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MOUNT ULLA — You didn’t have to worry about the outcome of this one being too close to call.
In a landslide victory, West Rowan’s football team powered its way to some early domination on the both sides of the ball and ripped Franklin 34-13 in the first round of the state 3A playoffs.
After West’s ninth straight victory, everyone concerned was voting for Scott Young’s 11-1 Falcons as one of the top candidates to keep on keeping on through the postseason.
“I think they stepped up to the next level,” said a very impressed Franklin coach Mark Leek. “They played a little better than what we saw on film.”
The next coach to get a good view of what the Falcons are all about is Dave Mizell. His High Point Andrews team will visit Mount Ulla next week after beating North Surry.
If Mizell gets the film from last night, he’ll see a dominating performance on both sides of the ball. West slammed the Panthers when they tried to run. West bottled up speedy receiver Craig Younce. And with several Panthers going both ways, West simply wore down Franklin.
Gosh, we fought hard as long as we could,” said Leek.
It was 14-0 before Leek could bat an eye and after 35 minutes, it was 34-0.
Young, coaching the first playoff game of his three-year career, was breathing a sigh of relief.
“I was rather nervous today,” he admitted. “But our guys calmed my nerves. We came out and executed well.”
Both teams said the other was an unknown quantity.
“It’s more fun because you don’t know what to expect,” said defensive standout Josh Drechsler. “My personal prediction that I kept to myself was 28-7. That was about right.”
Drechsler almost got on the board first. He let a Mark Bradley pass slip through his hands on Franklin’s first possession. It was about the only thing that didn’t go West’s way.
Legrand Andrews set the tone for the game the second time West gained possession. On a third-and-nine, Young fooled everyone by sending Jonathan Diggs in motion and Andrews up the middle with the ball. Sixty-three yards later, he was steaming into the end zone.
“When we motioned Diggs out there, it attracted too much attention,” Young explained.
That TD, although coming early in the fourth, seemed to deflate the Panthers. Bradley quickly tossed an interception to Eric Weimer, which led to Diggs’ seven-yard scoring burst. Just like that, it was 14-0.
Joe Jackson broke four tackles on a 30-yard run that set up Ben Hampton for a 21-0 halftime lead.
West went into the locker room still intense and wanting more.
“Coach stressed that during playoff time, you can’t take anybody for granted,” said quarterback Jared Barnette, who flawlessly directed the offense. “We just played our ballgame.”
Barnette certainly did once the second half began.
First, the defense did its thing. Inside the 10, Brant Marlin and Luke Drechsler stuffed the Panthers on a fourth-and-four. Three plays later, Barnette found a wide open Hampton in front of the Panthers bench. He got a good block from Horatio Everhart and strolled in for a 73-yard touchdown.
Then, S.J. Culbertson recovered a fumble on the kickoff and Barnette was at it again. He drilled a 16-yard scoring toss to Everhart and it was 34-0. Game over.
“I can always count on Ben to take it all the way,” beamed Barnette, who finished 9-of-12 for 173 yards. “And (Everhart’s) so fast. I probably threw that pass 10 yards in front of him and he ran it down. He’s an awesome receiver.”
Culbertson, a linebacker who terrorized the Franklin backfield, seemed a bit surprised by the final score.
“It was easier (than expected),” he said. “Coach talked them up pretty good. They were a good team with great athletes but we came out here expecting a Kannapolis or Concord. We just overwhelmed them with our talent.”
Young, holding his bundled up little son, enjoyed bundling up and putting to bed his first postseason victory.
“It’s always fun in the playoffs,” he said. “It’s do or die.”
Culbertson said that right now, West is more “do” than “die”.
“And hey, we’re going to win some more,” he said with a big grin.
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NOTES: Franklin finished 5-5. ... Weimer’s interception was his school record ninth. ... Hampton, who had 104 yards receiving and 31 rushing, was on crutches at the end of the game with a twisted ankle. ... Andrews finished as the leading rusher with 75 yards on four carries. ... Younce caught five balls for 86 yards but never got to use his 4.3 speed. “They had enough speed on the perimeter to keep him in check,” said Leek. “People in the past didn’t do that.” ... Barnette was 4-4 in the third quarter for 103 yards.
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