This past Friday, the Davie High War Eagles faced the North Davidson Black Knights in a faceoff to decide which team would ultimately get its first win of the season. Davie emerged victorious with a 27-point win over N. Davidson, with a final score of 44-17.
This game marked the debut start of freshman quarterback Draeton Nance who threw for 450 yards and five touchdowns, netting only one interception. Nance’s record-breaking performance set a new single-game passing yards record for Davie High School, an impressive feat for his first varsity start.
“It feels good to be moved up to varsity quarterback. I was a little nervous at first, but when I got in the game after the first play, all the nerves went away.”
Midway through the third quarter, Nance realized a win was within the team’s grasp. The young quarterback’s confidence grew as the game progressed, bolstered by strong offensive plays and a resilient defense.
“We started putting up points in the third quarter, and then we kept it up—our defense stepped up a lot, and then that’s when I really realized. Then after the game, I saw we completed our mission that we’ve been sitting and talking about.”
Also essential to the War Eagle’s victory was the record-shattering performance of wide receiver Ethan Driver.
Driver ended the game with 268 receiving yards, breaking Davie’s single-game record for receiving yards. Driver averaged 29.8 yards per carry, notched three touchdowns, and one two-point conversion.
“It felt good,” Driver said of the win. “I’m glad as a team we could get that done, get the win done, and I’m grateful to have Draeton fill in and allow me to get those yards.”
At the end of the day, it came down to the team working together and being optimistic and persistent at practice. Driver states that believing in every single member of the team to fulfill their job will lead them to be a strong team.
“Having confidence in everybody: the o-line, quarterback, defense. Having confidence in each other and knowing we’ll win the next game.”
As for Nance, despite a strong first outing, he believes that he needs to continue to put the work in.
“You know they’re going to depend on me for the rest of the season, seeing what I just did. So I’m just going to keep working.”
The War Eagles are now set to host RJ Reynolds for the first CPC game of the season on Friday, September 20th, in hopes of notching their first win at The Nest.
