2023 High School Football Section

War Eagles have some extra motivation

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

After losing seven of 11 games last year, Davie is hoping to create a comeback story in 2023, one that parallels the 2015-16 seasons.

In 2015, a young Davie team took its lumps and finished 5-7. Even though it was largely a forgettable season that saw Davie suffer six losses by 14-plus points, the season ended on a good note. Scotland County prevailed 44-36 in the first round of the playoffs, but Davie gave the unbeaten Fighting Scots a mighty scare.

Then in 2016, with Chris Reynolds back for his second year as starting quarterback, the War Eagles settled scores, captured the CPC title, soared to 12-2 and made the county proud. There were five payback wins as the outcomes against Page, West Rowan, Reagan, West

Forsyth and North Davidson were flipped from losses in 2015 to victories. Fast forward to 2022.

Davie limped to fifth in the eight-team CPC, but the season ended on a good note. The War Eagles had a 17-14, second-quarter lead over unbeaten Grimsley in the first round. Davie ultimately succumbed to the Whirlies’, 69-37, but the War Eagles walked out of Jamieson Stadium with their heads up.

Now in 2023, the War Eagles have extra motivation like the 2016 squad and Ty Miller and Co. are going to try to recreate some of that same magic.

“We have (25) seniors,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “They learned a lot of lessons last year. We’re asking some young guys to step in and step up, and we know that they can. Their athletic ability is going to allow them to. We’re looking forward to this season

a lot.”

“If they put in the work, we definitely have a chance of having a really good season,” offensive coordinator Matt Gould said. “I think we can compete with everybody that we play against.”

Davie has some hosses on the offensive and defensive lines, and for the thousandth time, wins and losses come down to the trenches.

“Man I’m telling you, our offensive line is really improved,” Nicholson said. “We made some personnel changes. Coach (Tim) Devericks, coach Gould and coach Pas (Spencer Pasciolla) put a lot of time in molding that offensive line, and we’ve got several seniors starting on that offensive line.”

“For the first time in three or four years, we’re pretty solid on both sides of the ball up front,” Devericks said. “That’s where games are won.”

Last year the offense averaged 29.8 points and 352 yards and piled up 46 touchdowns. With the playmakers behind that big line, it doesn’t take much imagination to envision Davie putting up even bigger numbers this year.

“The backfield is loaded,” Nicholson said. “Any time you have a running back and a quarterback like we do (in Markel Summers and Miller, respectively), that’s going to be a lot of trouble for defenses. We’re going to be able to run the ball more. We’re going to be able to maybe knock some people off the line instead of catching so much. I think we’re going to have a great year offensivelynot as much boom or bust. Sometimes we either got a big loss or a big gain. I think it’s going to be more consistent. More time running off the clock is better for the War Eagles. That’s helping everybody out.”

Defensively, getting off

the field has been a prob-

lem for the War Eagles. In 2021, they gave up an average of 39.8 points. In 2022, opponents scored 34.8. The defense might not be a brick wall in 2023, but Nicholson believes it can continue to improve.

Davie returns seven starters on defense, “and that’s not counting some guys who played a lot of minutes, because we rotate a lot on defense,” Nicholson said. “We’ve had two rough years on defense, but we did see improvement from 2021. We still gave up too many points, but there was improvement there and we look to improve on that this year. We knocked off 59 passing yards per game. In total yards, we knocked off 30 per game. We improved by one turnover per game. In three out of four quarters, we decreased the points. To me, there’s so many parallels from the 2015 team to last year’s team,

and that bodes really well because we got right (in 2016) and did good stuff.”

Notes: Devericks has nine assistants, including Pasciolla (offensive line), Logan Holder (receivers), Brandon Thalasinos (receivers), Gould (quarterbacks/running backs), Terrell Wilson (defensive line), Randy Athey (defensive line), Todd Bumgarner (inside linebackers), Corey Tilley (outside linebackers) and Nicholson (secondary). ... The new addition to the staff is Holder, who quarterbacked Mt. Airy to a 32-8 record from 201214. He is the son of a Surry County legend, Kelly Holder. Kelly went 218-85 over 23 years and retired from coaching in 2018. After starting his career at Surry Central in 1995 and spending four years there, he went 195-61 over 19 years at Mt. Airy, guiding the Granite Bears to a state championship in 2008 and two state runners-ups.

Davie hosts powerful Mooresville on Friday night

The last time we saw Davie’s football team in real action, last November in the first round of the playoffs, the War Eagles made a monster opponent work for the win even though Davie looked outclassed on paper.

