By Brian Pitts
sports@ salisburypost.com
CHARLOTTE ó The biggest crisis in 14 years ended for Davie’s football team Friday as visiting Davie manhandled Providence Day 26-7. The War Eagles started 0-3 for the first time since 1995, but they settled this issue in the first half, keeping the ball for 18:05 of the first 24 minutes and building a 20-0 halftime lead in the process.
The Chargers are a well-drilled team under 43rd-year coach Bruce Hardin, but they were helpless to control a diversified Davie offense. In the decisive first half, the War Eagles mixed 117 passing yards with 101 rushing yards.
Quarterback Jacob Barber got dinged up and didn’t play in the second half, but he did enough damage in the first half, completing 8 of 11 passes to five different targets and adding 36 rushing yards on seven keepers.
“We tried to spread it around and gain confidence in our offense being able to both run and pass,” Davie coach Doug Illing said, following the fourth of six nonconference games. “We’re trying to get 4 or 5 yards on the ground, 5 or 6 yards on the pass and keep it mixed up. We want to stretch it vertically every once in a while to keep teams off-balance.”
The War Eagles converted all three first-half possessions into TDs. Barber faked a jump pass on fourth-and-6 and ran 6 yards to preserve a drive that lasted 12 plays and covered 75 yards.
Skeeter Montgomery botched the ensuing kickoff, but the gaffe caught both teams by surprise. After Davie recovered the dribbler at the Providence 47, Barber rolled right and connected with Darius Wilson for 39 yards. Moments later, it was 13-0.
Price Litton’s 22-yard completion on Providence’s third offensive play wound up being a cruel tease for the Chargers, who didn’t get past Davie’s 40 until less than five minutes remained in the third quarter. Thirty-one of the game’s first 44 plays belonged to Davie’s offense.
Davie marched 80 yards on 16 plays for the 20-0 cushion. On fourth-and-13 from the Providence 36, Barber threw a deep post to Neely for a touchdown. The play summed up a first half in which Davie went 4-for-4 on fourth-down tries.
Carson Herndon relieved Barber in the third and was 5-for-9 passing for 94 yards, including a game-icing 48-yard score to Joe Watson.
“Joe’s burst on that ball was unbelievable,” receivers coach Chris Callison said. “He wanted that ball.”
Alternating running backs Montgomery and Nick Bohannon combined for 146 yards, and six receivers hauled in passes ó Montgomery (four catches), Wilson (three), Watson (three), Neely, Bohannon and Nick Holder.
Davie had one flashy scored called back. Alex Newman darted 91 yards on the
kickoff return after Providence had gotten on the board, but it was negated
by a holding penalty.