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Titans face Rockets

By Marty Queen | The McDowell News

Published: October 22, 2009

Things were very difficult for the McDowell Titans last Friday. They won't get much easier tonight.
The Titans (1-8 overall, 1-3 Mountain Athletic Conference), coming off a 47-6 loss to Asheville, the state's fourth-ranked 3A team, are on the road at A.C. Reynolds tonight (7:30 kickoff).
The Rockets (6-2, 2-1) are almost certainly the league's second-best team — at the least — with their only conference loss a 35-24 defeat against Asheville High. Reynolds actually out-gained the Cougars 343-254 in that contest. And then there's A.C. Reynolds' history against the Titans; the Rockets have taken nine straight from McDowell, including a 41-9 victory last season. Reynolds has outscored the Titans 196-30 in the last four meetings.
"They're not quite as big as Asheville, but they're very, very good," said McDowell head coach Carson Gowan. "They have great team speed, especially on defense. I was talking to (Reynolds) Coach (Shane) Laws, and he said they don't have a soul on their defensive unit that runs over a 5-flat 40; we don't have many that can run under that. It will be very hard for us to run away from them.
"They've got a lot of things going for them. No. 1, they have great team speed. No. 2, they'll be very confident. And Coach Laws and his staff are very sharp. They won't miss anything."
But Gowan said he and the Titans coaches aren't asking any more — or less — from the team than they would against any other opponent.
"We want the best effort they've got," said the second-year head coach. "And we usually tell them we want the game started and ended with class. And they've done a good job of that all year. They've been commended for it by several coaches throughout the year, including (Asheville) Coach (Danny) Wilkins last week."
The Titans will start and end the game without one of their best players. Senior tight end Brent Rowe suffered a season-ending injury last weekend while taking baseball batting practice. Rowe was hit in the face with a pitch and suffered several broken facial bones among other injuries. He will miss the remainder of the football season.
Rowe has a team-high 19 catches for 237 yards and three touchdowns, and is coming off his most productive pass-catching game of the season against Asheville, in which he caught four balls for 50 yards and the Titans' only touchdown. A three-year varsity standout, Rowe has 46 career receptions for 644 yards and eight scores. He is also the team's punter, kicking 42 times for a 29.6 average and a long of 46 yards.
Promising sophomore Jared Carver, who has three catches for 36 yards, will replace Rowe at tight end, while senior Matt Lytle will do the punting.
"We can look at the negatives, and that's a great set of hands we're not going to have," said Gowan. "But on the other hand, Carver has worked hard all year and has only gotten to play in spots, and we'll have him for two more years, so those are the positive things.
"There's not one player on the team who is more than one play away from starting."
Titans tailback Cameron Moore, the team's leading rusher with 506 yards and four TDs on 104 carries, may also miss tonight's game. Moore suffered an ankle injury early in the Asheville game. Gowan said Moore's status would likely be a game-time decision.
McDowell rounds out the regular season next Friday at home against Enka.