By David Shaw

For the Salisbury Post

SPENCER — You probably know George Maxwell as an adroit shooting guard who averaged 16 points-per-game for a nothing-special North Rowan boys basketball team last winter.

And you likely recall the night last January when the 6-footer grabbed 10 rebounds, flushed 10 3-pointers and dropped a career-high 42 points on West Davidson, providing an indelible memory for the Cavs and their followers. All-CCC and all-county recognition arrived by season’s end.

But that was then. These days Maxwell toils as a first-year, 175-pound linebacker and defensive end for North’s 7-1 football team — anchoring a unit that has yielded only 44 points in four conference victories with weighty matches against Lexington and unblemished Salisbury looming on its October schedule.

“Big games ahead,” the senior mentioned Friday night, moments after North turned a 48-6 victory over those same West Davidson Dragons into a playful layup drill. “Salisbury’s the game we’ve had circled all year, but Lexington comes first. We’ve got to focus on that one.”

That one will determine whether the Cavs, the state’s seventh-ranked 1A team, play for a conference championship Oct. 27 at Salisbury — and potentially their first league title since 2019 — or finish the regular season riding shotgun. As an undersized ‘Where’s Waldo’ of a star-studded North defense, Maxwell can be easily overlooked. You just couldn’t miss him last Friday.

“He’s really a basketball player,” said teammate Jaemias Morrow, the compact ball carrier who scored four touchdowns and is closing in on another 1,000-yard rushing season. “But he could be a dual or triple threat for this school. He’s really good at football. He just didn’t want to play until this year.”

This year has been a revelation for Maxwell, who was lured to the gridiron by friends already in the program and new coach Josh Sophia, who installed a successful, team-first work ethic on Whitehead Avenue.

“He’s been a big help,” said Sophia. “He’s played multiple positions for us. Tonight was really the first time we’ve had him on the D-line. We went to a different front early, so he was moved from an outside linebacker to a stand-up defensive end — and he killed it out there.”

Maxwell was tougher than old Charles Bronson on the subway — barging into West’s backfield not once, not twice, but three times to record quarterback sacks. Playing with the power of a prizefighter and finesse of a flautist, he turnstiled past overmatched blockers and wall-papered quarterback Brooks Calderone to the turf for losses totaling 26 yards.

“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to hit somebody tonight,” Maxwell said afterward, garnished in a Britney Spears T-shirt that complemented his post-game kicks. “It doesn’t hurt me, but I think it hurt them.”

It was all part of a defensive effort that left West Davidson black-and-blue. The winless Dragons managed only seven first downs and 103 total yards. They punted seven times. Maxwell’s sacks were his third, fourth and fifth of the season and were among the guest’s 12 negative yardage plays from scrimmage.

“George did that,” said senior DE Jordan Bailey, North’s team-leader with six sacks. “He’s had a few games like this one. He shows up, rolls up his sleeves and goes to work. Tonight he was coming around the edge really fast and getting to the quarterback. I’m really proud of him.”

So was Marcus Hamilton, North’s second-year linebackers coach.

“We told him to contain the edge and get outside the end,” said Hamilton. “He did a great job of that. He saw opportunities to rush the quarterback, took advantage and made plays. His responsibility was to keep the edge and keep the quarterback in the box. He’s normally very quiet, keeps to himself. But once the lights come on, that competitive spirit comes out. Tonight, we found out who he is.”

Maxwell’s first sack came midway through the second quarter with the Cavs holding a 22-6 lead, thanks largely to a pair of long punt returns for touchdowns by the shifty Morrow. On first down from the West 35-yard line, Calderone turned away from Maxwell but was quickly wrestled to the ground for an 11-yard loss. In the final period, with the outcome no longer in question, he dropped Calderone for a 6-yard loss, though a subsequent personal foul penalty gave West a first down near midfield. Three snaps later he struck again — entering the backfield like he had a police escort and flattening the QB for 9-yard backslide.

“George is one of those guys you’ve got to keep engaged,” said Sophia. “When he’s engaged, he can really go.”

Maxwell is going — and he’s bringing the Cavs along for the ride.

“It’s just one game, but it shows how far we’ve come,” he said with a warm smile outside North’s fieldhouse. “Our defense has really improved over the last three or four games. I don’t think (West) should have even scored against us. Our defense is way better than that.”

It has been good enough to record 16.5 sacks and force 18 turnovers this fall. But moving forward, is there enough petrol in the tank to keep North in contention for the conference crown — and perhaps make a deep run into next month’s 1A state playoffs?

“That’s the goal, to make it to the state championship game,” Maxwell said. “That’s our fuel.”

And that, North Rowan fans, you probably already knew.