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Davie Continues CPC-Title Streak
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| Garrett Benge, dangerous when he tucks the ball, finds daylight during a 29-12 win at North Davidson. - Photo by James Barringer |
Davie’s seventh title in nine years, sealed by Friday’s 29-12 win at North Davidson, was extra sweet because this senior class doesn’t possess a bunch of future college players. The most faithful fan wouldn’t call this team a juggernaut. But this team is unquestionably a tribute to grit. You don’t win six of seven and three in a row - with your back against the wall, no less - without lots of grit.
Davie (7-4, 4-1 CPC) finished tied for first with Mount Tabor (8-3, 4-1). North Davidson, which started 7-0, stumbled to 7-4, 1-4.
“This is a senior group that doesn’t have a bunch of superstars,” said coach Doug Illing, who improved his 10-year Davie record to 89-39. “It’s a hard-working, blue-collar group that a lot of people counted out after losing three in a row. It says a lot about this senior group to continue with the tradition of Davie football. Winning championships is what we’re about, so I’m really proud of this group for striving through adversity, keeping their goals in focus, keeping the team togetherness and achieving that goal.”
Davie found the resolve to overcome a heart-wrenching 36-35 loss at Tabor. It pulled itself up and sustained the high standards that were established by Illing’s first title team, 1999. Since then Davie is 83-34 overall and 33-10 in the CPC.
“We’ve won five in a row,” senior center D.J. Holman said. “That means if we had Super Bowl rings I could just wave my hand and say: ‘We’ve got five.’ They couldn’t talk junk anymore. I could just wave my hand. It’s special. I hope the team next year can make it six and keep the tradition going. Because every year people have been doubting us and saying some other team is going to win it. But every year we prove them wrong.”
“There’s nothing that can top a first-place finish,” senior defensive tackle Nic O’Brien said. “We’re on top of the world right now, and there’s nothing anybody else can do about it. Three (straight) losses at the beginning was not the way to start. But we picked it up. The defense started getting better and the offense came to play tonight. And you just can’t stop us when we’ve got everybody playing together ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.