MOCKSVILLE — School buses generally roll five days a week in the early morning and afternoon hours.
But Davie County High’s football team is making plans for a very special bus that’s going to roll just once a week. That bus will steam out of the garage on Friday nights. You can catch it starting Aug. 24 at 7:30 sharp.
And while most buses are known by number, this one has a name. Just call it Neil Rice.
Rice, long an All-Central Piedmont Conference terror at linebacker for the War Eagles, is changing sides of the ball for his senior campaign. He’ll still play in key situations on defense, but his focus will be offense.
“I’ve shed a few pounds and now I’m looking forward to getting back in that end zone again,” grins Rice. “I’ve just got to get used to other people hitting me, instead of me hitting other people.”
Davie coaches are confident Rice can change the dynamics of an offensive unit that topped 24 points just twice in 2000.
“Neil gives us punch,” said War Eagle coach Doug Illing, who’s watched his team see-saw from 6-5 to 10-3 to 4-7 in his three years at the helm. You know (heavy-duty pro back) Jerome ‘The Bus’ Bettis — that’s who Neil looks like. Maybe Neil’s not an NFL bus, but he can be a high school bus for us.”
The robust Rice weighs in at 225 pounds these days, considerably lighter than last season, but considerably heavier than the average high school running back.
Davie defensive coordinator Devore Holman says while he’ll miss having Rice at linebacker, it’s going to be worth it watching him create sudden impacts on unsuspecting foes when the War Eagles possess the pigskin.
“Neil’s running 4.7 (in the 40-yard dash) and that’s one heck of a load coming,” says Holman with a sympathetic shake of his head. “When he hits in there, people better have those chinstraps on tight.”
The offensive backfield’s not exactly foreign territory for Rice, who’s the “little” brother of Davidson College defensive lineman, J.J. Rice. Actually, this will seem like old times for Neil, who made himself a legend as a middle school running back. Folks still speak in awe of Rice’s 1996 season as a South Davie Middle School seventh-grader. He gained 1,447 yards that year — in just seven games. Needless to say, SDMS went undefeated.
Rice’s best middle school game sounds like something straight from a fairy tale — a wild and crazy 387 yards against Concord in a 48-46 victory. That single afternoon yardage total would make a pretty respectable career for most ballcarriers.
“I guess it was sort of unbelievable,” said Rice. “We had a lot of 60-yard plays, but that’s still a lotta yards.”
Ironically, Rice saved that game with his defense, making the tackle on a Concord 2-point conversion attempt.
“That was the only stop anyone made all day,” laughs Rice.
Illing’s not looking for 387 yards a night from Rice, just ball control and steady chain moving. Given Davie’s dynamic defense (eight starters return from a unit that was solid in 10 of 11 games in 2000) and premium placekicker David Wooldridge, the relocated Rice could be the final piece to a winning puzzle.
“So far, Neil’s even surprised the coaches,” said Illing. “He’s not just fast and strong, he’s got some agility and the ability to run to daylight. He’s really going to open things up for us.”
Rice joins some other serious offensive weapons in proven quarterback Dan Sullivan and scatback Mike Clement, who darted for 900 yards a year ago.
“Now we’ve got Clement who’s a good slasher and we’ve got Neil’s power,” said Patrick Lowery, Davie’s all-world linebacker, who’s been Rice’s pulverizing partner the past two seasons. “This makes us more versatile. Neil’s gonna be good for three yards every time.”
Rice actually began making the transition back to offense in the War Eagles’ 2000 season finale against Mount Tabor. His five carries that night totaled a modest 14 yards, but included several big first-down conversions and a touchdown. Perhaps it was no coincidence that Davie won that contest 14-12 to secure its first league win and snap a three-game skid.
Holman, Davie’s track coach, helped the transition along last spring when he kept sending Rice to the starting blocks — next to startled and far less beefy opponents — at various meets.
“I went out there as a shot-putter,” said Rice. “But then they’d run me out there in the 100 (meters) and some of the relays.”
Rice says he still thinks of defense “as home,” but with every practice he gets a little more comfortable taking handoffs.
“Mostly I just have to work on timing, on the small things,” he says.
But the move of Rice is obviously no small thing. It could be the key to a breakout season at Davie. The surprising shift has already lifted the confidence of all the War Eagle seniors — those who remember riding Rice to victories at South Davie and those who tried unsuccessfully to tackle him for North Davie.
“Putting Neil on our side of the ball has definitely made it a little easier for the offense in practice,” said burly senior lineman Chris Nichols, pleased as punch that he no longer has to block Rice.
Nichols doesn’t necessarily see Rice as a bus, but does compare him favorably to another popular means of transportation.
“Neil’s a freight train,” said Nichols. “I think he can run over anyone in the state. One on one, you’re just not gonna bring him down.”
Doesn’t sound like “The Bus” is going to be a bust.
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Friday — Salisbury
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