WELCOME— What is it about a rainy, miserable Friday night that makes high school football turn into sheer craziness?

It’s just a crazy game anyway,” said North Davidson’s Bill Butts after his Black Knights came away with a 17-7 nonconference win. “And a lot of things happened tonight.”

Crazy things.

Nick Propst took the opening kickoff 51 yards but it was called back due to a penalty. He ran a punt back 43 yards and it was called back due to a penalty. The fans, who braved the cold and constant drizzle knew right then, this wasn’t going to be an ordinary night.

In the first minute of the game, Davie’s leading receiver and team leader Rod Tenor was ejected.

Late in the third quarter, of a 7-7 game, North Davidson went back to punt. Things looked good for Davie, right?

That is, until after the punt, when a late flag for too many men on the field brought War Eagle coach Doug Illing stormong onto the field. Another flag went flying. So did Illing’s cap. Which brought yet another flag.

By the time order was restored, the refs had moved the ball some 50 yards to the Davie 11, setting up a go-ahead, Black Knigjht field goal.

Are you getting the picture?

“We had opportunities tonight,” said Illing, whose team fell to 2-3 overall. “Our kids did a gtreat job. They could’ve lost their composure and things could’ve gotten ugly. But they fought to the end trying to win this ballgame. I’m most proud because they put themselves in a position to win it.”

After being mired in a quagmire of bad luck, something finally went Davie’s way with around two minutes left and the War Eagles still trailing by three.

Matt Coleman fumbled a Wooldridge punt and Brandon Gentry fell on the ball at the North 41.

“That kid’s for real,” said Butts, speaking of Wooldridge’s kicking prowess. “I knew they’d be in field goal range in a snap or two.”

Davie fooled the Knights on a third-and-nine with a 21-yard sprint from sophomore Mike-Mike Clement.

The War Eagles eventually faced a third-and-14 but Illing, now standing behind the fence in front of the visitor’s stands, knew three points were in the book already.

“We could’ve kicked a field goal on the next play and tied the game and sent it into overtime,” he said.

But there would be no next play. Quarterback Dan Sullivan lofted a pass to Nick Propst in the end zone and Coleman redeemed himself, picking it off.

While running out the clock, Carl Clodfelter slipped through a hole on a short third down play nad was gone, 72 yards, for the clinching score with 50 seconds left.

“Dan made a bad decision trying to throw into double coverage,” Illing said. “But it was a young mistake. He knows he shouldn’t have done it. The next tim e we’re down there, he’ll make the right decision.

“They knew Nick was what we had left.”

That’s because of Tenor’s quick dismissal. No one even noticed Tenor and North lineman Brian Gastley tussling after a seemingly-routine run. No one but the officials, that is.

“They said their guy threw a punch and our guy retaliated,” Illing said. “It’s the first minute of the game. The kids are playing football. They’re intense. There was nothing to the face or anything like that. They made the call and you’ve gotta live with it.”

Without Tenor, the game plan changed for Sullivan. Of his 10 completions, eiht were under 10 yards.

North’s stout defense was stopping the Davie defense but Clement still shook free a few times. One came on a beauty, where his quickness and cutback ability left the Black Knights watching him strut 28 yards into the end zone for a first quarter score and a 7-0 Davie lead. In fact, that was the score at halftime.

It was here that Butts could see his team’s undefeated 4-0 record slipping away. So he decided to let quarterback Zach Craver go to the air as soon as the second half began.

“We figured we had to do something,” said Butts. “I was impressed with Davie watching them on film and more impressed watching them play. They’re physical. We were getting manhandled up front.”

So Craver, who had just 12 completions in the first four games, looked like Dan Marino, zipping four completions on the first drive, the last to tailback Sean Tuttle for a 41-yard score that tied things up.

The game turned into an entertaining defensive battle from that point, with Patrick Lowery and Josh Pfaff throwing Craver, Clodfelter and company all over the field.

Davie was upbeat when it forced a punt. That’s when the flags came showering down like the rain.

And Illing was sent to the showers after throwing his capfor arguing a late call for too many men on the field.

“Itold my kids it’s my job to be on the referees’ backs,” he said. “I’ve gotta coach my team but I’ve gotta let them know I’m watching them too. I was trying to get a response from them. They weren’t giving it to me. Ifelt like it was a bad call and I’m going to fight for my kids.”

And is there a crazier ending than this?

“They came back over and apologized and said they missed it,” Illing said.

n

NOTES: Illing was asked if he would be able to coach next week due to the ejection. “I guess not,” he sighed. “It’s a state rule. We’ll appeal it and see what happens. ... Clement finished with 89 yards rushing. ... Wooldridge had four punts over 40 yards. ... Tuttle, who is averaging way over 100 yards per game, had just seven carries for 27 yardfs. He was suffering from a hamstring injury. ... Lowery, a linebacker, was in on 12 tackles. ... The teams combined for just 17 first downs. ... North and Davie will be in the same 4A league next season when realignment kicks in. ... The War Eagles will host Central Davidson next week, preferably on a dry field.