By Mike London
Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — Fans strolling into East Rowan’s home game tonight against Wheatmore will no doubt notice the sharp new sign proclaiming their favorite football venue as W.A. Cline Stadium.
While the stadium won’t be formally dedicated to the man who head-coached the Mustangs from 1967-75 and again from 1987-94 until the Oct. 3 game with Salisbury, Harwood Signs has been hard at work, and the impressive sign, complete with a galloping red Mustang, was ready for opening night.
Cline coached 95 wins at East, a school where winning football games rarely has been a routine occurrence over the years. Cline’s undefeated 1969 team is among the most famous in county history, but it’s sometimes forgotten that Cline-coached East teams also won conference titles in 1968, 1970 and 1974 and won division championships in 1971 and 1972. After his comeback, his 1991 team won eight games, including two amazing playoff games.
Cline has been a class act a long time and if anyone deserves a stadium, it’s him. Fortunately, he was a very young head coach in the 1960s, so he’ll be on the field to hear the applause that will rain down from packed bleachers when he’s honored at halftime on Oct. 3.
Current East head coach Brian Flynn has a good chance for victory No. 1 tonight, although it’s not a sure thing. East is favored against first-time opponent Wheatmore by seven points. The Mustangs are looking to end a 21-game losing streak. WSAT will broadcast Mustang games again this season. That wasn’t necessarily good news for fans in 2024, but that could change this year. East is optimistic that better days are here.
••
Carson, 3-7 in 2024, is also at home against a first-time opponent, although the Cougars are serious underdogs.
The Massey Ratings favor Central Davidson by 27 points. Carson is given only a 13 percent win probability. But it’s the first game, score projections are based totally on what happened last season, and no one really know what’s going to happen in 2025. The Cougars may be better than some people think. They’ve got the backs to be a handful for their foes.
•••
You may have seen those nice gray and gold shirts that North Rowan coaches and fans have been wearing to honor former head coach Roger Secreast and the “Airport” from his terrific tenure that lasted in Spencer from 1988 to 2001. Secreast’s record at the helm of the Cavaliers was 108-59 during those 14 seasons. That run included the 1992 3A state runner-up team that went 12-3. North was 12-2 in 1994 and 11-3 in 2001.
North was 1-9 in 1989 but didn’t have another losing season during Secreast’s run.
Secreast is not in the Salisbury-Rowan Hall of Fame yet — there’s no logical reason for that — although he has been close to election more than once. It does seem likely that he will be the next football coach who is elected.
It can be tough for coaches to get votes. Cline had a perfect season and wasn’t elected until 2014, the 14th Hall of Fame class.
One of North’s greatest victories during Secreast’s era was the 34-30 game against West Rowan in the second round of the 2A state playoffs, with Mitch Ellis quarterbacking North and Timmy Hogue the QB for the Falcons.
West Rowan is at North Rowan tonight. Both teams were 7-5 last season, but West is 5A and is expected to be powerful this season and is favored by 22 points over the 2A Cavaliers. The Massey Ratings give North a 19 percent win probability.
North still leads the series 28-27-2, but the Falcons have won the last 12 meetings, including the most recent one in 2022. North’s last victory in the series came in Secreast’s final year as head coach in 2001.
•••
Forest Hills plays at Salisbury tonight, as those two perennial powerhouse programs meet once again.
You may recall that Salisbury’s 2024 season ended with a 38-31 loss to Forest Hills in the third round of the state playoffs.
Forest Hills also knocked the Hornets out of the 2006 playoffs, but Salisbury beat Forest Hills in 2010 during its run to a state championship.
The Yellow Jackets are favored by nine points by the Massey Ratings over a Hornet team with some talent, but also with a lot of new faces.
•••
A.L. Brown has won four of six meetings with Porter Ridge, but isn’t expected to fare well tonight at home against the Pirates. Porter Ridge is favored by 29. The Wonders are given a win probability of 7 percent.
•••
South Rowan is home against Union Academy tonight.
The Raiders, who didn’t have jayvee activity on Thursday, have beaten Union Academy the last two seasons and are likely to do it again. South is favored by two touchdowns and is given a win probability of 77 percent.
•••
Brian Hinson makes his coaching debut for Davie against traditional rival West Forsyth tonight. It’s been a long time since Davie and West Forsyth were in different leagues.
•••
It’s “Charles Love Night” at Raider Ravine in North Iredell.
Love, who coached 125 football wins at North Iredell and guided an undefeated team in 1987, will be honored by a community that reveres him.
Love grew up in East Spencer and is a North Rowan graduate.
