By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

MOUNT ULLA — A collapse in the last five minutes at A.L. Brown was followed by a second-quarter train-wreck against Davie County, and the Mooresville game was so ugly it made the 32-point loss to Davie look pretty good.

West Rowan was 0-3, had given up an outlandish 146 points, and had experienced one of the bleakest three-week stretches in the history of the program. Those 146 points were more than the Falcons used to allow in 16-game seasons during their glory days.

The Falcons have lost plenty of times to A.L. Brown, Davie and Mooresville in this century, but it was almost always competitive. Getting wiped out by Davie and Mooresville was new and it wasn’t much fun.

The Falcons were down on the mat and the referee was counting, but they weren’t out.

Not yet.

“There wasn’t anything we could do to get those first three games back,” West defensive end Kevin Toomer said. “But I still had the feeling we’d be OK. We just had to work harder in practice to make sure it didn’t happen again.”

West is 2-3 now, got some mojo back by beating Carson and got massive offensive numbers from QB Brant Graham, running back Jaylen Neely and versatile Evan Kennedy in a 54-28 win against South Rowan that wasn’t as close as it sounds.

West rediscovered its pass rush against South Rowan and put gunslinger quarterback Brooks Overcash on his back eight times.

Three of those sacks were recorded by Toomer, who is 6 feet tall and 185 pounds. Toomer isn’t the largest defensive end, but he has exceptional strength for his size and combines it with the quickness of a cobra. He can throw a running back around like a rag doll.

“Kevin is a big play waiting to happen,” West head coach Louis Kraft said. “Good kid, freaky athlete. He can beat you with his speed. He’s a very good tackler in space, but his main job for us isn’t complicated. He gets after the quarterback.”

Kraft believes that Toomer is fast enough and a good enough tackler that he could transition to outside linebacker at the college level.

Officially, Toomer is a “5 Technique” which means he lines up on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. He usually zips right around that tackle, making him look like a statue, although he’s equally capable of going right through him.

“I was able to bull-rush for some sacks on Friday,” Toomer said. “But my best play was a running play. I blew up the fullback and a lineman.”

Toomer also was a menace in the Carson game, exploding into the backfield and sprinting to chase down QB Michael Guiton.

“Kevin kind of sets the tone for out defense,” Kraft said. “As he goes, all our guys go.”

Toomer has come far in a short time. He had not played football before his freshman year when a coach talked him into coming out.

“I got to be a running back for one day,” Toomer said with a laugh. “But then they moved me to defensive end.”

Hr found a home there. He posted double-digit sacks in 2022 and earned quite a few accolades as a sophomore, including All-South Piedmont Conference.

West is entering a critical two-week stretch against Northwest Cabarrus (home) and Robinson (road), the teams that look to be the two best in the SPC.

The Falcons are optimistic that these are the two weeks that will define their season.

If they can sweep the two Cabarrus powerhouses, they’re headed for a conference championship, something that has eluded them for a decade,

If they can split, they’ll have everyone’s respect, and they’ll stay in contention.

But if they lose both, then third place is going to be their ceiling, and the Falcons and their enthusiastic fan base are never going to be satisfied with bronze medals.

In order to deal with a balanced and explosive Northwest offense, a key for West will be getting pressure on Alex Walker, one of the area’s best quarterbacks. Walker is experienced, cerebral and mobile, and he can throw strikes to quick receivers.

But Toomer can run any QB down if he can defeat his blockers. This is a huge challenge, but he’ll accept it. He says the Falcons have been practicing hard, and they’ll be ready.

West can’t get those first three weeks back, but there’s still plenty of time for redemption.