MOUNTULLA — West Rowan quarterback Jared Barnette laid awake in bed for a long time last Friday night. And Saturday morning, too.

Partly because Barnette was by far the sorest he’d ever been in his life. Partly because he was afraid that if he closed his eyes, when he came to he’d find out that the Falcons’ 25-22 upset of A.L. Brown had been only a sweet dream.

But as Barnette’s parents assured him when he finally did decide to rise and shine (no doubt to consume a double helping of Wheaties), it really had happened. West really had beaten the state’s second-ranked team for the first time and Barnette really had been the star attraction on every “Football Friday Night” program in the Piedmont.

“Yeah, I got to see myself on TV,”Barnette admits sheepishly. “Dad taped it.”

It’s a good thing. That game will be one to show the grandchildren. In the biggest game of his life, Barnette, honored as 3A player of the week by the Associated Press, had the best game of his life. And how often does that happen?

Sure, Barnette won the same award when he threw four touchdown passes in a game early last fall. But that was against a South Rowan team that was struggling at the time. Friday’s opponent was undefeated A.L. Brown. That made Barnette’s 17-for-24, 228-yard effort the equivalent of John Wayne riding into town, grabbing the horse’s reins in his teeth, shooting up bad guys with guns blazing from both hands and rescuing the girl before the credits rolled.

If there’s ever been a “Friday Night Hero,” it was the 6-foot, 180-pound senior, who’s known to coaches and teammates as “Barney.” Barney reduced the Wonders’ pass defense to rubble. He was so accurate that if he’d been at the county fair he could’ve knocked over milk cans until he’d won every stuffed animal in the place. His passing was so precise that he could easily have been 21-for-24 if his teammates hadn’t dropped a bundle.

“That’s what the film showed us,” said West head coach Scott Young, smiling appreciatively. “Shoulda been 21 of 24. Jared had a fantastic game.”

Obviously, Barnette didn’t act alone in assassinating the Wonders.

His offensive line also had a night to remember, calmly preventing Wonder pass-rushing terrors Gerrell McCrae and Lee Basinger from ripping out their QB’s spleen.

“You look at our offensive linemen and maybe they don’t look like all that much,” said Barnette. “But they’re the best in the world. Some of the toughest people around here are on that offensive line.”

Fullback Ben Hampton and wideout Horatio Everhart did their share. Both got open for Barnette TD tosses. Then there was senior receiver DavidTerry, who didn’t find the end zone, but found himself in time for a career night. He grabbed six balls for 84 yards.

“Kannapolis didn’t respect David, but he hurt them,” said Barnette. “He’s the smartest receiver we have.”

“David stepped up big-time,” said Young. “If he doesn’t, we don’t win.”

What made Barnette’s outing against the Wonders extra amazing was that he hadn’t played at all the previous week when West (6-1) won 32-15 at Northwest Cabarrus with Hampton filling in under center. Barnette had severely twisted his left knee in practice three days prior to the Northwest game.

Barnette’s brace was still in evidence when he took the field Friday, and there was a point late in the third quarter with the Wonders leading 22-10 that both he and his team appeared to be done. He’d just taken a wicked shot on the elbow from Basinger’s helmet and was limping from the field, dragging his left leg, holding his right arm and staring at the ground in pain and frustration.

But like the rest of his teammates, Barnette kept coming back.

“We were all on the sideline yelling, ‘Don’t give up, there’s still time,’” Barnette remembered. “I tried to put that pain in my leg in the back of my head and I did what I had to.”

The Falcons never stopped believing— even down by 12 with the Wonders in possession of the ball and the clock ticking down. West’s defense got the ball back for Barnette, and suddenly he was on fire. He guided the Falcons to the Promised Land in just four plays and 50 seconds. He scored the TD himself to cut the gap to 22-17.

Then with 2:05 left came that wild and crazy — but wildly successful — West onsides kick. The one that people are still arguing about.

Barnette was sacked on West’s first play after S.J. Culbertson’s miracle recovery, but on the second one he found Hampton racing over the middle for the winning touchdown. That play carved out his place on TV screens and in record books.

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Barnette was so good Friday — every bit as good as he was late last spring when he got on a roll and pitched the Falcons into the baseball state playoffs — that people wonder why he doesn’t do it every game.

His career’s had ups and downs, that’s for sure. There was an 8-yard passing night against Salisbury this year that knocked the heck out of his stats. And last year, there was a three-game stretch against Northwest, Concord and A.L. Brown in which he threw for zero touchdowns, had four passes picked off and didn’t produce even a 100-yard game, much less a 228.

But that, says Young, was the old Barnette.

“Jared’s learned a lot — what he can and can’t do,” Young said. “He’s more patient now. He hangs in the pocket and reads the defense with the best. He’s a top athlete and can throw the ball very well.”

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Barnette admits he was nervous against the Wonders — as nervous as he’s ever been in his life. If Falcon fans are lucky, he’ll be equally antsy tonight when West travels to Concord for a battle of SPC unbeatens. A win would propel Young’s squad toward its first-ever conference championship.

One thing’s for sure, Barnette’s dad will have the VCR set for “Football Friday Night.”

You know, just in case his kid turns into John Wayne one more time.