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Mayfield-To-O’Brien Pass Burns Reynolds
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| Tanis Jefferies (90), Matt Oswell (24) and Jared Barber gang tackle. - Photo by James Barringer |
But Davie’s offense only needed one good surge to rally past Reynolds because the defense was stronger than Kelly Ripa’s smile in a critical 26-14 victory that forced a four-way tie for first place between Central Piedmont Conference rivals Davie, Mt. Tabor, Reynolds and West Forsyth.
Aside from a 31-yard touchdown pass in which Reynolds receiver Devon Campbell busted through a would-be tackler at the Davie 10, Davie’s defense was flawless. Freshman linebacker Jared Barber had eight solo tackles and four tackles for losses. Junior tackle Tanis Jefferies had two sacks. Sophomore linebacker Chase Sampson had seven tackles. Senior tackle Demetrias “Meat” Williams didn’t play a lot, but he was a beast when he did, making three tackles and one sack. Safety Matt Oswell disrupted Reynolds’ flow with two pass-breakups and two interceptions. Lineman Nic O’Brien and cornerback Quinton Faulkner added a sack and interception, respectively, as Davie denied Reynolds on nine of 12 third-down tries.
“Sometimes people come through a whole lot better when they’re under pressure,” Faulkner said after Davie averted a crippling loss and bounced back from a disappointing 36-35 decision at Mt. Tabor. “It showed tonight because we came through. Coach (Doug) Illing said the conference title was still in our hands, so we proved that we still had that in us.”
Though it took the long while for Davie’s offense to shake free, it came alive in time to produce 195 rushing yards, 212 passing yards and 20 first downs. James Mayfield (157 yards on 21 carries) and Garrett Benge (21 of 35 for 203 passing yards) did their thing, and Benge spread the ball among seven different receivers, including Jarrell Marshall (7 catches, 51 yards), Floyd Collins (6-72), Derek Smith (3-36) and Ryan Hutchinson (2-28).
But the offense looked tight until one well-conceived play loosened everyone up. It was the play that sparked 24 points in the final 13:34. It was the play that turned the game in Davie’s favor.
It came with Reynolds nursing a 7-2 lead and with Davie facing third-and-2 at the Reynolds 9. Mayfield lined up in the shotgun with Benge split out. Every time Davie had called that play, Mayfield had banged between the tackles. This time Mayfield started toward ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.