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Ellis got the opening kickoff and kept the ball for 12 minutes, or a quarter and a half, setting the tone for a 14-0 win at North Davie on Sept. 2.

It was the football season opener for both teams.

Connor Dixson capped the marathon drive with a touchdown run. He actually scored all 14 points for the Jaguars. The Ellis ball carriers, including Braxton Bowling and quarterback Ethan Driver, plowed for 5, 6, 7 yards a pop and had possession for about three and a half quarters behind an offensive line of Evan Helms, Braylon Arnold, Cas Moore, Nate Barr and J’Siere Arnold. Elijah Chaffin and Dylan Miller did their share of blocking as tight ends on each side of the line.

Defensive end Miller and linebacker Chaffin were defensive standouts for the Jaguars, who defeated North for the first time since a 44-6 rout in 2017.

“It was a well-played game, and the future of Davie County football looks very bright,” Ellis defensive coordinator Kendall Chaffin said.

After going 2-2 in the spring, Ellis posted its first shutout since a 26-0 win over North in 2016.

“We have improved greatly,” Ellis assistant Mike Dinkins said.

The Wildcats are not the same team from the spring, when they went 4-0, buried Ellis 44-0 and shredded opponents by an aggregate score of 168-0. They only trailed 6-0 at halftime, but Dixson’s third-quarter score made sure Ellis’ three-game losing streak in the series would come to an end.

Chestnut Grove 42, SD 14

South Davie lost its opener on the road on Sept. 2. The Tigers were supposed to play Southeastern Stokes, but because COVID concerns forced SES to cancel, they had to find another opponent.

This was only the second meeting during the middle school era for the Tigers. The other matchup came in 2016, when South crushed Chestnut Grove 44-14.