Grimsley was 10-0, the top seed in the West Region and was allowing 14 points a game on average. But the War Eagles’ offensive execution was dynamic. In the first half, quarterback Ty Miller rolled up 226 rushing/passing yards. They held a 17-14 lead at the 6:49 mark of the second quarter. They were within 28-17

at halftime and 35-24 in the third. They didn’t have a three-and-out until the fourth, they scored touchdowns on five of 12 possessions and they scored more points on the Whirlies than anyone had all season. They finished with 28 first downs, 507 yards of offense and averaged 6.1 yards per play.

The Whirlies, though, had endless weapons, the underdog ran out of juice and Grimsley pulled away 69-37. The Whirlies would go on to finish 15-1 as the state runner-up, the only loss coming against 16-0 New Bern.

Even though the War Eagles went home with their first losing record in four seasons, the showing in Greensboro on Nov. 4 provided momentum as they prepared for the 2023 season.

“We had them spinning and turning in the first half,” assistant coach Blaine Nicholson said. “They were like: ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on here?’ Talent definitely wins out most of the time, and that’s what happened (in the second half). They got us in the trenches, but that was more points than anybody else (had) put up against

them the whole year.”

“I think that playoff game is a good stepping stone to this season,” assistant Matt Gould said. “Grimsley was one of the best teams in the state, and we went out and showed we can compete with those guys. We played hard for four quarters. We’ve been building off that experience for sure.” •••

Davie will open the season Friday night at home at 7 against a dangerous foe. While Davie went 4-7 and finished fifth in the Central Piedmont Conference in 2022, Mooresville is

coming off a championship season. The Blue Devils went 10-2 overall, swept through the Greater Metro 4-A Conference at 6-0 and lost in the second round of the playoffs.

In last year’s opener, the War Eagles lost 4428 at Mooresville because of a woeful first half. The Blue Devils scored 24 unanswered points in less than nine minutes, Davie dropped five passes and faced a 31-7 deficit at halftime. Davie outscored them in the second half, but the damage had been done.

The most important part

of the season will begin Sept. 15 in the CPC opener at Reynolds, but the first game can be a tone-setter.

Davie will need its A game to settle the score from last year.

“I know they return everyone on defense,” eighthyear head coach Tim Devericks said. “Mooresville is going to be loaded on defense, and they’ll be good offensively as well with a Joe Nixon-coached offensive line.”

Davie has a challenging nonconference schedule,

See Hosts - Page B5

Great players, great leaders Miller, Summers ready to lead offense

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

Davie’s offense is nasty at two glamorous positions. Quarterback Ty Miller and running back Markel Summers are not only proven commodities who are primed for scintillating encore performances, they are great leaders.

“They do everything right on the field and off the field,” offensive coordinator Matt Gould said.

“There’s been multiple times this summer that Markel took some young guys and said: ‘Hey, let’s work on this,’” head coach Tim Devericks said. “Even when practice was done, he’d say: ‘Let me show you something here.’ When we’re taking reps and he’s not in, he gets super excited for his teammates when maybe he sees the light bulb come on for them.”

“We’re really fortunate that the two senior leaders of the team - Ty and Markelare the quality guys that they are,” offensive line coach Spencer Pasciolla said. “It’s great for the cohesion of the team, and it’s a great representation for Davie County football.”

Miller (6-1, 195) is coming off a junior year in which he hit 183 of 314 passes for 2,200 yards and 24 touchdowns. He burned West Forsyth with 324 passing yards in narrow defeat. When Davie faced a Grimsley juggernaut in the first round of the playoffs, he fired 27 completions for 265 yards against the eventual state runner-up. In single-season records, he ranks fifth in TD passes, sixth in completions and ninth in passing yards. What’s more, he was the No. 2 ground gainer with 579 yards.

Miller is one of the

toughest dual-threat QBs in the area. He has size, arm strength, mobility and experience. And he naturally has a better grasp of the offense going into his second year as the main man.

“He knows what to expect now,” Gould said. “He looks more comfortable and confident reading the defenses and making decisions, making the right decisions more often, understanding what he’s seeing when he’s going through his progressions.”

“From an offensive line perspective, he makes us right a whole lot of times,”

Pasciolla said. “Ty can make us right because he’s so willing to move around the pocket. He does a really good job of feeling where the pressure is coming from.”

With a laugh, he added: “Ty maneuvers the pocket,

avoids the sack and no one is cussing the o-line - at least not for that play.”

