From staff reports

Friday’s games

GRANITE QUARRY — Noah Loeblein surpassed 2,000 passing yards for the short season, and West Rowan’s defense turned in a dominant outing in a 40-7 romp at East Rowan.

East’s offense didn’t score against the Falcons (6-3, 5-1) in the South Piedmont Conference contest. The Mustangs’ touchdown came when Dominick Dale hit Loeblein and forced a fumble. Josh Roman-Soto scooped and scored to make it a 19-7 game late in the first quarter.

“East did a good job of pressuring and we didn’t do a great job of protecting,” West head coach Louis Kraft said. “I don’t know that we ever really clicked on offense, but our defense was lights out and got us the ball with some short fields.”

Kraft said linebackers Damarion Phillips and Canyon Turner and DB Nigel McManus turned in exceptional games.

Jaden Warren’s interception set up the Falcons’ first score. Akin Robinson scored from the 3-yard line for a 7-0 lead.

When East fumbled on the kickoff, the Falcons recovered and got another quick score, this one on a 5-yard run by Cayleb Brawley.

Loeblein hit Peter Williams-Simpson for a 75-yard touchdown for a 19-0 advantage with 3:25 left in the first quarter.

East got back to 19-7 on that defensive play by Dale and Roman-Soto.

In the second quarter. Braxtyn Barger recovered a fumble for the Falcons, and West scored again through the air with a 28-yard Loeblein to Garrett Fesperman pass. That made it 26-7.

It was Loeblein’s 24th TD pass of the season and 52nd of his career.

“He’d be the first to tell you he didn’t have his best game, but he was good enough,” Kraft said. “It was a tough night to throw it — windy, cold and wet.”

West’s Phillips and East’s Morgan Padgett traded interceptions early in the second half. Padgett made a diving pick.

Robinson’s second rushing touchdown with 3:35 left in the third quarter boosted West’s lead to 33-7.

The last TD came in the closing seconds when West freshman Evan Kennedy broke loose for a 70-yard run.

West’s defense held East to 137 yards, and even after a punt return to the West 15, East went four-and-out.

Logan Dyer also picked off a pass for the Mustangs.

East closed the books at 1-8 and 1-5 in the SPC. West will move on to the playoffs as the SPC runner-up.

Larry Welch also closed the books — on a 31-year career as a football official.

•••

LANDIS — Carson beat South Rowan 42-21 for a South Piedmont Conference win, a rivalry win and a win that could lift the Cougars (4-5, 3-3) into the state playoffs.

The biggest play for the Cougars was a touchdown pass from Hunter Burris to Trevor Vaughn late in the first half. At that point, the Cougars were clinging to a 7-0 lead against an inspired South team.

“That was one that kind of got drawn up in the dirt, a play we hadn’t run all year, but had run in the past,” Carson head coach Daniel Crosby said. “The guys did a good job of executing on a wheel route.”

South made it 14-7 when Jaden Moore ran the second-half kickoff back for a touchdown, but then Carson’s offensive line and defense went to work, as the Cougars stretched their lead to 35-7.

Carson got two rushing touchdowns from Carter Dowd and one each from Burris and Jordan Galarza.

“South scored on that kickoff and got some scores late, but our  defense really played very well, with a lot of tackles for loss,” Crosby said. “(Linebacker) Easton Mullis had a great game.”

Carson DB Weston Lee had a pick-six.

South’s last two touchdowns came on a 15-yard pass from Bronson Hunt to Noah King and a run by Landon Richards.

•••

KERNERSVILLE — Believe it or not, the first quarter was scoreless.

But once Glenn got it rolling, there was no containing the Bobcats. They crushed Davie 62-28 to secure the Central Piedmont Conference title.

Glenn (7-2, 6-1) rushed for 460 yards, while holding the War Eagles to 57 net rushing yards.

Alex Summers completed 32 of 45 passes for Davie for 448 yards and was intercepted twice. He threw two TD passes to Brodie Smith, who had 11 catches for 140 yards. Zaharee Maddox had a touchdown catch, while Tate Carney had a rushing TD.

Davie was down 19-14, but Glenn scored a key touchdown with less than a minute remaining in the first half.

Davie (6-4, 3-4) has an excellent RPI ranking from playing in a stout league and appears certain to make the playoffs as a wild-card team.

•••

KANNAPOLIS — A.L. Brown hammered Concord 47-0 in a non-conference game.

The 4A Wonders (5-5) overwhelmed the turnover-plagued Spiders (6-3), who claimed the 3A South Piedmont Conference championship last week.

The Wonders prevailed in the “Bell Game” for the seventh straight season.

The key play occurred with the Wonders leading 7-0 in the second quarter. Concord appeared to be driving for a tying score, but fumbled at the 15, and the Wonders returned it 85 yards for a 14-0 lead.

It was 21-0 at halftime, and the Wonders went on from there.

Concord is a running team, and with that big deficit, was forced to throw more than usual.

The Wonders are not expected to make the 4A playoffs. They’ll learn their fate Saturday.