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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

A look back at Davie sports 50 years ago …

• Tim Austin claimed first overall, running a time of 14:10 on North Forsyth’s 2.6-mile course and leading the 1973 Davie cross country team past three opponents. Davie placed six runners in the top 10, including Kenneth Blackwell, Mike Barnhardt, Reggie Lyons, Craig Williams and Ricky Spry.

Davie took nine of the top 10 spots in a 15-50 win over visiting North Iredell. Austin’s 11:40 was a record time on Davie’s 2.3-mile course. Barnhardt (12:16) and Williams (12:18) were second and third, respectively.

In a four-team meet at Grimsley, Austin (14:52) broke the record for the Whirlies’ 2.7-mile course. Barnhardt was Davie’s other top-10 finisher at 15:26.

• Halfback Jeff A. Ward, halfback Marcus Wilson, end Tom Anderson and defensive back Craig Michael scored two touchdowns each as Davie’s 1973 football team trampled North Stanly 64-6. Anderson scored on 23- and 57-yard passes from Tom Eanes, and Michael returned two interceptions for TDs (75 and 21 yards).

The War Eagles improved to 4-0 with a hard-fought 13-6 win at South Iredell. They took a 6-0 lead by driving 75 yards and scoring on a pass from Eanes to Billy Clark. It was 6-6 when Jeff H. Ward recovered a fumble at the Vikings’ 20. Jeff A. Ward scored from 2 yards out and David Dwiggins kicked the extra point to give Davie the victory.

• In the Rowan Junior Football League, Cooleemee handled the Spencer Jaycees 24-6. David Blackwood ran for two TDs. Terry Creason scored when he recovered a fumble in the end zone. And Allen Blackwood threw a 45-yard TD to Kenny Barnes.

The Cools were 3-1 after a 30-6 rout of East Rowan. All four of their TDs were through the air: a 38-yard pass from D. Blackwood to Steve Fleming, a 57-yard pass from Fleming to Dale Ijames, a 20-yard pass from A. Blackwood to Ijames and a 15-yard pass from D. Blackwood to Fleming.

• Coach Bill Peeler’s War Eagles picked up a huge 27-14 win over Mooresville that created a four-way tie for first. Davie, Mooresville, West Rowan and North Rowan were all 3-1 in the North Piedmont Conference.

Davie forced five turnovers, Eanes went 12 of 16 for 166 passing yards and Doug Quarles and Wilson combined for 169 rushing yards. Eanes’ favorite target was Clark (4 catches, 54 yards). Quarles, who had missed the previous five games with an injury, carried 23 times for 98 yards, while Wilson gained 71 yards on 13 attempts.

• Cooleemee slipped past West Rowan 20-12 to grab a share of first place at 4-1, the same record as West. D. Blackwood plunged in from the 1-yard line to tie the game at 6. Cooleemee took a 14-6 lead on Fleming’s 8-yard run in the third quarter. After West pulled within 14-12, Fleming supplied the knockout punch with a 15-yard TD.

• Davie survived a 7-6 defensive struggle at South Rowan. The War Eagles trailed 6-0 and South had the ball at its 42. The game turned when South quarterback Kenny Miller made a bad pitch on an option play. Larry Driver recovered the fumble at the South 31. Davie took advantage of the break, with Wilson running to the South 17 and Eanes connecting with Anderson in the end zone to tie the score with 13 seconds left in the third. Then Dwiggins converted the PAT to put Davie ahead. Wilson, a two-way player, had two interceptions and rushed seven times for 79 yards.

• Davie’s cross country team hosted the Western North Carolina High School Activities Association championship meet and finished fifth out of 12 schools. While Austin, its star runner, was unable to compete because of the flu, Davie was led by sophomore Perry Reavis, who was 15th at 13:22. Barnhardt was 17th at 13:30.

• Eanes set a then-record with four TD passes in a 28-28 tie with North Iredell. After tossing two scoring passes to Clark and one to Wilson, Eanes found Anderson for a 10-yard score with 11:09 remaining. Then Dwiggins’ kick tied the game at 28.

• After Cooleemee and West Rowan shared the regular-season championship, Cooleemee rolled past Salisbury 30-0 in the tournament semifinals. D. Blackwood, Creason, John Wadkins and A. Blackwood had one TD each.

• Eanes became the first Davie QB to reach 1,000 passing yards in a season during a 42-14 romp over North Davidson. Wilson was a beast with 185 yards and three TDs on 20 carries, and Anderson made an all-time defensive play in the fourth by intercepting a pass at the goal line and returning it 100 yards for a TD.

• Davie turned back upset-minded East Rowan 12-7 in Granite Quarry to close the regular season. Down 7-6 in the fourth quarter, Davie marched 80 yards in 14 plays. Jeff A. Ward scored from the 1 with 5:27 to go as Davie improved to 8-1-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the NPC.

A fumble recovery at the East 35 by David Bean set up the game’s first TD, but East grabbed a 7-6 lead with 5:17 left in the third. Jeff A. Ward (24-113) and Wilson (14-92) had big nights on the ground. It was a tense battle that saw East’s Walter Sifford and Davie’s Ron Anderson ejected for fighting.

• Cooleemee took down West Rowan 28-18 in the league championship game at the Junior Sports Complex in Salisbury. D. Blackwood was the star, scoring all 28 points on four TDs and four extra points. Cooleemee finished 7-1. West, which trailed 14-12 at halftime and 22-18 after the third, went 6-2.

• Davie football placed six on the all-conference team. Offensively, end T. Anderson, tackle Jeff H. Ward and QB Eanes were named. End Billy Mottinger, lineman Dave Desnoyers and DB Jeff A. Ward made the team from Davie’s defense.

• Debbie Burton made a crucial defensive play as the Davie girls basketball team outlasted visiting Albemarle 61-55. Albemarle was down 57-55 with the ball before Burton got a steal and hit a shot that made it 59-55. Nancy Reavis went off for 29 points. Davie got 13 from Burton, nine from Debra Ward and eight from Patricia Dwiggins.

The Davie boys fell short, 67-62, against Albemarle. Freshman Dwayne Grant and Quarles paced Davie with 14 points apiece. Eddie Wilkinson had 12 and Jeff A. Ward nine. Bill Cozart and Dean Seaford had four each.

In a rematch at Albemarle, the Davie girls pulled out another close one, 43-39, behind N. Reavis’ 18 points and Burton’s 13. Pam Reavis had five and Debra Ward four.

Quarles scored 17 but the Davie boys lost 66-50 to Albemarle. Wilkinson and Grant had 12 each.

• Allan Barger, a 6-0, 205-pound offensive guard for the Lenoir Rhyne football team, made the all-district team.

• Davie’s wrestling team picked up a 43-28 win at East Rowan. Davie got pins from Bob McGee (107), Curtis Stiles (128), Ron Anderson (134), Bill Boger (140), Jim Farlow (147) and Marcus Wilson (187). Brad Middleton won a decision at 121.