Like Miller, the senior running back has been through the CPC wars. Last year Summers (6-0, 190) carried 202 times for 1,024 yards, averaging five yards per carry and scoring 18 TDs. He showed his mettle by rumbling for 110 yards on 17 attempts against Grimsley. You want versatility? He was Miller’s No. 2 pass-catcher with 40 grabs for 332 yards.

He’s got enough speed to break long runs, and he’s strong enough to pound and chew clock.

“Markel makes us right just as much as Ty does,” Pasciolla said. “He can find that little sliver of space, and he doesn’t need much.”

“We’re going to try to get him the ball as much as we can - as many times as he

can handle it,” Gould said. “He had a great year last year and he should definitely be better this year.”

Summers has a chance to do something special in 2023. Only seven runners in the Davie record book have rushed for 1,000 yards two or more times. Justin Brown (2002-04) and Tate Carney (2019-21) did it three times, and David Daye (1995-96), Ricky White (1997, 1999), Cooter Arnold (2003-04), Kenneth Brown (2005-06) and Cade Carney (2012-13) accomplished it twice.

Summers could become the eighth.

“He always runs the ball like he’s on a mission,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “He’s a onecut runner. He gets downhill and he’ll lay that head back in a minute. He’s made us better as a defense. He’s a special player. Somebody

is going to pick him up and realize they have an absolute gem. I wouldn’t want any other running back in the conference.”

Just like last year, sophomore Jamarius Pelote will quarterback the JV and back up Miller. Summers’ backup is senior Junior Romero, who has moved over from defensive back.

“It’s been better for him,” Gould said of Romero’s switch from defense to offense. “Him and Markel are boys and Markel got him up to speed real quick. Those two will stay after practice and work on different drills. That’s Markel wanting to get better himself and trying to make sure Junior is ready to go.”

Offensive line experienced and big

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

Davie’s offense has a terrific combination at

quarterback (Ty Miller) and running back (Markel Summers). Head coach Tim Devericks and offensive coordinator Matt Gould feel

like they have a good group of receivers. Add those components with the offensive line, and now we’re cooking with gas.

The OL has experience (four returning starters) to go with excellent size (average weight of 276 among the starting five).

Ryder Strickland (5-10, 270) is an indispensable junior who made all-conference in 2022. He pours his heart and soul into his duties at center.

“Ryder is in charge of every call the OL has - recognizing the defense and making all of our calls,” Gould said. “He’s taken that leadership role off the field, too, getting those guys to work hard and making sure everybody’s doing right on and off the field.”

“He’s a technician,” Devericks said. “He wants to get it right every time. We put a lot on Ryder mentally, and he’s the vocal leader of that group.”

“I can say one thing to Ryder and he’s got it,” OL coach Spencer Pasciolla See OL - Page B8

Coach Matt Gould’s running backs/quarterback: Skylar Whittington (34), Junior Romero (22), Markel Summers (4) and Ty Miller.

The offensive linemen with coaches Spencer Pasciolla (left) and Tim Devericks, from left: front - Kevin Lazaro, Caleb Coble and Ryder Strickland; back - Jalen Alexander, Evan Froelich, Tripp Bradshaw, Evan Copeland, Landon Correll and Jakob Alexander.

Coleman ready to step up among receivers

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

Last fall, Brodie Smith was responsible for 35 percent of Davie’s receptions, 43 percent of the receiving yards and 50 percent of the touchdown catches as he compiled 65 catches for 946 yards and 12 TDs.

While Smith is now preparing for his freshman season at Emory & Henry, there’s a good group of receivers ready to take over in 2023.

“I feel like we have a lot more depth this year,” offensive coordinator Matt Gould said. “Last year Brodie had almost 1,000 yards and nobody else had more than (332). We’ve got a lot of guys stepping up. We’ve got two for every spot. Whoever’s open, I think (QB Ty Miller is) comfortable getting them the ball, and we can rotate more and feel comfortable with seven or eight guys at those four spots.”

The receiving corps is led by the furiously competitive Braddock Coleman, who is ready to shine after making 12 catches as a varsity sophomore. He turned heads in a 35-34 loss to West Rowan, making five grabs for 97 yards.

“I think he’s the one really primed to step up and be the primary guy,” Gould said. “It doesn’t make sense sometimes, but it seems like he’s always open. He’s real

Hosts ...

Continued From Page B3 with West Rowan on the road and North Davidson at home to follow.

