MOCKSVILLE — In Mike Carter’s last season as head football coach at Davie County
in 1988, his 3-7 team lost six games by a touchdown or less.He made his first return visit to War Eagle
Stadium Friday night. And while he coached a new team, the result was the same.
Carter’s Mooresville Blue
Devils, always a 2A power, lost by a touchdown, 13-7, to an inspired and vengeful War
Eagle squad.
The win was a complete turnaround
from last year when Davie fell in Mooresville 27-3, thanks to seven turnovers. The War
Eagles played flawlessly on offense, never turning the ball over. The defense cooped up
the dangerous Blue Devil backs. The special teams made big plays and a sophomore kicker
boomed a school-record-tying 47-yard field goal that proved to be the winning points.
While most coaches would tell
their players to forget last year’s debacle, Davie coach Doug Illing reminded his
players throughout the week. And reminded them. And reminded them.
“We talked about it all
week,’’ the second-year coach said. “We had something to prove this week.
We came together in all aspects — the kicking game, the offense, the defense, on the
sidelines, our composure ... we just pulled together as a team.”
Davie beat Carter’s wishbone
at its own game: controlling the clock and running the football effectively. After a
43-yard effort last week, Ricky White bulled inside for 162 on 28 carries. And he let
Mooresville know quickly this wasn’t going to be like last year, when he fumbled four
times.
His first carry of the night went
for 38 yards. His second went for four and a quick Davie score and 7-0 lead.
“He’s got a bum groin
right now and he is not 100 percent,” said Illing.
Not 100 percent? Don’t tell
that to Mooresville’s defense, who keyed on him and still couldn’t stop the
6-foot, 185-pound senior. Most of his yards came inside.
Highly-touted quarterback Drew
Ridenhour bounced back from a 4-of-13 opener to go 7-of-13 for 70 yards.
But while the Davie coaching staff
expected numbers like that from its two stars, it was the not-so-touted players —
fullback Justin Goode, receiver Michael Burton and kicker David Wooldridge — who made
big plays.
Wooldridge, who had missed a
47-yard field goal earlier in the game, got his redemption on the last play of the first
half, booming a 47-yarder with plenty to spare to give the War Eagles a 10-7 lead at
intermission.
He got the opportunity after a
wacky play one snap before.
With four seconds left, Zeke
Earle’s punt was fumbled by Chris Winford on his own 30 when he was gang-tackled.
Sophomore Patrick Lowery scooped it up and raced in for an apparent touchdown. But it was
called back due to clipping. A quarter can’t end on a penalty so Wooldridge made the
most of the try.
Burton’s big play came late
in the third period. He caught a 36-yarder from Ridenhour, setting up Wooldridge for a
much-easier 32-yard field goal that made it 13-7 with 11:20 left.
That left things up to the stingy
Davie defense. On three fourth-quarter possessions, Mooresville was forced to punt twice
and threw four incompletions on the other.
“It was nerve-wracking,”
Illing said of Carter’s offense. “If they were in the wishbone in the final
seconds, I’d have been scared to death. But if they’re throwing the ball,
we’re not worried. That’s not their style.”
Davie simply made all the big
plays. With four minutes left, it faced a first-and-25 from its own 12 and made a first
down with help from Goode’s 13-yard run.
“Goode showed up big running
but he was even bigger blocking,” said Illing. “Ricky wouldn’t have gotten
his yards if not for Goode.”
Illing was ecstatic over his
team’s 2-0 start.
“We knew our two toughest
teams in the preseason were these two (Mooresville and Statesville) so we feel real
good,” he said. “These are good confidence builders. I hope we can keep composed
as to what our mission is and that’s to win the conference championship.”
As far as making up for last
year’s 27-3 loss? Mission accomplished. |
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