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Second-Ranked Butler Deals Davie First Shutout Since ‘02
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| Tanis Jefferies (left) piles on as Davie sacks Christian LeMay. |
The 11-1 Bulldogs, whose only loss was to No. 1 Independence the week before, handed Davie its first shutout since a 42-0 decision at A.C. Reynolds in the ‘02 quarterfinals, a span of 81 games. They also handed Davie its worst loss since falling 52-21 at Independence in the ‘05 quarterfinals.
“Our team gave a great effort,” Illing said after Davie closed shop at 7-5 on a rainy night and muddy field. “Our defense kept us in it. We felt like coming in our defense could keep us in it if we could just execute on offense. But that’s a good defensive ballclub. The field was sloppy. We felt like it was going to work to our advantage if we could run the ball a little bit. But it limited our receivers’ cuts, and we were having trouble blocking and giving Zach (Illing) time to throw.”
The War Eagles got the break they needed when defensive tackle Tanis Jefferies recovered a Butler fumble at the Davie 44 on the game’s fourth play. But you could see trouble coming when Davie quickly punted the ball back to Butler. The offense struggled mightily the entire night, especially in the first half.
The Bulldogs scored on their second and third possessions. A 38-yard completion on third-and-13 set up the first score, and they only needed to cover 42 yards to take a 14-0 lead.
Davie’s first-half production was nightmarish: minus-6 rushing yards on 12 attempts, 12 passing yards and no first downs. James Mayfield, the workhorse runner, had 10 carries for 10 yards. Meanwhile, the mighty Bulldogs and their three-pronged rushing attack were mixing it up and moving the sticks smoothly. At the half they had 123 rushing yards on 28 carries, 102 passing yards and 10 first downs.
In the first half, the teeth of Davie’s defense did a fairly good job on Jawaun Edwards, a monstrous sophomore at 6-0 and 220 pounds. He had to fight for 43 yards on 11 rushes between the tackles. But the double-barreled wings (Anthony Short and Deion Walker) stormed around the end repeatedly, combining for 109 yards on 13 carries.
“The buck sweep has always been a good play for us,” Butler coach Mike Newsome said. “We like it when it’s messy and rainy like this.”
“They kept pinning us inside. We just weren’t lining up right,” Illing said. “You’ve got sophomores out there ... subscribe to the Davie County Enterprise Record, P.O. Box 99, Mocksville, N.C. 27028.