CHAPEL HILL -- The core of the East Chapel Hill football team has spent the summer traveling the region with one hope. Something new and exciting for this season.

In June, players and coaches traveled in vans up to Washington D.C., where Coach Darian Harris had graduated from Howard University. Seven seniors worked out at Georgetown University, toured the campus where Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson once roamed and saw the sights of the nation's capital. Harris even let them eat and sleep at his aunt's house.

There were other summer journeys to Charlotte and North Carolina Central. They spent the summer in 7-on-7 drills. There's even a new East logo that the school hired a marketing firm to design.

All of this was solely done in an ambitious attempt to build optimism for pulling East football out of the doldrums, building for a change.

That change may eventually come. It just didn't show up Friday night at Wildcats Stadium.

Defending 2-A Mid-State conference champion Pittsboro Northwood bolted to a 21-0 first quarter lead and cruised past the Wildcats, 48-14, in th season-opner for both teams.

Charger quarterback Sam Griffin, playing his first varsity game, threw three touchdown passes, including two to rangy wide receiver A.J. Farmer.

On this night, the new Wildcats looked very much like the old Wildcats with an inability to stop the run. Three Northwood running backs amassed 100-yard games Starter Demetrius Johnson, playing his first game in two years, led the way with 150 yards.

"If we can just do a better job up front, we will be a lot more competitive," said Harris, now in his second year as head coach. "All of our guys are good players. It's just a matter of coming together and playing together. Not just in spurts with one play here or one play there."

The deck was stacked against East long before kickoff with problems old and new. They played without their top three skill players; wide receiver Jonnie Armstrong (broken thumb suffered in a scrimmage against Carrboro), wingback Omar McFadden (suspended for disciplinary reasons) and wide receiver James Whitney (injured in scrimmage against Wakefield).

Only 24 players suited up (out of a school enrollment of 1,700). Six players had to start on both offense and defense, and three along the offensive line weighed less than 200 pounds.

Into this unenviable situation stepped new East quarterback Malcolm Huntington-Meath, an all-conference baseball player who was talked into playing football for his senior year by Armstrong. Mind you, he had not played an organized football game in two years.

Considering all the obstacles and limitations, Huntington-Meath seemed destined to have an adventurous night. Sure enough, his unique stat line (7-20, 213 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions) only started to tell the story.

"We did a better job of competing in the second half," said Harris. "Guys didn't quit. They didn't look at the scoreboard. We'll build from that."

Northwood entered the game surrounded by questions. After a 14-2 season in 2007, the Chargers lost 25 seniors and 10 defensive starters.

Operating out of the spread offense, Northwood put the game away early by scoring touchdowns in each of their first three possessions. On their first drive of the season, the Chargers effortlessly marched 94 yards on 11 plays, culminating with Griffin's 12-yard touchdown pass to Farmer. Despite the distance, Northwood faced only one third down the entire drive.

On the next play from scrimmage, cornerback Dylan Davis (who later blocked a field goal) intercepted a Huntington-Meath pass. Griffin then hit Farmer again for a 29-yard slant to set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Ridge Smith. Andrew Easterling's extra point put Northwood ahead 14-0.

Both of East's touchdowns came on home run passes by Huntington-Meath to reserve David Ruch. The first came late in the second quarter, when Ruch beat cornerback Cameron Goodwin on a fly pattern on an 82-yard touchdown pass. In the third quarter, Huntington-Meath hurled a pass that glanced off the helmet of a Northwood safety, and firmly into Ruch's arms for a 75-yard score.

East has now lost 16 consecutive home games. This Tuesday marks the third anniversary of East's last triumph at Wildcat Stadium, a 21-3 victory over Orange in 2005.

NORTHWOOD 48, EAST CHAPEL HILL
At Wildcat Stadium

Northwood	21	14	10	3 -- 48

East Chapel Hill	0	7	0	7 -- 14

NWD--Ridge Smith 2 run (Easterling kick), 4:41

NWD--Preston Mason 17 pass from Griffin (Easterling kick), 1:54

NWD--Terrell Goldston 5 run (Easterling kick),3:07

ECH--D. Ruch pass 82 from Malcolm Huntington-Meath (Thomas Moore kick), 3:09

NWD--Farmer 29 pass from Griffin (Easterling kick), :58

NWD--Easterling 30 field goal, 7:37

NWD--Goldston 69 run (Easterling kick), 1:56

ECH--Ruch pass 75 pass from HuntingtonMeath (Moore), 8.50

NWD--Easterling 37 field goal, 5:43

Rushing: NWD--Demetrius Johnson 16-165, Smith 12-123, Terrell Goldston 8-137, Matt Wade 2-1, Mason 1-0, Harold Baldwin 1-(-5); ECH--Spencer Dew 4-(-6), Aquez Willis 3-26, Thomas Moore 5-14, Jon'te Armstrong 7-29, Malcolm Huntington-Meath 7-(-17).

Passing: NWD--Sam Griffin 13-20-1, 178 yards; ECH--Huntington-Meath 8-23-4, 214 yards.

Receiving: NWD--Smith 3-18, Farmer 4-79, Johnson 2-7, Baldwin 1-20, Ryan Epps 237, Mason 1-17; ECH--A. Willis 2-14, David Ruch 3-170, J. Evans 1-13, S. Dew 1-7, T. Moore 1-10.

Records--Northwood 1-0, ECH 0-1.