By Brian Pitts

Davie Enterprise Record

Davie fans will never forget Cody Hendrix. The linebacker earned a place in Davie football lore by approaching every play as if it was the biggest play of the year and producing tackle after tackle after tackle.

The senior entered Friday’s playoff game at Porter Ridge needing four tackles to break James Boyle’s career record of 497. After the third play from scrimmage, Hendrix had the record. He got tackle No. 1 on the opening kickoff. He was involved in the tackle on the first eight plays during the Pirates’ nine-play TD drive.

In an unofficial count, he finished with 29 tackles, 10 solo stops and one sack. He entered the game tied for fourth in season tackles with 174, or 15.8 per game. He came in with 494 career tackles.

“Cody was the bell cow for this year’s defense,” Davie coach Tim Devericks said. “He had a good supporting cast, but he made a lot of plays for our defense. I told him I loved him, thanked him for his leadership and what he’s done for this team.”

“He was a particular point of interest for us to get blocked,” Porter Ridge coach Mike Hertz said. “We knew he was active, particularly on the back side. We talked all week that we had to get him blocked, and we were able to get to the outside a little bit and kind of make him a non-factor on our outside run game. But he’s a helluva player.”

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The curtain also closed on Cooper Wall’s remarkable career. The receiver set standards for career receiving yards (2,940 to second-place Joe Watson’s 2,608), career receptions (187 to Ben Ellis’ 147) and career TD catches (33 to Ellis’ 31). During the 2015-16 seasons, Wall delivered a record six straight 100-yard receiving games.

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Unheralded doesn’t begin to describe Josh Hall’s stature coming into his senior year. He was the backup quarterback on JV as a freshman. He didn’t play football as a sophomore. He was Chris Reynolds’ backup as a junior.

Even though he entered 2017 as undistinguished, he made a mark in the record book, going 132 of 278 for 1,835 yards. On the single-season list, he is eighth in completions, fifth in pass attempts and 10th in passing yards. He threw 19 TDs to rank No. 8 in that category.

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The season started under the hot August sun and ended on a cold, 43-degree night. Devericks said good-bye to 15 seniors, including 12 starters. The senior starters included safety Mitchell Ijames, H-back Ben Summers, receiver Mason Wilson, outside linebacker Kinston Whitener, safety Broc Barnette, defensive lineman Jalen Redmond and offensive linemen Zach Clubb, Ross Starnes and Preston Robertson.

“No one wants the season to end,” Devericks said. “But just like in life, things come to an end. I wish the seniors success. I hope they take the lessons and things they learned through football to the next chapter in their lives.”

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Wilson will be remembered for acrobatic grabs out of thin air and tremendous yards-after-the-catch plays. He ran over unsuspecting defenders who weren’t prepared for his deceptive power. And oh yeah, he also played a solid cornerback.

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Add up the last five seasons and the War Eagles are in a slump. They’ve enjoyed one winning season since 2012, going 4-7, 6-6, 5-7, 12-2 and 5-7 the past five years.

But come 2018, Davie will have the talent to get back on track.

“For the underclassmen, we want them to take what they feel right now and let it fuel them,” Devericks said. “Victories at this time of the year happen in January and the workouts. I tried to get them excited about moving on (to next year).”

Notes: Kicker Skyler Schoppe came out of nowhere as a junior,  drilling 7 of 8 field goals. That tied him for eighth on the season list for made FGs. … At Porter Ridge, Davie yielded the most rushing yards (363) in 35 games. Dudley had 391 in a 56-14 rout in 2015. … This was the second meeting between the teams. PR got revenge for a 21-14 semifinal loss to Davie in 2010. … At the moment, only one senior is assured of a college football future. Robertson has committed to Emory & Henry.