By Brian Meadows
sports@salisburypost.com
STATESVILLE — Homecoming night turned into the Sayer Robinson-Kamron Summers show Friday at West Iredell.
It was a record-setting game for the duo, as the Warriors rolled to a 47-15 victory over visiting South Rowan in the teams’ North Piedmont Conference opener.
Summers hauled in a school-record four touchdown passes from Robinson. They covered 11, 78, 14 and 12 yards. The senior receiver finished with 244 yards on nine catches.
“He had a great night,” West Iredell coach Mark Weycker said.
So did Robinson, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark passing for the season in the second quarter. The senior quarterback was 25 of 37 passing for a school-record 416 yards. His six TD passes matched a school record.
The offensive fireworks overshadowed a strong game from the West Iredell defense.
The Warriors, led by Adam Sparks and Dante Lowe up front and linebacker Tyler Crouch, forced winless South Rowan (0-5, 0-1 NPC) to turn the ball over on downs four times in the second half.
Sparks had two sacks. D.J. Gray and Garrett Bell each recorded one interception for the Warriors (3-2, 1-0 NPC).
West Iredell struck first in the second quarter thanks, in part, to a successful fake punt on fourth down and 12 from the South Rowan 48-yard line. The Warriors snapped the ball to Summers, the upback, instead of punter Jalen Gray, and Summers legged out 19 yards for a first down.
An unsportsmanlike penalty on South moved the ball to the 14. Two plays later, Robinson connected with Summers for an 11-yard touchdown pass that put Robinson at the 1,000-yard passing mark for the season.
The Raiders answered just before halftime. Nathan Lambert hooked up with Brandon Williams for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 30 seconds left to punctuate a 95-yard drive. Williams had no trouble strolling into the end zone after the defender failed to intercept.
South Rowan began the second half with the ball, but West Iredell stopped the Raiders on downs.
The Warriors responded with a four play, 60-yard scoring drive highlighted by Preston Ellis’ 51-yard TD run on fourth down and 1.
Leading 13-7, West Iredell never looked back, leading at one point 26-7.
Josh Medlin’s 74-yard TD catch from Lambert temporarily slowed the bleeding for the Raiders, but Summers and Gray tacked on TD catches in the final three minutes to put an exclamation on the romp.
Lambert finished with 233 yards passing to lead South Rowan.