“It’s going to be a tough first game for us, but all three of those nonconfer-

savvy. He gets in that slot, he knows what the coverages are and he can find openings. He has a great feel for the game, and nobody on our team is more of a competitor than him. That’s his greatest trait. He gets fired up. He tries to make sure everybody is up to his level, so his competitiveness kind of rubs off on the whole offense.”

“He’s a super team player as well,” head coach Tim Devericks said. “He talks to the offensive line a bunch. He just wants to win.”

Evan York, who has the most varsity experience at the position, has shown flashes of greatness the past two seasons. He had 10 catches as a varsity sophomore and 20 as a junior, including five catches for 102 yards in a 34-31 loss to West Forsyth and five snags in the playoff game against the eventual state runner-up, Grimsley. There’s no question the 6-1, 225-pound senior is capable of lighting up opposing defenses as coaches try to corral his immense talent.

“When he puts the whole package together, he can really blow up like he did in the West Forsyth game,” Devericks said.

Ethan Driver is a name to watch. Coaches are high on the sophomore’s potential.

“I think Ethan has had a great summer,” Devericks said. “He’s done three of the four positions all summer,

ence games are going to help us get ready for the CPC,” Devericks said.

Davie-Mooresville has been a great series. Davie, which leads the series 1715-1, won 34-13 in 2017.

and he’s grown and his athleticism is off the charts.”

“We’re expecting a lot of good things from him,” Gould said. “He’s only a sophomore, but he’ll be a big-time player for us this year.”

On the JV level, junior Leon Bradshaw had a penchant for making defenders hug air. He got a taste of varsity at Grimsley and responded with two receptions.

“He can do what Zaharee Maddox did for us a few years ago: We can throw him a screen and he can make people miss,” Gould said.

There’s talent everywhere out wide. Senior

Mooresville won 52-32 in 2018. Davie won 31-30 in overtime in 2019 and 51-34 in 2021. There will be a student tailgate from 4:30-6:30 with food, games and music. The

Grey Deal had 53 yards on two catches in a loss to CPC champion East Forsyth. Junior David Patton can fly. Senior Carter Helton is back on the field after not playing last year. Senior Kez Stockton, a track athlete, is playing Davie football for the first time.

“David’s one of our fastest receivers for sure,” Gould said. “He continues to work on his catching skills and route-running. He’s always had the speed.

“Carter was a big-time player for us a couple of years ago on JV. He’s getting back into the flow and he’s another guy who can make some catches for us.

cost to enter is $1 cash. Entrance fees will be donated to the Darrin and Lisa Hartness Family Scholarship Fund through the Davie Community Foundation. Be prepared

“Kez has never played for (Davie), but he’s been at almost every spring and summer practice and he’ll

also get in the rotation. David and Kez are the faster guys who can get deep.”

The receivers with coaches Logan Holder (left) and Brandon Thalasinos, from left: front - Leon Bradshaw, Ethan Driver, Gavin Reese, Braddock Coleman and Xzavian Corpening; back - Evan York, Grey Deal, Carter Helton, Damian Motley and David Patton. Coach Tim Devericks with kicker Omar Varona.

Defensive line should be a strength

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

If trench play mattersand anybody who’s been around football will tell you it matters tremendouslythen Davie’s defense is built to shine at the right spot.

There’s plenty of bulk, depth and experience up front. In fact, the defensive line should be the best it’s been in years.

“We return a lot of experience there,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “Those guys are bigger and stronger. We’re super deep. We like to rotate the DL like crazy so that they’re fresh in the fourth quarter. The offensive lines that we see are road graders. We see some big dudes, so we’ve got to be fresh. We’re twodeep at all those positions.”

Between the edge rushers, tackles and nose guards, six have varsity experience.

Nicholson called junior Landon Barber (6-0, 265) the tip of the spear at nose guard.

“He’s probably the strongest guy in our program,” he

said. “He’s kind of reshaped his body to not only be strong but to go as many plays as possible.”

Senior tackle Matty Warner (6-2, 230) has taken major steps forward since 2022.

“This is his time to shine,” Nicholson said of the third-year varsity player. “In spring and summer ball, he did everything the way he’s supposed to. He cares all about Davie and he’s locked in. He’s in better condition than he’s ever been and he does about the best job of any of our defensive linemen with his hands. He gets great lock-out with his hands, great punch, physical. I think he’s watched film and saw where he can get better, and he’s going to be a big player for us.”

Nicholson is crazy about Trey’von Doulin, who looks like a potential breakout star on the edge.

