Davie High celebrated the seniors from football, cheer, band, and Dancing Boots at The Nest on Friday, October 28th, during the final regular season game with a win against Glenn, 36-22. The weather was amazing, the spirit in the stadium was momentous, and many eyes were misty, but smiles were abundant as the senior football players and the senior cheerleaders were escorted onto the field by their loved ones to be recognized before the game. As the pre-game festivities continued, it was clear that these seniors were present and focused on maximizing their final hours under the home field lights. When asked how it feels to be on the track with her team during games, senior varsity cheerleader Reed Marion says, “It’s the best thing ever!”
Davie’s offense played hard in the first half with completed passes to seniors Brodie Smith and Aidan Froelich, as well as runs by Markel Summers and Ty Miller advancing the ball. The first half ended in an 8-8 tie after a last-minute touchdown by Brodie Smith and a two-point conversion put Davie on the board before heading to the locker room.
At halftime, the senior members of the War Eagle Marching Band and Dancing Boots were escorted onto the field to be recognized, but the real celebration for these students came during the traditional third-quarter drum line performance. The festivities began with the senior drum line and senior boots trading places for one song and then continued with seniors Kyzer Young and Drew Gledhill on the quads, Drew Brown on the bass, Jack Williams and Ethan Price on the snares, and Reagan Brooks, Madelynn Keller and Madi Rogers performing on the track below. Jack Williams says, “I am so glad that I got to spend four years making some of the best connections in my life, and I’m gonna miss all the memories I made with them.” But after two years of their high school experience being rearranged by a pandemic, the memories made during this senior year will surely last forever. Reagan Brooks adds, “Senior year on the dance team has been very different in all the best ways.”
The energy from the sidelines and student section during the third quarter combined perfectly with the energy that our football team brought onto the field following halftime. Touchdowns by Markel Summers and Bryan Argueta, and even a pick-six by senior Ethan Silvey had the entire stadium roaring, 29-14 Davie.
The fourth quarter started with yet another touchdown by senior Brodie Smith, and a good PAT kick by senior Palmer Williams. Glenn also scored a touchdown during the fourth, bringing the final score to 36-22, Davie County!
Seniors Will Burris and John Stokes took on new roles this year on offensive line and special teams. They were instrumental in every play made by our quarterback and receivers. Their contributions aren’t always the ones that make the play-by-play commentary, but the job they do on the field is no less necessary.
The defense played one of their best games of the year. Seniors Justin Hayes, Mason Shermer, William Purvis, and Ethan Silvey have been impressive all year. Freshman Gavin Reese, sophomores Landon Barber and Connor Hood, and Juniors Matty Warner and Eli Branham have also been simply incredible. Senior defensive player Morgan Creason, who spent the entire season sidelined by an injury received during practice, says “I will never regret spending my last season with my teammates and finishing what I started. Being able to do that has been more rewarding than any record in the books, stat or trophy ever will be.” Despite the statistics, this season has been an incredible experience for everyone.
Senior defensive standout Mason Shermer sums up the feelings of many of his teammates: “I can’t say that I’m happy with the way this season played out, but I can say that the brotherhood and the support this team has for one another is unmatched. I will remember these boys and the experiences we had for a lifetime.” The statistics of this season as a whole are not representative of how hard our varsity football team has worked and are certainly not representative of the spirit of the War Eagles – but this final home-field game of the 2022 season was very representative of both. The football game ended with a major victory by Davie County, but moreover, the night was an incredible send-off for the Class of 2023 after years of dedication to their team. As the clock ticked down the final second, the football team ran over to high-five the seniors on the front row of the Davie Crazies while the band played our fight song and cheer and boots danced.
As the final conference brackets were decided, the War Eagles’ win against Glenn placed us 32nd in the state conference and advanced us to the playoffs, where we will face Grimsley in Greensboro on Friday, November 4th, at 7:30. Grimsley is the number one ranked team in the state.
