Long before football practice began under the sweltering August sun, North Moore head football coach Butch Cleaveland circled three opponents -- South Davidson, Chatham Central and East Montgomery.

Those teams, Cleaveland said earlier this week, are three that he and his coaching staff feel the Mustangs (0-4) have a chance to beat.

Tonight the Mustangs get the first of three chances to prove their coach prophetic when they travel to South Davidson (0-4).

The Mustangs enter the game after a dominating 58-0 defeat at the hands of a talented South Stanly team.

South Davidson enters the game after a bye week. In its last game South Davidson lost a 20-18 decision to Forsyth Country Day School.

In that game the Wildcats were led by Derric Word and Josh McClure.

Word rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns, and McClure caught two passes for 74 yards and a score.

Friday night's opponents have both been on the wrong end of some lopsided scores this season. North Moore has been shut out twice and outscored 142-14.

Despite the numbers, Cleaveland said his defensive is showing signs of improvement.

"Friday night (against South Stanly) they were aggressive," Cleaveland said of his defense. "They didn't back down and they (South Stanly) had to take deep shots downfield to get their offense going. We held our own on the line of scrimmage."

South Davidson has scored 25 points in four games and been outscored 116-25 in the previous three.

North Moore is still working diligently on finding ways to run the football effectively.

The Mustangs have been held to less than 100 yards rushing in all four games, oftentimes abandoning the run when the team falls behind.

Cleaveland said one way the Mustangs can improve running the football is to get everyone involved in the running game.

"We have to get our skill position players involved (in the run game) too," Cleaveland said.

Last season the Mustangs found the running game they lacked in the pre-conference schedule, rolling up 353 yards on 52 carries in a 33-14 win over the Wildcats.

In the win, the Mustang defense was stingy, allowing 119 yards and intercepting three passes.

Two seasons ago the Wildcats defeated North Moore 24-16 to snap a 25-game losing streak.

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2477 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.