Staff report

MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan junior quarterback Noah Loeblein tied the school record for touchdown passes, as the Falcons blew out North Iredell 44-0 on Friday.

Loeblein’s five scoring passes in the North Piedmont Conference matchup equalled an effort by West legend B.J. Sherrill against Concord in 2010.

“Noah has made a lot of steps in the last 14 months,” West head coach Louis Kraft said. “His growth has been off the charts. He’s gained a lot of confidence, and that confidence is taking over now. He’s a natural leader and he’s becoming quite a player.”

H-back Ben Sweet grabbed Loeblein’s first two scoring tosses for a 14-0 lead.

“Our coaches have been on me to throw it more, so we came out swinging, and Noah was putting it on the money,” Kraft said. “This might be the first game in West history where more pass plays were called than running plays.”

Damon Phillippe caught a TD pass for a 20-0 lead after a quarter.

After a Cayleb Brawley rushing TD made it 27-0, Hunter Watts recovered a fumble on the kickoff to set up a field goal by Juan Arteaga for a 30-0 edge.

An interception by Watts led to Loeblein’s second touchdown pass to Phillippe, good for 39 yards, and the Falcons had a comfortable 37-0 cushion at halftime.

West’s only score after the break was on a Loeblein-to-Andrew Kennerly 43-yard pass play in the opening minute of the fourth quarter that triggered a running clock.

All in all, it was a festive homecoming for the Falcons (3-2, 3-0), who have won their last three and are one of two teams with unblemished records in the NPC.

Statesville will try to get to 3-0 when it hosts Carson on Saturday at 6 p.m.

“We finally played a complete game,” Kraft said. “Our defense really played, too. Any time you put up a goose egg, you know the defense played lights out.”