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Another Numbing Loss For Hard-Luck Davie
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| This defining moment was tough for Davie to swallow. James Mayfield slams into an official (left), then fumbles the ball at the Gretna 3. - Photos by Jim Barringer |
• With visiting Gretna (Va.) holding a 26-20 lead and 8:28 remaining Friday, James Mayfield bursted off left tackle for 12 yards to the Gretna 3. But Mayfield, who had not fumbled all season, ran over the line judge on the way toward the end zone. The collision jarred the ball loose and Gretna recovered. “You know things are going bad when Mayfield runs into an official when he’s going to walk into the end zone,” exasperated offensive coordinator Barry Whitlock said after Davie’s third straight loss in nonconference play, 26-20.
• On a third-and-27 play in the third quarter, quarterback Garrett Benge rolled out, bought time and connected with Jarrell Marshall, who made video-game jukes during a 72-yard touchdown. But an illegal block a mile behind a weaving Marshall reduced the pickup to 38 yards, and Davie ultimately settled for a 30-yard field goal from Michael Rowe that cut the deficit to 26-20. Before the field goal, Davie jumped offsides on fourth-and-a-foot from the Gretna 9. “I really felt like we were going to rise to the occasion,” Davie coach Doug Illing said. “We just had some mistakes at critical times and it really hurt our team. It’s tough to bounce back from those kind of mistakes.”
• More frustration occurred on the game’s final possession. Gretna quarterback Nick Miller kept the ball around left end, but linebacker Jared Barber blasted him from the blind side. The hit was so powerful Marshall was horizontal as he hit the turf. The ball came out and three War Eagles surrounded it. But the official ruled Marshall was down when the ball came out, thus no fumble. “As soon as I saw quarterback sweep, I just knew I had to get the ball back for the team and try something,” Barber said. “I saw the ball, tried to give everything I had and I punched at it. As soon as I hit him I don’t think he fumbled it. But on the way down, I think I felt it come out.”
Once again, the War Eagles will have to pull themselves up from a numbing loss. They lost 28-24 at West Rowan and 14-13 to visiting Thomasville before falling short to the Hawks. It’s impossible to keep track of all Davie’s missed chances, and it’s a fine line between Davie being 4-0 right now instead of 1-3.
“Our heart, determination and effort’s there,” Illing said. “That’s not the problem. We’re just making too many mistakes. We’re learning how to play football the hard way. When you play good ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.