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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

What a performance by Markel Summers of Davie’s JV football team in an impressive 34-27 home win over Reagan on March 17.

The Raiders came in 2-1 after outscoring opponents 46-7 (the  loss was 7-0 to Mt. Tabor). All Summers did against that defense was rush for 203 yards and a game-deciding touchdown on 27 carries.

“It’s the first time he’s been tested at the high school level,” coach Perry Long said. “He took some big hits, but he bounced back. You can tell he’s a gamer. One time off the edge they laid the lumber on him. He never came out of the game. Next play he was up and ready to roll.”

One-half of the equation for Davie’s offensive success is the freshman running back. The other half is freshman quarterback Ty Miller, who accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). He hit 12 of 20 passes for 182 yards, tossing TDs to Aidan Froelich and Bryan Argueta.

“He’s a dual-threat quarterback, and he’s just as fast as anybody else on the field,” Long said.

After swallowing up West Rowan and Reynolds by an aggregate score of 92-0, the War Eagles (3-0 overall, 2-0 Central Piedmont Conference) were challenged for the first time. They met that challenge head-on.

Davie led 14-7 after the first quarter. It was 14-14 at halftime. Davie took a 27-21 lead in the third.

“It was a good test for us,” Long said. “They beat our defense on some plays. But overall, those guys rallied together on both sides of the ball and played tough down the stretch.”

Reagan scored in the fourth to make it 27-27, but its extra point was no good. The game-winning TD was provided by Summers, who ran 30 yards to the end zone with three minutes left.

“This is a pretty darn good JV team,” Long said. “We made some mistakes, but I’ll take these guys to war every day. They’re tough. I like this whole squad. We’re going to be good for a while.”

But the Raiders did not go quietly. They hit a long pass. Davie caught a break when a running play that moved Reagan to the Davie 2 was negated by a holding penalty. On fourth down, a pass to the end zone was incomplete with 40 seconds remaining.

“Reagan’s got some really talented athletes, and it was awesome to see us pull through and get a crucial stop at the end of the game,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “It was awesome to see those guys get a real taste of CPC football and pull out a win.”

Notes: Nicholson said the defensive line played a key role. “They wore on their offensive line as the game went on, and they got more pressure on the quarterback as the game went on,” he said. … Kicker Palmer Williams made 4 of 5 extra points and sent two kickoffs to the end zone for touchbacks. “His kickoffs are unreal,” Long said. … Evan York was Miller’s favorite target, making five catches for 65 yards. Froelich (2-41) and Summers (2-33) had two each, while Carter Helton (1-23), Argueta (1-5) and Conner Berg (1-15) had one apiece.