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Devils ranked 7th in state
Written
by Larry Sullivan
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Provided by
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on Monday, October 15, 2001
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Mooresville's varsity
football team brought more than just an undefeated record into Friday's
opener.
The Blue Devils, fresh off last week's comeback, 37-20 triumph over host
Forestview in an endowment game that kicked off the season for both teams,
will also tote a lofty statewide ranking into their first of the season's
five at-home appearances.
The
Devils, who reached last year's state 3A class West finals that was the
equivalent of the entire state's semifinals, gathered in 58 points from a
statewide panel of high school sportswriters to fashion a seventh-place
ranking in the poll released earlier this week.
With one of the team's in the poll yet to play a game, the Devils are one of
just three undefeated teams with at least one game under their belt in the
state's top 10. That team yet to play is also the 3A class' top-ranked squad
in Boiling Springs Crest.
While Mooresville is the only team from Iredell County to earn a state top-10
ranking, it it also one of two teams from its new North Piedmont Conference to
crack the rankings. Kannapolis A.L. Brown, despite suffering an upset loss
last weekend, also sits in the poll, ranked 10th with a 1-1 overall record.
Mooresville and Kannapolis are two of the seven charter members making up the
NPC. Other schools in the fold include Statesville and North Iredell from the
county, as well as Northwest Cabarrus, and East and West Rowan.
Of that group, Statesville and West Rowan each also received votes toward the
poll, but neither garnered enough points to crack the top 10.
In the poll, Anson County in ranked second, followed by Jamestown Ragsdale, a
team the Devils are very familiar with. Ragsdale ousted Mooresville from the
state playoffs in the West finals last fall. Eastern Randolph is fourth, with
Winston-Salem fifth, and Southern Durham sixth.
Behind Mooresville is Bertie, the state's reigning 3A class champion, with
High Point Central ninth, followed by Kannapolis.
NPC play in football is still several weeks away for all members. As for
Mooresville and Kannapolis, the two are tabled to meet on the former's home
field Oct. 26.
The Blue Devils put their fast start, made possible on the strength of a
30-point spurt during the second and third quarters that offset a 14-0
deficit in the opening period, and state ranking on the line when debuting at
home tonight against 4A class member Alexander Central.
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