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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

Elliot Gould stole the show in the Davie JV football team’s 21-8 win at Reynolds in the Central Piedmont Conference opener on Sept. 15.

The freshman not only got an interception at the Davie 8, he took over at running back in the second half and churned as if he was an experienced runner.

The INT came in the second quarter when Davie was only ahead 7-0.

“That was a crazy interception,” defensive coordinator Blaine Nicholson said. “That was one of the better interceptions I’ve ever seen.”

Leon Bradshaw, who has become a star at receiver, filled in at running back in the first half. But he got a little dinged up late in the half and Davie, which led 14-0 at halftime, didn’t want to take any chances of injuring him worse.

So they turned to Gould, who did one heck of a job despite not ever playing the position in a Davie practice.

“Elliot is just really, really good,” Nicholson said. “In the second half, because of some things that happened, he went to running back. He’s probably our best DB, but he led the team in rushing and he’s never lined up in practice to take a snap at running back. They coached him up during halftime.”

Gould broke runs for 12, 8, 8, 19 and 30 yards and finished with 15 carries for 89 yards. We note again: All that came in one half.

“He made some really good cuts,” Nicholson said. “He really should have scored.”

Nicholson kept raving about Gould.

“He’s a really coachable guy and he just goes wide open no matter where you put him,” he said. “He’s a safety by trade – in the long run he’s going to be a really good safety – but he’s been asked to play corner, running back and he plays all these spots on special teams. And everywhere you put him, he makes plays. He always does what’s best for the team and he’s a great athlete. And he is not afraid of contact.”

Bradshaw built on his stellar season, catching seven passes for 92 yards, including a pair of touchdowns. Jamarius Pelote threw three TDs in all, including a 47-yard hookup with Ethan Driver. Pelote went 9 of 18 for 145 yards, including a completion to David Patton.

“Leon is such a weapon out wide,” Nicholson said. “He’s elite on JV.”

The defense was rock solid, holding Reynolds out of the end zone until garbage time. Landon Waller had a second-quarter INT as Davie (3-1 overall) ran its winning streak to three.

“We got it done in the red zone multiple times,” Nicholson said. “They had it in the red zone three times and didn’t score (until the fourth quarter). They swarmed to the ball really well.”

There are tougher games coming, for sure, but there were encouraging signs everywhere on defense.

“They were double-teaming some guys, so some guys didn’t make the same plays that they had been – but new dudes stepped up,” Nicholson said. “(Outside linebacker) Christian Boswell had been playing sparingly, but he had a great game. (Linebacker) Luke Wayne got a lot of snaps and made some key stops. Waller had a good game at outside linebacker. (Defensive end) Billy Krause has been consistently good. (Free safety) Colson Sink is getting better every week. He’s fitting on the run really well.”