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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

If Davie’s football team thought a 62-43 shootout win over Reynolds was hard, it better buckle up, because Reagan is considered the superior of the two and because there are no breathers in the Central Piedmont Conference.

The Raiders (2-1 overall, 1-0 CPC) opened the season with a 22-15 loss to Mt. Tabor, which obliterated Reynolds 62-6. After hanging tough with Tabor, the Raiders responded with wins of 44-16 over South Iredell and 31-19 over Glenn.

So a confident team will await the visiting War Eagles Friday at 7 p.m. in Pfafftown. The War Eagles (3-0, 1-0) are brimming with confidence, too. The last time they started 3-0 with 19-or-greater margins in each was 2003, when they won 29-7 over Alexander Central, 28-7 over West Rowan and 52-0 over Lake Norman.

The Davie/Reagan goals are clearly defined. Win out and seize an automatic bid to the state playoffs. One slip-up could cost a playoff berth.

In the opener, the Raiders faced 14-0 and 22-6 first-half deficits to Tabor. They rallied within 22-15, but only 2:26 remained. Jon Gullette had 9 carries for 79 yards, but Kam Hill, a junior who was making his first career start at varsity quarterback, went 8 of 26 for 58 yards.

After dispatching South Iredell, the Raiders faced a 2-0 Glenn. After falling behind 13-10 in the first half, Reagan scored three second-half touchdowns and sealed the outcome with a 61-yard scoring drive late in the fourth.

Senior Bryson Canty is a splendid combination of running back and receiver, and he burned Glenn with four TDs, including two in the fourth. His reception provided a 24-13 lead, and his 21-yard run made it 31-19. The workhorse finished with 24 carries for 128 yards and five receptions for 72 yards.

Canty got help from Gullette (96 yards on 13 carries, plus an interception on defense) and Hill (9 of 15 for 95 passing yards).

Who can forget last year’s meeting? Davie survived 49-42 by putting up 609 yards. Carney (141 rushing yards, five TDs), Jack Reynolds (nine catches for 113 yards) and Za’Haree Maddox (8-173 receiving) shared the spotlight as Davie barely overcame Reagan’s 542-yard output. Canty was extremely economical, running for 88 yards on  attempts.

Davie leads the series 7-4.