North senior KaMahri Feamster

By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SPENCER — North Rowan senior KaMahri Feamster was a one-man IHOP on Friday, handing out five free pancakes in the 46-6 win against East Rowan.

A pancake is a block that leaves a defender flat on his back. Blueberries and syrup are optional.

A returning All-Central Carolina Conference player, Feamster (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) also ruled his turf when North Rowan didn’t have the ball. He performed two-way duty as North’s offensive right tackle and as a defensive end.

Wherever he went, Feamster left a trail of bodies.

“He played outstanding and was our player of the game,” North head coach Josh Sophia said. “When we watched the film, he dominated on both sides of the ball. Besides the pancake blocks on offense, he had a sack on defense. He had a great performance, the kind of game you look for from a senior.”

The Cavaliers were favored, as North generally beats East, but the game was expected to be more competitive than it turned out to be. North set the tone early with a stop, followed by a scoring drive — offense and defense both clicking from the outset — and never took a step back.

“We were well-prepared by our coaches,” Feamster said. “We knew that when East was on defense, they like to send the linebackers, so we were ready for that. On offense, East relies on the quarterback for a lot of RPOs, and we contained him. We really wanted to win, so we came out and did all the things we were supposed to do.”

Feamster, an athlete who is also a basketball role player and track and field thrower for the Cavaliers, has been on the varsity for years, but this was the most dedicated offseason he’s ever had.

“I ran hills at Dan Nicholas Park a lot, competed hard with guys, learned a lot of football from good camp experiences,” Feamster said. “I lost a lot of weight last spring, but I’m getting some of it back now. I’d like to get back to 245 or 250.”

Feamster figures his best defensive play against East was his sack.

“I beat my blocker inside with a swim move, made a dive for the quarterback’s hips and got him down,” Feamster said. “That was a pretty big play because it was on fourth down and kept them from scoring.”

Identifying his favorite offensive play was tougher because there were so many pancakes to choose from.

“I think it was when we ran an inside zone play and I blocked the defensive end,” Feamster said. “My helmet came off — but we were 10 or 15 yards down the field.”

Feamster doesn’t have a preference as far as offense or defense. He likes both. Friday’s relatively cool temperatures helped him play both sides of the ball with ease.

“If I can help my team win by playing both ways, then I’m all for it,” he said. “I can do it.”

North will look different this season without Jaemias Morrow, Khor’on Miller and Amir Alexander, but that means it’s time for some new guys to become household names.

Feamster may be one of them.

Another player whose role has expanded is Jo Jo Tarver, who has been promoted to primary running back. He’s the county rushing leader after the first week after racking up 172 yards.

“We all know Jo Jo is a great athlete, but seeing him make cuts and read blocks was amazing,” Feamster said. “It’s like he’s been out there for three years.”