Top-seeded Kannapolis A.L. Brown needed less than six minutes to put the hapless hosts in a tight sleeper hold. By that early juncture the Wonders had reached the end zone four times en route to an as-expected 70-0 knockout win.

“Next week will be better,” coach Bruce Hardin promised after unbeaten Kannapolis improved to 3-0 in the South Piedmont Conference and 6-0 overall.

Not that this week was all that shabby. The Wonders scored touchdowns on 10 of their first 11 possessions, including eight straight to open the game.

“The hardest part,” explained senior running back Marcello Stanback, “was staying focused. But once our defense went out there and stopped them the first time, we stepped out and did what we had to do.”

They did it on both sides of the ball. Stanback sparked the offense early on, making three trips to the end zone before calling it a night. He broke a 45-yard run on the Wonders’ first play from scrimmage, then scampered 17 yards for a TD on their second. With 7:01 still remaining in the first quarter, he took a handoff from quarterback Justin Hardin and rammed in from the five for his 12th touchdown of the season.

“I was running mad, running hard,” Stanback said. “This was the team I got hurt against last year. It seemed like every time I touched the ball I wanted to score or gain at least 20 yards.”

Teammate Eric Caldwell was next to grab the spotlight. The junior tailback rushed for a career-high 145 yards and a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, helping the Wonders mount a 56-0 halftime lead.

“You know, last week was not my week,” he said, referring to a six-carry/17-yard performance in a not-good-enough 34-31 victory over Central Cabarrus. “But I am trying to prove my point to everybody — that I can play. I’m not one to get big-headed or anything, but I know I can do the job.”

Several teammates punched the clock as well. Kannapolis employed six running backs, three QBs and two contingents of linemen. Their effort produced nearly 400 yards total offense, including 348 on the ground.

“When we put our second and third string kids in, the thing we don’t ever want is for the level of effort to go down, no matter who is in the game,” said Hardin. “They all played hard. That’s what we’re proud of.”

The Wonders were vicious on defense, limiting Piedmont (0-4 SPC, 0-6 overall) to two first downs — both in the fourth period — and posting their first shutout. The Panthers were reduced to pussycats much of the evening and finished with just 52 yards net offense.

“We did everything we were supposed to do,” smiled Kannapolis defensive end Des Williams. “And it made our job look easy. The truth is we just tried to stay locked in. We didn’t lose anybody, nobody got hurt. We accomplished everything we wanted to.”

With third-place West Rowan looming next Friday, that was welcome news for Hardin.

“After last week we issued a challenge to the kids,” he said. “We wanted to make a statement — that we really are a good football team. We came through with a lot of poise and a lot of aggressiveness.”