6 lead.

A snap issue on a punt handed Carson a safety for a 26-6 lead, and Dowd punched in his last two touchdowns as the Cougars pulled away.

Austin Cook and Kody Samples had interceptions for Carson.

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ROBINSON 42, SOUTH ROWAN 0

LANDIS — Robinson jumped out early and easily handled South Rowan in a non-conference game.

The Bulldogs (3-0) were led by quarterback Blue Monroe and a stingy defense.

Monroe’s TD pass to Caleb Johnson gave the Bulldogs a 22-0 lead and he hit Daevin Hobbs for the back-breaking score that made it 29-0 shortly before halftime.

South’s bright spots were on defense. Defensive tackle Wisdom Simms had 7.5 tackles, including 4.5 for loss and had several QB pressures. Linebacker Kameron Wallace made 10 tackles, and defensive tackle Kaleb Wolff earned praise from coach Chris Walsh.

“Robinson has great athletes on both sides of the ball,” Walsh said. “They’ll be a real tough out in the 2A playoffs.”

South Rowan fell to 1-2 and has the daunting task of visiting Salisbury next week.

 

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DAVIE 42, LAKE NORMAN 28

MOCKSVILLE — Due to COVID, Davie County had a late switch of non-conference opponents this week from North Davidson to Lake Norman.

Other than that, it was business as usual for the high-powered War Eagles (2-0), who got up early 14-0 and kept the Wildcats at bay.

Tate Carney was held to 66 rushing yards, but he still put the ball in the end zone three times.

Alex Summers was 16-for-24 passing for 268 yards. Brodie Smith had 152 yards in receptions, including a 42-yard grab that pushed Davie’s lead to 28-7 at halftime.

Lake Norman (2-1) pounded out 379 rushing yards in a determined but unsuccessful attempt to keep the ball away from Davie’s offense.

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A.L. BROWN 28, ROCKY RIVER 6

MINT HILL — A.L. Brown stayed unbeaten, while Rocky River (0-3) stayed winless.

Electrifying sophomore Xavier Chambers scored on offense and defense for the Wonders (3-0), who topped the Ravens in a non-conference game.

Jaden Johnson scored on the ground to break the ice for the Wonders. Chambers had a pick-six, and Ty Woods kicked the second of his four PATS for a 14-0 halftime lead.

Joey Vanover threw a TD pass to Chambers for a 21-0 lead.

Elijah Lawson scored a rushing TD late in the contest for the Wonders.