Wonderful Wonders stop the Spiders

KANNAPOLIS — Kannapolis fell short in its bid to snatch at least a share of the South Piedmont 3-A Conference pie for a fourth straight year.

But outside of that, it’s business as usual for the Wonders: They’re heading into the state playoffs with a full head of steam, burying the visiting Concord Spiders 28-0 last night before 9,000 fans in the 70th clash between the blood rivals.

As a result, the Wonders (10-1, 7-1 SPC) extended their winning streak to four since the head-banging loss to upstart SPC champion West Rowan, retained the famous bell and nailed down the No. 2 playoff seed. Concord (8-3, 6-2), meanwhile, slipped to the third and final berth.

“Our sophomore year (1998), we went to Concord and got beat,” Wonders quarterback Josh Lee said after spearheading the romp. “We had a perfect season and they ruined it for us. So we had to ruin it for them.”

Coach Ron Massey’s Wonders seized command early, turning two Spider turnovers into a 14-0 lead.

Concord quarterback Jared John fumbled the snap and defensive lineman Chad Keller of Kannapolis recovered at the Concord 23.Three plays later, Duran Lipscomb smashed in from the 3. David Henry’s extra point provided a 7-0 lead with 3:20 left in the opening quarter.

Defensive back Chris Gibson accelerated the decisive surge moments later, making one of three Kannapolis interceptions at the Wonder 28. Six plays later, Lee fired a 27-yard touchdown to Aundrae Allison for the 14-0 lead with 10 seconds left in the first quarter.

“We got them back on their heels, and they didn’t know it was coming,” said Lee, who rushed for 55 yards and threw for another 127. “We just came out and mixed it up real good and hit them in the mouth.”

Workhorse senior Josh Lott revived the Spiders midway through the second period. Churning 11 times for 45 yards to fuel an impressive 17-play march, Lott transported Concord to the Kannapolis 3 with six seconds left in the first half.

But after a timeout to plot the crucial play, Kannapolis’ Charlie Fox picked off Blaine Troutman, who spelled an ineffective John, in the end zone to preserve the shutout on the final play of the half.

The third of four turnovers turned out to be Concord’s last bullet.

“It could have been different because it would have been a momentum change going into halftime,” Fox said. “They were pounding us, but thankfully (a potential Concord rally) didn’t happen.”

The Wonders weren’t content in the second half as Lee and Co. continued to whip through a vampire defense that carried Concord to eight wins.

Lee powered 18 yards on an option run to lead to Chris Carter’s short touchdown run, and Lee connected with Carter for 46 yards, setting up a 1-yard Lee sneak for the final margin late in third.

Concord had not permitted 20 points in 23 games. Interestingly, Massey’s King Mountain crew was the last team to penetrate the 20 barrier, in the 1998 playoffs.

“That was our goal,” Lee said. “We went into halftime with 14 and knew about it, so we were wanting to break that (streak).”

Eric Caldwell paced Kannapolis with 58 yards on six runs, and the swarming defense kept the Spiders bottled in their territory throughout the second half (Concord started at its 28, 28 and 19).

But the night belonged to Lee, who salivated over the prospect of moving from linebacker to quarterback for his senior year. Displaying double-edge sword qualities, he’s fulfilled Kannapolis’ rich tradition, finishing 8-of-11 with no INTs.

“Josh has grown up wanting to be a quarterback, and this is his opportunity,” Massey, Kannpolis’ first-year coach, said. “When I came here, we felt like if anybody could take us where we wanted to go, it was Josh at quarterback. Obviously if you saw the game tonight , you know why he’s back there. And I’ll tell you, (Concord’s defense) is as good as any we’ve played all year.”

Notes: Fox’s pick at the end of the half drained Concord’s competitive spirit. “14-7 and 14-0 is a big difference,” Massey said. ... Kannapolis had one three-and-out series in nine possessions.... With West Rowan locked in at No. 1, the game decided the second and third playoff seeds. ... Tailback Lott ran 30 times for 115 yards and fullback Nate Hurlocker added 40 on five tries, accounting for 155 of Concord’s 175 yards. ... Concord missed on seven of eight passes. ... Deangelo Collins had Kannapolis’ third INT.