“He’s a first-to-get-offthe-bus type of guy,” he said of the 6-0, 200-pound senior. “He looks like a guy who can bend the edge. This year we’re trying to put him in better positions where

he can just go to work on the edge and not ask him to kick in as much. You talk about somebody who looks the part. You’ll be like: ‘My goodness, who is that guy?’”

A name to remember is Xavier Parker, a 6-3, 350-pound sophomore who has the size to stare down a pit bull. The big fella will likely back up Barber at nose after missing most of the 2022 JV season with an injury.

“Xavier is an absolute mountain of a man,” Nicholson said. “If he can get right, there’s going to be guys coming to recruit him. In the (JV) games he played, he dominated. You can’t get the play started; he’s impossible to move. He does a good job with his lateral footwork. He’s just huge. Two guys have to block him to move him.”

Nicholson gave senior end Brandon Wood (6-0, 200) a strong compliment by calling him a junkyard dog.

“He doesn’t care where you put him,” he said. “He can be double-teamed, it doesn’t mater, he’s going

to fight. He’s going to get up every single play. He’s really bought in this offseason. I’m really excited to see what he can do.”

The stacked DL includes junior tackles Grayson Cayton (6-0, 270) and Nathaniel Jordan (5-6, 220) and junior end Billy Krause. All will

get a lot of snaps.

Cayton was the starting nose in 2022 before suffering a season-ending injury against North Davidson and missing the last eight games.

“Cayton’s another huge body that’s hard to move,” Nicholson said. “Great hands, good feet.”

“All of those guys can play,” head coach Tim Devericks said. “We can rotate, stay fresh and put pressure on offensive lines - being able to run to the ball, occupy blockers and occupy gaps. To not lose a lot when we rotate defensive linemen is phenomenal.”

Secondary returning three starters

By Brian Pitts

Sports Editor

In 2021, Davie’s defense gave up 212 passing yards and 2.4 touchdown passes per game.

In 2022, it allowed 199 and 1.6, respectively.

There’s hope the War Eagles can trim those numbers again in 2023, partly because they have returning starters at safety. Senior Eli Branham and junior Connor Hood have a chance to be the main men at strong and free safety.

Branham has several valuable traits, including a relentless work ethic and high football IQ. “Eli is an absolute workhorse,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “He’s one of the smartest guys on the defense. He could call it if I wasn’t there. He’s like a Tasmanian devil. He’s definitely outsized, but you wouldn’t know it by the way he flies around and the kind

of physicality he puts on people.”

Hood, who survived baptism by fire as a varsity sophomore, looks poised for a starring role. “He’s a really good tackler in space and one-on-one,” Nicholson said. “He can cover the deep middle of the field and he

can also play man in the slot. We asked a lot of him last year. He got thrown to the fire and he did pretty darn good. He’s a great athlete.”

Head coach Tim Devericks echoed those sentiments. “When you return guys that played the majority of the snaps last year as basically the quarterbacks of the defense, that makes you feel better about the situation,” Devericks said.

“Both guys are great young men and I think that spreads throughout the secondary.”

In terms of depth at safety, Elliott Gould is a super exciting sophomore.

“He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast,” Nicholson said.

“When he figures it out,

GO WAR

man, he’s going to be ripping people’s heads off. He’s like a good mix of Connor and Eli. He’s just got to let the game slow down a little bit. We’ve got a couple roles for him, sub packages, to make sure we get him on the field because of his athleticism and tenacity.”

Senior Reid Nail is ready for his moments at free safety. “He would fight a circle saw,” Nicholson said. “He’s another tough guy and really smart. If something happens, he can definitely step in.”

Cornerbacks

Although proven depth is thin at cornerback, returning starter Gavin Reese is already a stud as a sophomore.

“He’s going to be playing a little bit on the offensive side (at receiver) because he’s such a good athlete,” Nicholson said. “You want to talk about a great athlete and a guy who puts the team first? A lot of times they come in and want to play offense. He came in and said: ‘Coach, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.’ He’s just a competitor. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, he wants to be the best in whatever drill we’re doing. He has a knack for the ball and he’s cerebral. You can tell him something once and he’s going to do it. And he’s not going to back down from anybody. I mean, when we played East Forsyth last year, they had a really talented guy who was going to Duke, and Gavin was up there competing for high balls. He’s going to be a huge part of all three phases - offense, defense and special teams.”

“Gavin is a superior athlete,” Devericks said. “He’s the leader of that group.”

At the other corner, Braxton Bowling is a freshman and there are always rocky moments for varsity freshmen. But this dude is going to be special in due time. His brother, Caleb Bowling, is a junior DB for Drake University. Caleb was Davie’s leading tackler in 2019 and the spring of 2021.

