By Brian Pitts

For the Salisbury Post

MOCKSVILLE — In a non-conference battle with all kinds of twists and turns, Davie County charged to a 19-0 lead, A.L. Brown countered with 22 unanswered points and there were four lead changes in the second half.

Then with 8:34 remaining, the game was suspended with the War Eagles in front, 33-29. The game will resume Saturday at 11 a.m.

The War Eagles scored on their first four possessions. QB Nate Hampton threw 55- and 27-yard touchdowns to Evan Little and Chase Robertson, respectively. Little got behind everybody, caught it at the Brown 22-yard line and cruised to the end zone. Robertson made a spectacular catch in the end zone, wrestling the ball away from the defender and barely keeping his feet in bounds.

Junior Guillermo “Willy” Moure — who had made one field goal in his Davie career, a 26-yarder — knocked through 42- and 44-yarders to push Davie’s lead to 19-0.

Davie had its foot on the Wonders’ throat before giving them life with 62 seconds remaining in the first half. Davie tried an option run and the pitch was off-target to running back DeVonte Lyerly. The fumble pin-balled backward 14 yards and Brown’s Josiah Cauthen recovered in the end zone to bring his team within 19-7 at intermission.

The Wonders’ offense awakened with a fury in the third quarter. Jose Vargas triggered a scoring drive with a one-handed, 30-yard catch. Five runs later, A.L. Brown was in the end zone.

Davie drove from its 24-yard line to the Brown 22, thanks to Lyerly’s 16-yard run on third down and first-down receptions by Zymere Hudson and Jack Reynolds. Lyerly, though, lost a fumble at the Brown 15.

The Wonders cashed in Davie’s second turnover. Jakhiry Bennett went 48 yards for a score on a jet sweep, and Cam Kromah threw a two-point pass to Austin Grunden, giving the Wonders a 22-19 lead. They had 45 rushing yards for the game before Bennett’s explosion.

Davie answered in breathtaking style. Za’Haree Maddox caught a bubble screen. He threw a vicious stiff arm at the Davie 40, broke free and won a footrace down the right sideline for a 65-yard TD, as Davie regained a 26-22 lead.
The Wonders came right back. Vargas’ 25-yard catch over the middle put the ball at the Davie 3-yard line, and Bennett scored on the next play to cap an 11-play, 81-yard drive. They were back ahead, 29-26.

After the teams exchanged punts, Davie drove 56 yards on its first possession of the fourth quarter. Hampton’s 14-yard completion to Reynolds converted third-and-7, and Reynolds’ 11-yarder moved the chains again. Then Hampton threw his fourth TD pass of the night, a 24-yard fade to Hudson.

The Wonders’ fumbled the ensuing kickoff. They recovered but were backed up at their 6-yard line. Kristian Lyons’ minus-1 tackle on the edge set up third-and-8 from the Brown 8. That’s when, at 9:34 p.m., lightning was detected in the area and the game was stopped.
For Brown, Bennett has 16 carries for 112 yards, Kromah is 19-of-29 for 210 passing yards and Vargas has eight grabs for 102 yards.

For Davie, Hampton is 20-of-36 for 364 yards and four TDs, without a turnover. Reynolds has seven catches for 116 yards and Maddox four catches for 94 yards.