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Reynolds dropped by Davie

BY BRIAN PITTS
FOR THE SALISBURY POST

Davie County pulled off a logic-defying 23-21 win over visiting R.J. Reynolds on a trick play with 1:03 remaining to wrap up at least a share of the 4A Central Piedmont Conference championship.

For only the third time in the last 44 years, Davie County can call itself a conference champion. And more importantly, the War Eagles (8-2, 3-0 CPC) are assured of a trip to the state playoffs.

“This is special,” said Davie coach Doug Illing. “Conference championships are special. I’ve never been associated with one in all my years of football.”

What made the win even more special was that the War Eagle victory was anything but routine.

Reynolds was actually in position to run out the clock as it took over on downs after a desperate fourth-down Davie incompletion. The Demons (5-4, 0-2) had the ball at their 30, leading 21-17 and with only 3:13 left to be played.

But that’s when defensive end Bradford Ivey turned into pure poison for the Demons.

Ivey stormed through on second-and-9, stripped the ball from QB Mike Russell, and then pounced on the pigskin at the 28. The clock showed 3:01.

An elated Ivey actually threw the ball into the crowd after his huge play. Fortunately, for the War Eagles, there was no penalty.

“I knew that if we don’t get that ball back, we lose,” said Ivey. “And losing was not an option.”

But winning didn’t look like an option, either, two minutes later. Davie was bogged down at the Reynolds 17. It was fourth-and-9 and the War Eagles were out of timeouts.

Then Davie fans were stunned to see the team’s top pass catcher Thadd Johnson (yes, the same Johnson who had nearly 200 yards against South Rowan last week) come off the field.

That had to mean Davie would bet the game on one last run by Ricky White. At least, that’s what the fans thought, and that’s what the Demons thought.

Davie started the game-deciding play to the left, but as the Demons’ pursuit took off to cut down White at the corner, the War Eagles ran a reverse back to the right with track star Nick Propst carrying the ball.

Nearing the line of scrimmage, Propst abruptly pulled up and tossed a pass to a completely unattended Rod Tenor in the Demon end zone for a startling touchdown and a 23-21 lead.

“It was a play we’d practiced for two weeks,” said Illing. “We’d saved it for a special moment, and I’d say this was a special one. The way Reynolds pursues, we thought it would work tonight.”

“They came to me on the sidelines and told me we were going to run that play,” said Propst, a track star who might be the War Eagles’ No. 1 quarterback next year. “That’s the play I was ready for. Rod was open. He threw up his hands, and I just threw him the ball.

“I couldn’t bear to watch it,” said Ivey. “Ijust listened and waited for the crowd to holler.

He got his wish. The roar was deafening.

“It was heaven. It was amazing,” said Propst.

“It was one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen,” said Davie quarterback Drew Ridenhour. “Propst has got the stuff. He can throw it, he can run it, he can jump it and he can flip it.”

But there was still the matter of holding on for one more minute. Davie missed the extra point after the TD (a celebration penalty pushed them back), so the Demons were only a field goal from stealing the game back.

But Ivey swatted down a pass. Then Clint Bailey knocked one down in the secondary. Then came a sack.

But on fourth-and-20, Russell hit a pass play that was stopped short right at the first-down marker.

The crowd held its collective breath, but a measurement showed that the Demons had come up inches short, and that Davie’s defense had come up big.

Davie scored first on a David Wooldridge field goal, before Reynolds countered with a 90-yard pass play from Russell to Derrele Mitchell.

The War Eagles dominated the second quarter, surging to a 17-7 lead on a 65-yard interception return by Jeremy Shoffner and a 21-yard run by White, who returned with a bang after getting a week off to rest numerous injuries. He pounded out 159 yards on 32 carries.

But Reynolds took charge and controlled the second half until the dramatic events of the final three minutes.

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NOTES: Davie will try to finish off a perfect CPC season next week at Mt. Tabor. Reynolds will travel to South Rowan to take on the Raiders, who moved into the playoff picture with an upset win at West Forsyth. ... P.J. Cockerham recovered a fumble for the War Eagles ... Wooldridge’s field goal was his school-record 12th of the season.