FUQUAY-VARINA — A palindrome is any word that spells the same way forwards and backwards. Playing in front of a packed Bengal Stadium, Fuquay-Varina rolled up 355 yards on ground as they breezed to a 41-14 palindrome over West Johnston on Friday night.

Fullback Cory Hunter scored three times to lead all scorers as the Bengals remain the only undefeated team in the Tri-Nine Conference.

The Bengals (3-0) got on the board on their first drive with the help of some trickery, using a double reverse pass play as wideout Travis Long found Dylan Montgomery all alone 27 yards away for the touchdown.

For a team that treats the forward pass like a trick play, it was a huge shock to the opposing Wildcats. It turned out to be just the beginning of a wild first quarter full of big plays by both teams.

West Johnston (1-2) answered back almost immediately, as quarterback Chris Ferguson found a streaking Tre Clements for a 66-yard touchdown bomb on their first drive to tie it up.

Speedy junior Malcolm Thaxton put the Bengals back in front with a 44-yard touchdown run. A touchdown run from Hunter from 1-yard out made it 21-7 after the first quarter.

Hunter punched in another 1-yard touchdown with 41 seconds left in the second quarter to extend Fuquay's lead to 28-7 at half. The Bengals scored on four of their first five drives of the game.

Fuquay's defense, led by linebacker Isaac Minor and defensive tackle Shawn Underwood, spent most of the night in West Johnston's backfield, limiting the Wildcats to 99 total yards of offense over the last three quarters.

Defensive back Jahel Carter added an interception as Fuquay didn't allowed just 20 passing yards after the first quarter.

Flashy running back C.J. Frederick scored in the third quarter, but it was the last West Johnston scored on the night.

In the second half, the Bengals got touchdown runs from Nate Budde and Hunter to complete the rout.

Fuquay begins conference play next week at Cary, while West Johnston plays at Pinecrest.