The War Eagle football team wrapped up its 2024 season on November 1 against the Glenn Bobcats. This game not only wrapped up the season but also signified an end to the seniors’ high school football career. Throughout the season, the team faced many adversities, whether it was injuries or an early-season quarterback switch. Their record at the end of the season was 3-7, and they did not advance to the playoffs.
There was a rough start to the season, with the first game being against Mooresville. This game was a loss, with a final score of 66-22. For any team, this is a defeating start. It can be demoralizing to practice all summer and feel as if all the hard work may not pay off. The team did not let this stop the momentum they had been building up over the summer and continued to put in the work for the rest of the season.
The next Friday, August 30, the War Eagles were riled up and ready to face the West Rowan Falcons. Due to inclement weather, the game was postponed to Labor Day, September 2, which led to a rare “Monday Night Lights.” This game was the home opener, and the fans filled the stands ready to watch the War Eagles at the nest. Sadly, this was not a win for the War Eagles, the final score was 25-8. The team realized they had to push through; they had set a limit for themselves that was stopping them from achieving what they were capable of.
Between this game and the following week, the War Eagles made a change to freshman quarterback Drateon Nance who led Davie to its first victory of the season in the Battle of the Orange and Black against the North Davidson Black Knights. Davie emerged victorious. They pulled out a win of 44-17 that night, but that wasn’t the only impressive feat. Ethan Driver, a junior wide receiver, broke the Davie High record for single-game receiving yards with 286, shattering the previous record.
On September 20, the War Eagles faced off against Reynolds and earned their second win of the season with a final score of 32-17. With many amazing plays in this game, the first point on the scoreboard was an 85-yard field goal. This game also held a special place in many War Eagles fan’s hearts. Matt McKnight, a former Davie High masonry teacher, had passed away over the summer after a long-fought battle against pancreatic cancer and was honored at this game for his dedication to improving Davie High School.
The next game faced a reoccurring problem with the weather. With fallouts from Hurricane Helene about to go through the Davie and Forsyth County areas, the athletic directors of the East Forsyth Eagles and Davie High War Eagles were faced with a problem. The decision was made to move the game to Thursday, September 26. Throughout the pouring rain, the War Eagles put up a fight but they did not come out with the win. The East Forsyth Eagles beat our Davie County War Eagles 0-55.
Davie County Homecoming was on October 4 against the Regan Raiders. After a long-fought game, the War Eagles fell short 31-14, but there were still good aspects to this game. Junior wide receiver Ethan Driver scored both touchdowns for the team, and freshman quarterback Draeton Nance completed 13 out of 19 passes.
The War Eagles faced off against the Mount Tabor Spartans on October 11. The final score was 7-52, with the Spartans emerging victorious. There was a hard-fought game, with the seven points on the scoreboard being a team effort. Ethan Driver received a pass just two yards shy of a touchdown, and Draeton Nance rushed the final two yards to gain the six points. Then Senior David Patton took the field for the first time in a year—he had previously torn his ACL—to kick the extra point.
The next week was Rival Week: the War Eagles faced off against the West Forsyth Titans on October 18. Even though the War Eagles didn’t win, the score ended up being 10-48. For Davie, rivalry week is always tense. The preparation and pressure going into what is arguably the biggest game of the year can be a lot to process for players. With this pressure, however, there also comes an energetic atmosphere, something fans like sophomore Colt Hankins, a Davie Crazy, could feel as soon as he walked into West Forsyth’s stadium.
“It felt good walking in with friends to watch a great football game in such a good atmosphere against our rival.”
After coming off a streak of losses, the War Eagles were hungry for a win, and the team was willing to work for it. They faced off against Parkland on October 25 and gained a win for the record. The final score was 38-22, and it was a show of the team’s work ethic.
“The team prepares to put in new schemes to deal with Parkland’s fast and athletic offense,” junior Colson Sink said. Sink is glad this helped prepare the team for another win on the books.
The final game of the season was on November 1, which not only concluded the end of the season but also the end of many seniors’ football careers. The War Eagles faced off against the Glenn Bobcats but sadly did not win. The final score was 33-22, but it was well-fought. Junior Maddox Creason, an all-conference player, while disappointed about the loss is ready to channel that for next year.
“We definitely did not want to finish out the season that way. It was a heartbreaking loss, but we are going to have to put in work in the off-season to be better next year so we don’t experience that feeling again.” he shares. Along with the work in the off-season, there is a bright future ahead because several War Eagles made all-conference, including Maddox Creason, Ethan Driver, Elijah Chaffin, Gavin Reece, and Ryder Strickland.
