Lost in the midst of a great defensive game plan was little Duran Lipscomb, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound fullback. But the junior put a struggling Wonders offense on his back for the briefest of moments Friday night. His 78-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter helped the No. 1-ranked team in the state to a 21-7 win over tough 3A South Piedmont Conference rival WestRowan.

“Duran Lipscomb, I’m glad he stepped up and made a big play,”Stanback said. “Coach (Bruce Hardin) told him if he got linebacker depth that he could break one, and he took what coach said into consideration and went all the way.”

Lipscomb bailed Kannapolis (7-0 overall, 4-0 SPC) out of the tightest spot the Wonders have been in all season. An inspired West Rowan squad jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held on at 7-7 through three quarters. But just four plays into the fourth quarter, West (5-2, 2-2) finally made the mistake Kannapolis was waiting for.

On second down from the 22-yard line, Lipscomb darted through the middle of the line and spun out of a tackle at about the 30. That was West’s only shot, as Lipscomb accelerated past four other Falcons. Rush Rollins added the extra point to make it 14-7.

“The blocking was good. I have to give credit to the linemen and my coaches,”Lipscomb said. “I went right up the middle and just outran everybody else.”

This year’s much-maligned Kannapolis defense did its part, too. On West Rowan’s next series, running back Scooter Dalton got slammed in the backfield by Josh Lee. The collision forced a fumble that Marcus Rivens recovered, and six plays later Stanback scooted in for a 2-yard score and a 21-7 advantage.

“I think most people thought this would be a blowout either way, but I thought tonight whoever’s defense stepped up the best would win the game,”Stanback said.

That’s what made it so hard for Stanback to watch the first quarter.

The Falcons did whatever they wanted on their opening drive, as Dalton ran seven times and quarterback Jared Barnette completed 3-of-4 passes on a 68-yard drive that took nearly four minutes to complete. WhenDalton scored from 3 yards out, Kannapolis trailed by a touchdown for the first time all season.

“At first it got to me. I felt like the defense got off to a bad start and it was going to be a real long game,”Stanback said. “The defense got its head back in the game after the first drive.”

After marching 68 yards on the opening drive, West finished the first half with 77 total yards of offense. Quick punts followed the first drive before West moved in for a score at the close of the second quarter, but Barnette had a ball tipped at the line and intercepted by Ryan Craft at the Kannapolis 10-yard line.

Behind staunch efforts from Falcons Jason Fink, S.J. Culbertson and J.D. Watkins, Kannapolis couldn’t capitalize when it had the ball. The Wonders punted on their first drive before breaking through in the second quarter when they got great field position after West punted from its end zone.

Stanback got Kannapolis in striking distance and quarterback Blair Hardin’s sneak set up first down at the West 10. On third-and-goal, Hardin zipped a pass into Craft, who had slipped between two defenders and was open at the goal line. ARollins PAT tied the score at 7-all and that was all Kannapolis managed, heading into halftime with just 69 yards of total offense.

“Their (West’s) defense has been that stingy all year,” coach Hardin said. “You could tell from the outset they were ready to play.”

But not just because West was facing Kannapolis, Young stressed.

“I think we were ready to play, we weren’t any more psyched than usual,”Young said. “We just played well and their defense didn’t play as well as maybe it should have.”

The turning points came in the second half, though, when West Rowan’s defense allowed one big play and Kannapolis’ didn’t.

In the third quarter West managed 25 yards of offense to Kannapolis’ 74. Even on a huge Wonder mistake — a dropped punt that West senior Calvin Roebuck recovered 38 yards from the end zone — the Falcons ran three plays and lost 10 yards.

“We didn’t convert. You’ve got to convert when a team like that gives you something,”Dalton said. “That was a key thing. When a good team gives us an opportunity we’ve got to capitalize on it.”

Lipscomb put the Wonders ahead on the next possession but West still had one last rally left. With Dalton at quarterback running an option offense with receiver Scooter Sherrill, theFalcons got within inches of the Wonder goal line but were stopped there on fourth down.

“The defense gave up yards very grudgingly tonight,” coach Hardin said. “That’s what you ask of your defensive front. The defense just stepped up and played hard. Defense wins ballgames like this anyway.”

Dannette Breedlove has been in the Rowan County Detention Center on murder and larceny of a vehicle charges since Aug. 13, 1998.

Last week, she pleaded guilty to murdering 78-year-old James Paul Simpson at his home on West C Street.

Simpson was found several days after he died with a gunshot wound to the head.

Rowan County Sheriff’s deputies were able to locate Breedlove because she stole Simpson’s 1995 Buick LeSabre. The vehicle was parked outside the apartment complex where Breedlove lived.

Judge Peter McHugh sentenced Breedlove to a minimum of 157 and a maximum of 198 months for the second-degree murder charge. For felony automobile larceny, Breedlove received a sentence of six to eight months to be served at the end of the murder sentence.

At the time of the incident, Sheriff Bob Martin called Simpson and Breedlove “acquaintances.”