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Davie Blows 30-16 Lead, Watches Season End
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| Justin Miller (95) and defensive teammates face the cruel reality in the waning moments. - Photo courtesy of Eric Grooms |
The story of the Davie varsity football team’s season was told again Friday at North Davidson, and it was told for the final time in 2009. The War Eagles, needing a win to make the playoffs, were on their way to a big win as they held leads of 23-9 in the fourth quarter and 30-16 with 8:27 to go. They forgot one thing: They forgot to put North away.
When Alex Newman took a direct snap and raced 79 yards for a touchdown on a fake punt, everyone envisioned Davie beating North for the eighth year in a row and preparing for a first-round game in the 4A playoffs. Six minutes later, Davie was stuck with a bitter 31-30 loss.
North (7-4, 2-3 Central Piedmont Conference) pulled within 30-29 with 2:16 to play. Instead of kicking for overtime, North faked the extra point, scored on a two-point play and handed Davie another excruciating loss. The War Eagles (4-7, 1-4, fifth out of six) never learned how to win close games. They lost four CPC games by a total of 20 points. It was their fourth loss by three or less. Another heartbreaker, by six, came in overtime.
“You hate to see the senior class go out that way,” Davie coach Doug Illing said. “You can’t put your hand on any one thing. At times the offense played ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 4639, Salisbury, N.C. 28145.