“You know he’s got a great football pedigree,” Nicholson said. “You can’t hide his athleticism. You can’t hide his physicality. He was playing middle school ball (at Ellis) last year, and he’s got to learn the calls and make sure he’s mentally correct. But through the summer, he’s made enough plays that if we were playing today, he’d be the other guy (opposite Reese).”

The other corners are juniors Leon Bradshaw and Zi Robinson and sophomores Josh Jones and CJ Moore. Bradshaw is primarily a receiver, and Robinson is a first-year Davie player.

“CJ made a lot of plays for us on JV last year,” Nicholson said.

It’s a shame Davie doesn’t have Landon King boosting the secondary. Last August against West Rowan, he suffered a season-ending knee injury while making an interception in the end zone. He had to watch the last nine games, and in all likelihood, he’ll miss his entire junior football season.

“He’s still nursing that (knee),” Nicholson said. “We might get him back at the end of October, but more than likely he’s going to be out for the season to make sure he can get back right and come back strong for his senior year.”

Defensive linemen with coaches Randy Athey (left) and Terrell Wilson, from left: front - Nathaniel Jordan, Landon Barber, Grayson Cayton and Trey’von Doulin; back - Matty Warner and Xavier Parker.

Defensive backs with coach Blaine Nicholson, from left: front - Shaheem Cunningham, Braxton Bowling, Leon Bradshaw, Eli Branham and Gavin Reese; back - Zi Robinson, Connor Hood, Elliott Gould and Reid Nail.

Alexander setting the tone at outside linebacker

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

Defensive coordinator

Blaine Nicholson is feeling good about the outside linebackers.

One of the tentpoles on defense - Jerred Alexander - is a guy who plays ever down as if it were his last.

“I think the leader of that group is Jerred,” head coach Tim Devericks said of the 6-4, 185-pound senior. “He’s one of those guys who will give you 110 percent. He will just go and go and go. He’s a kid you need to have on defense who sets the tone.”

“He’s definitely one of our most improved players over the past two years,” Nicholson said. “He started out as an offensive lineman. He didn’t gain any weight, but he’s got plenty of height. He’s a read player; he’s not taking the candy. He’s a throwback guy. He doesn’t care about his phys-

By Brian Pitts Sports Editor

There are uncertainties

at inside linebacker. Seniors Zack Banks and Ian Boger were backups in 2022, so they’re untested in terms of playing big minutes. Junior Archer Richardson was a JV running back last year. The other inside linebacker, Elijah Chaffin, is a freshman.

That’s a position full of inexperience. There are bound to be at least a few rough edges to develop through. The good news is Davie has a terrific group of defensive linemen who should make all the inside linebackers better.

“I feel a lot better than I did in the spring,” coach Tim Devericks said. “Some of those guys are unproven - not a lot of (varsity) experience - but they’ve really taken to coaching and they’re getting better day by day. I think as far as athleticism, they’re fine. As far as downhill running, that’s yet

ical well-being. He’s going to absolutely throw it up in there, and he’s going to play as many snaps as you let him. He’s never going to tap out. I mean, he absolutely has a junkyard-dog mentality, and we hope that spreads throughout our defense.”

While Alexander is entrenched as a starter, senior Zander Richardson (5-11, 175) has potential to wreak havoc at the other OLB spot. He’s the older brother of junior inside linebacker Archer Richardson.

“He’s a really smart guy,” Nicholson said. “He’s shown up to almost every workout. He’s all-in. He’s going to be in the right position more often than not. The whole Richardson clan (including Trevor Richardson, who graduated in 2021) is not scared of contact.”

Dylan Miller (6-0, 160) is a sophomore who is willing to put in the work.

“Dylan was a really good JV player,” Nicholson said.

to be determined.”

Chaffin is going to be a bear of a baller. He will make a ton of plays in his Davie career. But the War Eagles need Chaffin to be a huge factor right away, which is a lot to ask from a 14 year old.

“He’s going to be special,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “I think everybody in the county knows exactly who he is. As a freshman, you don’t want to put too much on him. But unfortunately at his position, he’s got to be right mentally. The good news is he’s incredibly smart. Coach Bum (Todd Bumgarner) has done a great job getting him ready. He’s going to be able to fit the run just fine. He runs with anticipation, so he’s going to get himself in the right position more often than not. Immediately on day one, we saw that he’s a football player, and he’s been working his tail off to get right for Mooresville.”

