Around Iredell Sports

2008 May-01

Hounds, Devils will part ways on football field after ‘08

By Brian Meadows

The Gridiron Cup could be shelved permanently in someone’s trophy case after this fall.

Mooresville and Statesville will not play football in 2009, concluding an eight-year run between the programs.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association’s new conference realignment takes effect in 2009, sending the schools their separate ways.

Statesville football coach Randall Gusler said they pursued keeping the Blue Devils on their schedule as a nonconference game, but attempts were unsuccessful.

“Believe me, from our end, we would love to play Mooresville,” Gusler said. “From their end, I don’t know what their reasoning is.”

Mooresville football coach Barclay Marsh, who also serves as the school’s athletics director, said the decision boiled down to ties.

Marsh said he has verbal agreements from Alexander Central, Bandys, Northwest Cabarrus, South Rowan and West Rowan for 2009, when the Blue Devils join the new 4A league with Lake Norman and Mecklenburg schools Hopewell, Mallard Creek, North Meck, Vance and West Charlotte.

“The teams that we have scheduled nonconference games with, we have as long as or even longer history with (than Statesville),” Marsh said.

Mooresville and Statesville didn’t play each other for 16 years after the 1985 season. The hiatus ended in 2001 when they were lumped together in the current conference, the North Piedmont 3A.

The teams’ 2001 regular-season finale sparked great anticipation, with Mooresville coming off an appearance in the state semifinals the previous year.

“Friends, fans, everybody is talking about it,” then-Statesville linebacker Cornelius Sawyer told the R&L before preseason scrimmages commenced. “And that gets us very excited, because I don’t think they think we’re going to win.”

But Statesville did win, and with their 21-20 victory, the Greyhounds also took home the Gridiron Cup — sponsored by the R&L and Mooresville Tribune — in its inaugural year.

The Blue Devils have dominated the series, though, winning five of the seven clashes since their reunion.

“Quite frankly, we would have liked to have kept Statesville, but when we were working it out, we felt like it was in our best interest to go with the schools that we did,” Marsh said. “It had absolutely nothing to do against Statesville. We’ve never had a moment’s problem with them. We love the competition of playing Statesville.”

Only two of the Mooresville-Statesville battles for the cup have been decided by more than two touchdowns.

Gusler also touted the monetary impact of the matchups with Mooresville, noting they are “one of our biggest gates.”

Statesville will remain 3A in 2009 and play in a conference with North Iredell, West Iredell, Carson, East Rowan, South Rowan and West Rowan. Gusler said the Greyhounds have nonconference tilts with Hickory, Lake Norman, Lincolnton and South Iredell lined up for that year.

Not getting Mooresville leaves an unwanted vacancy to complete an 11-game schedule.

“We were kind of on hold, on hold, so now we’re looking for one more game for ’09,” Gusler said.

“I’m very disappointed. I would like to keep the Mooresville-Statesville tradition going, especially since the start of the trophy game.”

Marsh wouldn’t rule out another reunion down the road.

“Even though you’re in a new realignment for four years, the state only allows you to sign two-year contracts, nonconference,” he said. “So in a two-year period there could be a chance that we could get back together. I don’t know what will happen.”

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