NC high school football: Northwest Cabarrus earns some donuts in blowout victory
Friday night’s 48-0 rout of visiting Mount Pleasant was costly for Northwest Cabarrus head football coach Eric Morman.
Morman has a deal with his players. If they post a shutout, he buys them donuts.
“They’re gonna cost me some money,” Morman said after his unbeaten team cruised past a Cabarrus County rival for the third time this season, easily prevailing in the Deer Park Cabarrus County Game of the week.
“I’ll have to buy a lot of donuts,” he added.
Morman might want to get a frequent-buyer discount from whatever store supplies the donuts. His Trojan team could be posting more shutouts before the season is done.
“This was out second shutout of the season, and it’s a sign of how hard these guys have been working,” Morman said.
When the calendar turns to November and the playoffs begin, Charlotte-area fans can count on a couple of teams to be state title contenders — teams like Kings Mountain, Crest, East Lincoln, Hickory, and Statesville.
Northwest Cabarrus is among them. Since the start of the 2018 season, the Trojans have compiled a 43-15 record. They went 10-2 a year ago, and most key performers from that team are back.
“You know, this is a great place to coach,” said Morman, who arrived at the school in March 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning. He had coached several seasons at North Mecklenburg but was attracted to the Northwest Cabarrus community.
“We have great kids to work with,” he said. “They work hard, starting with their academics. And the support we get is great. Our stadium is alive on Friday nights, and we get great fan support.”
Among the key performers back from a year ago are linebackers Jackson Forrest, Donovan Thompson and LeDarrion Menter. Friday night, they shut down Mount Pleasant’s explosive passing game, limiting the Tigers to 72 yards in the air and forcing them to run the ball in the second half.
“Those linebackers are a key to our defense,” Morman said. “They are quick and strong, and they make a lot of plays.”
There are plenty of offensive weapons, too, starting with senior quarterback Alex Walker, who threw a pair of first-half touchdown passes before the Trojans stayed on the ground in the second half.
“Alex did an awesome job of spreading it around, and the guys up front – the offensive line – were really mowing guys down and giving him support,” Morman said.
The remaining seven regular-season games will be against South Piedmont 3A conference foes. On paper, the Trojans look to be favored in all those games until an Oct. 20 meeting with powerhouse Jay M. Robinson.
“It’s like I told the guys after the game,” Morman said. “We’ve finished our nonconference schedule. That was Season 1. Now we’ve got Season 2, and we’re starting all over.”
Three who made a difference
Ray Jay Waters (Northwest Cabarrus): A senior running back, Waters had his second 100-yard game of the season, carrying 11 times for 112 yards. All but 6 of those yards came in the second half, and he scored twice.
Alex Walker (Northwest Cabarrus): The Trojans’ senior quarterback did very little wrong Friday night. He completed 11-of-15 passes for 140 yards and two first-half touchdowns. He was picked off once.
Ethan Dempsey (Mount Pleasant): A 6-3 junior, Dempsey was the workhorse of the Tigers’ offense, carrying 19 times for 61 yards.
Worth noting
▪ Mount Pleasant, a 2A school, has played all four games against 3A competition. It gets easier from here. The Tigers face one 3A team, one 2A foe, and four 1A schools in their remaining regular-season games.
▪ Mount Pleasant punter David McEachern had a good night. He kicked six times for a 35.0-yard average and forced the Trojans to start in their own end of the field most of the game.
▪ Jarlon Drye, a junior running back and defensive back for Northwest Cabarrus, made his mark offensively and defensively. He ran for a pair of touchdowns, one on a 58-yard dash; and he recovered a fumble in the second half.
▪ Northwest Cabarrus has more than a strong offense and defense. The Trojans’ specialty teams also excel. Kicker Henry Forrest made six of seven extra points and put all but one of his eight kickoffs into the end zone. And Jason Gonzalez returned a punt 68 yards for a touchdown.
▪ Mount Pleasant’s fans were loyal. They packed most of the visiting stands, and few of the Tiger supporters left early.
▪ The annual game between these teams, billed as the Battle of Highway 49, has gone in streaks. Northwest Cabarrus won five straight from 2009-13, then Mount Pleasant won four in a row from 2014-17. Now the Trojans have taken the last five meetings.
What’s next
Mount Pleasant is home next Friday against nonconference foe West Stanly. Northwest Cabarrus opens South Piedmont 3A play by visiting South Rowan.
Scoring summary
Mount Pleasant 0 0 0 0 – 0
Northwest Cabarrus 7 14 14 13 – 48
NWC — Jordan Stockton 14 pass from Alex Walker (Henry Forrest kick)
NWC — Jason Black 42 pass from Walker (Forrest kick)
NWC — Jason Gonzalez 68 punt return (Forrest kick)
NWC — Ray Jay Waters 3 run (Forrest kick)
NWC — Jarlon Drye 58 run (Forrest kick)
NWC — Waters 5 run (kick blocked)
NWC — Drye 5 run (Forrest kick)