At 6-3 and 195 pounds,

War Eagle sports online

“He’s not missed a single day, so he’s in the mix. He’s only a sophomore, but he just makes plays, so you can’t keep those guys off the field. He’s one of those guys that I know can help us win.”

The pieces are there for Davie to be deep at this position. There’s senior Cole Thomas (5-11, 205), a converted offensive lineman.

“He’s a very strong guy,” Nicholson said. “Coach Devericks thought he could help the team better on defense. He’s a huge weightroom guy.”

Junior Landon Waller (6-5, 185) is recovering from an injury, but he was a constant playmaker on JV.

Sophomore Connor Dixson and freshman J’seire Arnold are great looking young players.

“The future is really bright at this position,” Nicholson said. “We’ve got some great athletes coming behind (the starters).”

Chaffin’s well on his way to becoming an absolute monster.

“He’s getting bigger every time you see him,” Nicholson said. “He was helping us at youth camp, he put a jersey on and we all said: ‘Maybe you need to get the next size up.’”

Banks (5-10, 195) and Boger (6-0, 180) will get their chances.

“Both run really well,” Nicholson said. “Both are good blitzers and good in pass coverage. Zack is a great athlete that we like to move around. Ian is going to get us lined up right. He’s never going to make the wrong call, and there’s a lot of value in those guys.”

After carrying the ball on JV the past two seasons, Richardson (5-10, 200) is learning a new position. When he gets everything figured out, he should be more than fine.

“Archer has done a lot of really good things in

spring and summer ball,” Nicholson said. “He’s still figuring the position out, but if you’ve ever watched him run the ball, you know he’s physical, not scared and he’s going to pick ‘em up and put ‘em down. We’re excited to see what he can do with his strength and versatility.”

Outside linebackers with coach Corey Tilley, from left: front - Zander Richardson, Jaden Conner, Cole Thomas and Dylan Miller; back - Jerred Alexander and Landon Waller.

Middle linebackers with coach Todd Bumgarner, from left: front - Archer Richardson, Max McCall and Joe Wilds; back - Elijah Chaffin and Ian Boger.

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Continued From Page B4 said. “That allows him to be a coach on the field. He takes a lot of stress off of our shoulders. He’s also extremely strong. His background as a wrestler has helped him. He’s not always the biggest guy out there, but he knows how to take advantage of leverage. He isn’t going to let anyone push him around.”

Evan Froelich, whose brother Aidan is a freshman receiver at Brevard, is a third-year varsity starter at left tackle. The 6-3, 235-pounder prepared for his senior year with steely focus. “He’s really worked hard in the weight room,” Devericks said. “Without losing strength, he’s transformed his body to be able

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to move better.”

“He’s someone who has put so much effort into improving as an offensive lineman,” Pasciolla said. “The growth he’s made from year to year has been incredible. Tackle is a hard position to play, and he’s become so much more fluid of a mover.

I’m super impressed with him and I’m happy for him because he has the frame that if he wants to go play college ball, that’s definitely on the table.”

Lining up beside Froelich at left guard will be returning starter Evan Copeland (6-3, 300), a senior who is built like Paul Bunyan.

“He would be a thirdyear starter, but he missed his sophomore year with a shoulder injury,” Devericks

said. “He has brute strength. When we get him moving in the right direction, he creates problems.”

“Cope’s been so attentive about getting stronger and using his frame the way he’s supposed to,” Pasciolla said. “We’re going to be in a mobile scheme this year, and that’s not always easy for the big guys. He’s had some practices where we’ve pushed him really hard and he’s responded really well.”

As if Strickland, Froelich and Copeland aren’t enough to whet your appetite, there’s a returning starter at right guard - senior Kevin Lazaro (5-11, 265)who plays with an energy that could power the lights.

“He’ll lay it on the line,” Devericks said. “He gives

110 percent and he’ll go until he can’t go anymore. The worst thing could happen and he’ll smile about it. It’s like: ‘Here we go, let’s go again.’”

“He’s just been really about football his entire time at Davie, and he’s taken huge steps forward in the past two years,” Pasciolla said. “He’s so coachable. With the air raid that we run, we’re really focussed on tempo and making sure that we’re running as fast as possible, and Kev busts his tail to be the first one in his stance because he knows how important it is for our offense to move at a certain speed. He’s an awesome teammate, always encouraging other guys.”

Jalen Alexander, a defen-

sive lineman in 2022, might not be a returning starter like the other four, but the 6-2, 310-pound senior can break rocks.

