By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY— West Rowan quarterback Lucas Graham will one day tell the tale to his grandchildren of going out for the coin toss for the opening game at Salisbury.
Graham, a senior whose biggest claim to fame on a football field up to that point was having his collarbone broken by Salisbury stallion Jalon Walker when he was a sophomore, had no varsity track record.
The Falcons were considered underdogs by everyone except the Falcons.
Landon Jacobs was still a mystery man who was changing sides of the ball. Evan Kennedy was just another fast guy with potential.
“We won the toss, and I told the ref we wanted the ball, and all four guys Salisbury sent out there starting laughing,” Graham said. “It kind of made me mad.”
No one is chuckling at West’s prolific offense now.
Graham flawlessly directed an emphatic 31-7 victory over the Hornets.
Then he really cut loose in Week 2 for a school-record 388 passing yards in a wild 35-34 win against Davie, while Kennedy was racking up a school-record 227 receiving yards.
Jacobs owns two 100-yard rushing games.
“We call him our freight train,” Graham said. “Our big guys have been knocking defense lines off the ball for him and giving me all the time in the world to throw.”
It will get tougher Friday. West head coach Louis Kraft knows it. So does Graham. Mooresville is good, but West’s game at Mooresville is winnable.
Not many people thought this one was winnable for West two short weeks ago, but things can change fast in high school football.
This is definitely the toughest stretch of the season for West.
Right out of the gate — Salisbury, Davie, Mooresville, North Rowan. If the Falcons can go 3-1, it could mean a 9-1 regular season. If they can go 4-0, 10-0 becomes a serious possibility.
In the South Piedmont Conference, defending champ Concord might be the only team with a reasonable chance to stand up against West’s combination of muscle and horsepower.
Time will tell.
“We know we’re going to face more adversity at Mooresville than we’ve seen so far,” Graham said. “But we’re excited about the game.”
It’s definitely the game of the week involving a Rowan team. WSAT radio will be broadcasting.
Friday’s games:
West Rowan (2-0) at Mooresville (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
Mooresville has beaten the Falcons four straight times and leads the series 29-22.
West’s most recent victory over the Blue Devils, who are led by former West coach Joe Nixon, was in 2016.
•••
Salisbury (1-1) at East Rowan (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
It’s the only county game on Friday.
The Mustangs have made 11 turnovers in two weeks and scored only one offensive TD in a 30-14 loss to North Stanly.
Salisbury got some things fixed in the 34-12 win at 4A Green Level, and it’s hard to see East stopping JyMikaah Wells, Mike Geter and Deuce Walker.
Geter accounted for four TDs last week.
It was ugly last season — a 65-0 Salisbury romp.
East’s most recent victory over the Hornets was in 2016.
Salisbury leads the series 29-15.
•••
South Rowan (1-1) at Robinson (1-1), 7 p.m.
South looks to get back on track after a disastrous 57-0 loss to North Rowan, but the Raiders will be big underdogs.
Robinson lost to Independence, but beat Central Cabarrus.
The Bulldogs beat the Raiders 42-0 last season.
South is 1-4 against Robinson. The Raiders won in 2009.
•••
Carson (0-2) at South Stanly (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
South Stanly has been clobbered twice, so it looks like a great opportunity for Carson coach Jonathan Lowe’s first win.
Hunter Burris ran wild for the Cougars in a 40-6 win against South Stanly in 2021, in the first meeting of the programs.
It could be a big night for Carson back Jay McGruder and the offensive line.
•••
North Stanly (1-1) at North Rowan (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
There’s potential for some fun in this one.
North Rowan receiver Amari McArthur enjoyed a monumental game against North Stanly in 2021 with 273 receiving yards on five catches in a 36-32 victory.
Both teams have beaten East Rowan.
North Stanly beat North Rowan in the spring 2021 season. North Rowan leads the all-time series 16-8.
•••
Davie (0-2) at North Davidson (0-2), 7:30 p.m.
Someone gets win No. 1.
Davie can score, but hasn’t gotten many stops in wild losses to West Rowan and Mooresville.
North Davidson has lost to Reagan and Northwest Guilford.
Davie won 42-31 when the programs squared off in 2019.
•••
Rocky River (0-2) at A.L. Brown (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Wonders took Sun Valley lightly last week, got in a 16-0 hole and had to fight for their lives to win 35-31.
They should be ready to play from the opening kickoff this time.
Rocky River hasn’t scared anyone in two losses, including a 45-0 wipeout by Porter Ridge.
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