SPENCER — Malcolm Wilson torched Chatham Central for 304 yards and seven touchdowns Friday night in Spencer as North Rowan smashed the visiting Bears 72-3 in a 1A Yadkin Valley Conference clash.
Chatham Central remained winless at 0-4 in the league and 0-8 overall with the loss while North Rowan remained tied atop the YVC standings with North Stanly with a 4-0 mark and 6-3 record overall.
For the Bears, it was another dismal performance against a conference slate that opened with the top three teams, including the Cavaliers, the league preseason favorite.
“It’s been tough, we’re missing so many players due to injury that we are depending on a lot of young and inexperience players,” CC head coach Sherman Howze said after the loss. “North Rowan is senior dominated and we couldn’t match their speed or strength.”
Howze was impressed with the effort of Wilson whose seven touchdowns in a game set a Rowan County record.
“He’s a workhorse of a back, runs hard and also has some speed,” noted Howze. “The North Rowan offensive line deserves a lot of credit as well. They are a veteran unit and play well together.”
Wilson did all his damage on a modest 11 carries but it was the opening play of the game that set the tone of the game as the Cavalier senior reeled in the kickoff and raced 95 yards to pay dirt to send the hosts up 7-0 before adding touchdowns jaunts of 70, 7 and 9 yards to take a commanding 29-3 advantage after one quarter in the books.
Only an Abad de la Sancha field goal from 32 yards out kept the Bears from being shut out in the opening stanza, and ultimately the game. A 44-yard pass from Michael Moore to sophomore running back Malachi Moore, the later of which saw his first action of the season, set up the field goal.
“Abad is having a great year for us all over the field,” added Howze. “He’s a good football player and one of the best kickers in the state.”
Chatham Central would not score again as North Rowan erupted for 23 more points in the second quarter to take an insurmountable 52-3 advantage at the break.
North Rowan quarterback Kyree Sims, who completed 4-of-5 passes in the contest for 34 yards, got into the scoring action in the second with a 34-yard scramble to the end zone before Tyshon Sifford darted in from seven yards out with just over three minutes left in the stanza to push the lead to 45-3, and to start a running clock.
Wilson would score a final time in the half just before the buzzer, this time from 38 yards out, and coming after the Cavaliers stopped a fake punt by the Bears.
With the clock running, the contest ended quickly in the second half, but North Rowan found the end zone three more times on just four offensive plays with Wilson scampering 64 yards for a touchdown at the 6:25 mark before a Tsion Delaney blocked punt sparked the Cavaliers taking over at the eight yard line of the Bears, with Wilson blasting in for the score on the very next play to give the hosts a 66-3 advantage.
Chatham Central received a break in the fourth when North Rowan fumbled on its own 33 after an exchange of possessions and Trey Clay pounced on the loose pigskin. The Bears quickly moved to the 8-yard line of the Cavaliers when Michael Moore hit Hunter Strickland on a 25-yard pass play. On the ensuing play, however, North Rowan’s Omari Harris stepped in front of a Moore aerial and returned it 86 yards with just over five minutes remaining to make the final 72-3.
“That has sort of been our season, we make some plays then mistakes hurt us,” closed Howze. “We have Homecoming this week so our kids will be excited and we will get back to work and continue trying to improve.”
Moore closed 13-of-20 for 147 yards for the Bears who closed with 174 of total offense. Malachi Moore hauled in four passes for 62 yards while Strickland added three for 41, Brady Cunnup three for 20, and Sancha one for 20.
North Rowan, which rushed 451 yards in the game on 17 carries, received 76 and 68 yards on the ground respectively from Sifford and Sims, all on three totes apiece.