“He’s just insanely strong,” Pasciolla said. “The things he can do when he puts his hands on somebody, it’s just fun to watch. He moves extremely well in space. He’s done a phenomenal job so far (transitioning from defense to offense). You’re really happy as a position coach when you get a guy that is that physically talented.”

“He’s really stepped up,” Gould said. “We just made that move in the summer. He’s got the athleticism and he’s got a pretty good feel for o-line, so we’re hoping he can be that solid fifth guy

for us.”

“Jalen will help our team tremendously,” Devericks said.

If somebody needs a blow, if the injury bug bites, Devericks will turn to Caleb Coble, Landon Correll and/ or Tripp Bradshaw. Coble (5-9, 190) is a junior. Correll (6-2, 220) is a senior who flips between guard and tackle. Bradshaw is a first-year Davie player as a senior.

“Caleb’s done a really good job of being kind of a Swiss Army knife,” Pasciolla said. “He can play pretty much any of the five positions, which is extremely valuable. Tripp’s been making a lot of progress pretty quickly for a first-year player.”

Sports Know dove patterns before that Labor Day hunt

A couple of months ago, my father and I were sitting on the front porch of the farm house where he grew up in Georgia, watching a half-dozen or so deer wandering through a stand of sawtooth oaks he had planted 15 years ago, tiny seedlings that are now 30 feet tall and drop bushels of acorns every September and October.

But once upon a time, that 20-acre plot of land was much different. As my father told me repeatedly – hey, he’s 92, gimme a break – that was a cornfield for much of the year. When August arrived, my grandfather would turn his 30 or 40 hogs loose in the field, and in the space of a month, the rooters would have knocked down and eaten most of the corn, hence the farmers’ old term, “hog corn.”

Then, my father related, that “hogged-over” corn field became the family’s dove field, what with all that grain scattered about on the ground. My father said he spent many hours sitting in the same chairs we sat in in late May, watching the doves come into the field and leave, watching the direction they came from, where they landed, the direction in which they left.

Having a complete knowledge of the way the doves worked that field, it was pretty much child’s play, even for a teen-aged boy to knock down his limit of 12 – or close to

it – most any afternoon he chose. He liked to slip up on doves feeding in a big group, kick them up and shoot them on the rise like a covey of quail. But when he sat down under a big, dead tree, or in front of a hole in a fencerow where no trees were growing, he always had a few goals: to knock down at least one double, and to make at least one “hip-pocket shot” –killing an incoming dove at just the right time so that he could catch it before it hit the ground on its way to dove heaven. That was sort of a point of pride for a tenant-farmer’s son.

Set aside the confidence of a crackerjack, wing-shooting teenager and you pretty much have the blueprint for a great dove hunt. Make sure there’s plenty of grain on the ground – legally, of course – to attract doves, spend a few hours watching how and when they fly in and out of the field, then figure out a place to intercept them, and be there on a dove stool when they arrive. There are, he once told me, 1 o’clock dove fields, 3 o’clock dove fields and 6 o’clock dove fields: each one might hold its maximum number of birds at a different time every afternoon – back when you had to wait until noon to start shooting.

The big day’s a comin’ North Carolina hunters can take to the fields 30 minutes before daybreak

on Saturday, Sept. 2 to empty their wing-shooting vests of all those 12- and 20-gauge No. 8s in hopes of filling their 15-bird limit of doves. The state splits the season into three parts: Sept. 2-Oct. 7, Nov. 11-25 and Dec. 9-Jan. 31, 2024. The daily limit is 15 birds. Hunting is from 30 minutes before sunrise until sunset. Hunters must have guns that will hold a maximum of three shells, and of course, they must have a hunting license.

Labor Day weekend is the centerpiece of dove hunting, with landowners setting up fields specifically for an opening-weekend hunt or seeing to it that the right kinds of grain crops are harvested just in time. I’ve heard that more shotgun shells are fired on Saturday and Labor Day (there’s no hunting on Sun-

day for migratory birds like doves) than the other 363 days of the year combined.

I have an opening-day hunt lined up, and my son and I (and his two Labs) have a couple of good options for Labor Day. Normally, we plant a 6-acre dove field, but this year, with my son building a house, I could never get him on the tractor enough to make that happen. So we’re depending on the kindness of friends.

For hunters who don’t have access to a fieldthe N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has fields planted on its public game lands around the state. Locally, the Perkins Game Land in Davie County has four dove fields; the Uwharrie National Forest has one, the Pee Dee Game Land has two, Second Creek Game Land has one.

The 2023 War Eagles will be led by an experienced group of seniors.