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By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

A look back at Davie sports 25 years ago …

In 1999, Victor Patti, Drew Ridenhour and Davie’s baseball team created a tremendous amount of excitement by winning nailbiter after nailbiter after nailbiter.

Under first-year coach Mike Herndon, the War Eagles knocked off Alec Zumwalt and East Forsyth 6-3. Paul Sparks came through with the biggest hit, a two-run single to right-center that gave Davie a 4-2 lead. Brian Grout added 5-2 insurance with a home run. Ridenhour went 6.2 innings on the mound and Patti got the save by striking out the last batter with the bases loaded.

Most of the credit for Davie’s 5-4 win over North Davidson goes to Patti, a two-way star who held North to one earned run and stroked three hits at the plate, including a homer. After North rallied to tie at 4-4, Davie scored the winning run on a balk.

Davie senior Jeremy Sink was named Central Piedmont Conference Wrestler of the Year after going 35-5 at 140. Also making all-conference from Davie’s first-place team were sophomore Josh Stanley (26-7), junior Brad Pack (37-6), senior Adam Bailey (37-6), senior Nick Summers (28-5), junior Chris Bender (19-11), freshman Patrick Lowery (23-13), freshman Cassidy McMahan (11-11) and senior Kenny White (31-6).

Four Davie girls made all-conference in swimming: Meagan Clark, Emma Jakob, Adriene Bridgewater and Kaylyn Smith. The Davie boys also put four on the squad: Mike Gusefski, Brad Clark, Mike Heiny and Jeff Frisby. B. Clark and West Forsyth’s Brad Willard shared swimmer-of-the-year honors.

In basketball, junior Duane Phillips was a shoo-in for all-conference after authoring one of the greatest seasons in program history. He averaged a jaw-dropping 26.4 points. Two made it from Davie’s girls – sophomore Heather Schleupner (11.8 points per game) and junior Tina Harkness (8.4).

Davie girls soccer coach Pete Gustafson raved about junior Elise Whitaker after a win over North Iredell. Whitaker scored two goals and Hannah Woodard had the third one. “She’s doggone aggressive,” Gustafson said of Whitaker. “She was an animal. She is just tough as a corncob. If there’s a 50-50 ball, Elise is either going to get hurt or win the ball. She took a beating and just kept on going.”

Davie baseball kept getting incredible production from Patti and Ridenhour and the War Eagles made an important statement in a 6-5 win over Mt. Tabor, which had won the past four CPC titles and had beaten Davie five consecutive times. “Everybody picked us to be at the bottom of the cellar, but we showed them what we’ve got,” Ridenhour said after Davie’s fifth straight win. Patti cracked his third homer, moved his batting average to .393 and left with a 1.72 ERA. “He’s just absolutely the man right now,” said Ridenhour, who went 2 for 3 to raise his average to .455. With the score 5-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Patti delivered a walk-off hit and was mobbed by teammates.

In a golf meet at Hillcrest, Shawn Brooks was at 1-under through seven holes before playing the last two holes in darkness; he settled for a 1-over 37. James Stewart was next for Davie at 40.

When Davie baseball outlasted Reynolds 7-6 in nine innings – its third one-run win in eight days – Patti enhanced his reputation as Mr. Clutch. He pitched a complete game with 13 strikeouts and delivered a two-run triple in the top of the ninth that provided a 7-4 lead. “He’s something,” Herndon said. Wesley Melton, Sparks, Andrew Daywalt and Patti had two hits each. Ridenhour, who was intentionally walked twice, had one.

In another dramatic win, 6-5 at North Davidson, Davie got a huge lift from Melton, who belted a two-run homer in the first and drilled a go-ahead single in the seventh, which started with Davie behind 5-4. Sparks had a home run.

For Davie softball, Shannon Handy and Ashlee Sanders were doing incredible things as sophomores. In a huge 2-1 win over North Davidson, Handy improved her record to 5-0 and lowered her ERA to 0.43. Sanders played a vital role by knocking in both runs.

Davie softball survived an intense game with South Stokes, riding Handy’s pitching and clutch hitting from Ember Spillman and Sanders to a 2-1 victory and a 9-1 record. Handy hurled a three-hitter as Davie defeated South in fast-pitch softball for the first time in six tries. Afterward, the War Eagles dumped the water cooler on coach Tammy Reavis.

First place in the CPC was on the line when Davie baseball hosted South Stokes. Zeke Earle set the stage for a 4-3 win by hitting a mammoth two-run homer to center in the fourth and staking Davie to a 4-2 lead. “I had six straight strikeouts the last two games,” Earle said. “But I came out here Sunday and hit about 1,000 balls with Steve Ridenhour.” Ridenhour said: “Zeke hit one to Kip Miller’s.” Ridenhour was on the mound for the showdown. Herndon could live with his nine walks because he threw a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts to run his record to 4-1. South was 9-0 before coming to Rich Park.

Davie accelerated its magic-carpet ride in Clemmons, rallying to beat West Forsyth for the seventh straight time, 4-3. Now Davie was, miraculously, 6-1 in one-run games. Thadd Johnson and Sparks smacked two-run homers. In the bottom of the fifth, West had the bases full with nobody out. Patti got out of the mess unscathed by striking out back-to-back batters and getting a flyout. The torrid Patti went 3 for 4 and pushed his pitching record to 4-0.

At Oak Valley, Davie golf shot a sparkling 7-over 151. Stewart led the way at even-par 36. Sophomore Trent Clement, who chipped in for birdie and sank a 50-foot putt for another birdie, shot 37. Andy Boger, Lanny Collet, Brooks and Ryan Knoll had 39s.

After spotting South Rowan a 4-1 lead, Davie baseball roared back for a 12-4 win. Ridenhour (4 for 5, two doubles, five RBIs) and Patti (3 for 5, two doubles) continued to pile up gaudy numbers. Ridenhour lifted his average to .484. Patti improved to 5-0 on the mound and raised his batting average to .455. Earle launched his fourth dinger.