By Mike London
Salisbury Post
SALISBURY — It seems like only yesterday that this football season started, but the halfway point for the regular season has arrived.
While it’s still quite warm, homecomings are taking place this week at several schools, including at A.L. Brown, where the Wonders will hit the road for three straight weeks following Friday’s festivities.
East Rowan already has been on the road forever, but the official dedication of W.A. Cline Stadium isn’t far off now. The Mustangs will take care of that when Salisbury visits a week from Friday. The Hornets are looking like a more favorable dedication opponent now than they did when the schedule was announced.
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The Massey Ratings indicate this will be one of the least exciting high school seasons of all-time locally — with one notable exception.
That notable exception is the game that will be taking place in China Grove — West Rowan at Carson.
The Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy is given a zero percent win probability at North Rowan, which sounds about right, while East Rowan gets the dreaded “zero chance” designation for a trip to Northwest Cabarrus.
Berry Academy’s win probability at A.L. Brown is listed at 1 percent, so the Cardinals are given a chance by the Massey Ratings, but it’s roughly the same chance that a snowball has in August.
Salisbury is given a 2 percent win probability at mighty Robinson.
South Rowan gets only a 2 percent win probability against Concord, although the Raiders probably should be more like 20 percent. South did shut out Concord in 2024.
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The Massey Ratings give West Rowan the nod by seven points over Carson, not surprising given the history of the series, but the Cougars have been more impressive to this point and also have a healthy quarterback.
West head coach Louis Kraft lists senior quarterback Brant Graham, who banged his heat on the artificial turf at Concord, as “doubtful” for this contest, although Graham hasn’t been ruled out.
Carson head coach Jonathan Lowe said the Cougars will prepare to play against the full-strength Falcons. Obviously, West is different with Graham than without him. West didn’t complete a pass at Concord after Graham went out in the first quarter.West led at the half but lost 32-19.
Historically, West has beaten Carson in 19 0f 20 meetings, including a 33-7 victory in 2024. Carson’s lone win in the series was by 28-21 in 2013 and is still remembered as one of the iconic triumphs in program history.
The county record books are full of the amazing deeds that West has perpetrated against Carson. There was KP Parks’ 356-yard rushing game in a 69-14 destruction of the Cougars, when they were pretty good, in 2009 and there was Kacey Otto’s record-setting 504 yards of total offense against Carson in the 2015 state playoffs.
The programs played classics in an era when Scott Young was coaching against Joe Pinyan, but except for that 2013 game, the Falcons always came out on top. There was a two-overtime battle in 2014 and there was an overtime playoff struggle in 2015.
Lowe’s high school days at East Rowan coincided with West Rowan’s glory days, so he’s familiar with the West history and the West mystique, especially against county opponents, but he’s not daunted by it.
“The guys who are Cougars now were born in 2008, 2009, when West was winning those state championships,” Lowe said. “They’ve heard the stories, but they’ve got no personal recollection of it. And what happened 20 years ago or 15 years ago or 10 years ago has no bearing at all on this Friday’s game. This is the 2025 Cougars against the 2025 Falcons, and we’re preparing to play a tough ball game. But our focus this week isn’t on West, it’s on Carson. We focus on Carson every week, no matter who we play. Every day, every practice, we do everything we can to make Carson better.”
Carson (3-1, 1-0) opened in 2006 and has never been the unofficial county champion in football. The best Cougar team ever was the 2010 team. They beat a Salisbury squad that year that went on to win a state title, but West also won a state championship in 2010 and was the king of the county, as it has been many, many times in this century.
Carson’s win at Salisbury last week puts the Cougars in great position to be crowned “county champs” for 2025, but West (1-3, 0-1) always has been a formidable obstacle as far as the Cougars reaching that goal.
The Massey Ratings give Carson a 37 percent chance of getting over that West hump.
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The Wonders only have played Phillip O. Berry Academy twice (both wins) in history, but the Berry Cardinals are now conference foes of the Wonders for the first time in the Greater Metro.
The Wonders (2-2, 1-0) are favored by 35 points to bludgeon Berry at Memorial Stadium. Berry (0-4, 0-1) has been getting crushed by all opponents.
In a wide open league, the Wonders appear to have as good a chance as anyone to emerge as GMC champs.
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Robinson opened in 2001. One of the first games the Bulldogs ever played was against Salisbury. Robinson won that one 14-0 with a big defensive effort. Robinson shut out the Hornets again in 2002. They haven’t played since 2002, so Salisbury has never scored against the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0).
That may be the case again Friday when the Hornets visit the Bulldogs. Coming off a home loss to Carson, Salisbury (1-3, 0-1) is a 35-point underdog. Robinson’s 18-man coaching staff includes former Catawba coach Bob Lancaster and former Catawba lineman Cole Beane. Robinson held East Rowan without a first down in the first half last week.
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East Rowan has enjoyed reasonable historical success against Northwest Cabarrus (17-23 all-time), but the Trojans have dominated the Mustangs lately, and that’s likely to continue.
East is a 42-point underdog.
Northwest won 48-0 in 2024 and has held East without a touchdown the last three seasons. The Mustangs’ most recent victory in the series was in 2016.
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North Rowan can look forward to a visit from the Bonnie Cone Leadership Academy Eagles. This is the fourth year for Bonnie Cone football, but it’s the first year as far as competing in an NCHSAA conference.
The Eagles (0-4, 0-1) are unlikely to find their first victory in Spencer. North Rowan (1-3, 1-0) lost to three bigger schools, but opened Yadkin Valley Conference play last week with a resounding 49-7 romp at Union Academy Charter.
Bonnie Cone has a turf field and potential for long-term success. The school is located in the growing area of Huntersville.
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South Rowan (3-1, 0-1) was brought back down to earth by Northwest Cabarrus, one of the South Piedmont Conference’s best teams last week, as SPC play got started.
That was a running-clock 44-13 game, although the Raiders kept fighting, put up considerable rushing yards and put together a 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter.
Concord (2-2, 1-0) has won two in a row and posted a large win against West Rowan last week, but playing at home, South should be able to stay in the game with the Spiders.
When South beat Concord 17-0 last season, it was huge for the program, the Raiders’ first victory against Concord since 1984. The Spiders lead the all-time series 15-11-1.
Salisbury given a 2 percent chance
favrored by 35, robinson
East has a 0 percent chance 42 point dogs
west is favored by 7 over cougs 1-3 vs. 3-1
63 percent 37 percent
South is 29 point dog 2 percent chance
3-1 2-2
Bonnie cone leadeship academy
0-4 100 percent 42 point dogs
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