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By Brian Pitts

Davie Enterprise Record

With the 55th meeting between Davie and West Rowan getting postponed and moved to Monday by lightning, we take a look back at one of the all-time classics in the old rivalry. Here is a trip down memory lane to 2006.

You won’t see a better shootout than the one Davie and West Rowan delivered at War Eagle Stadium before 4,500 euphoric fans.

In a much-hyped nonconference showdown that featured unimaginable offensive displays, one tide-turning play after another and a wild finish, the War Eagles survived 47-37 to take a major step forward in their hopes for a perfect regular season.

When the highest-scoring game in Davie history was over, there were exhausted bodies on both sides. The War Eagles were deliriously happy as they celebrated revenge for a 17-13 loss at West in 2005. What they did will be recounted for years to come because West had not lost in the regular season in 17 games, it had four punishing runners and it had vaunted units on both lines.

“That was a bunch of warriors in the trenches, trading punches every round,” Davie coach Doug Illing said. “It was punch after punch after punch. That’s just two good teams going at it. It was really fun to watch.”

The Falcons, who ended Davie’s regular-season winning streak at 16 in 2005, kneeled quietly in stinging heartbreak.

“My guys battled and fought,” West coach Scott Young said. “Their team battled and fought. They could have rolled over when we stormed back. Our kids could have rolled over at the half. I hate we had to lose, but you’ve got to take your hat off to them.”

The action-packed game had it all. There was a 28-7 Davie eruption that gave the War Eagles (3-0) a 28-10 lead. Then there was a 20-0 West explosion that gave the Falcons a 30-28 lead. The overflow crowd saw the teams combine for 12 touchdowns, three TDs in a span of 3:56, 40 first downs and 1,030 yards.

“I’m wore slap out,” Davie defensive tackle Chantz Grannaman said. “The only one above this is the Scotland County game in the playoffs last year.”

“It’s the biggest game in my life,” Davie receiver Kenny Rivers said. “That’s one team I wanted to beat. To score 47 points on that team, when they supposedly have the best defensive line, makes me feel good.”

“That was the craziest game,” Davie left tackle Marcus Untz said. “Oh my gosh, my adrenaline was pumping the entire time. The first two games were blowouts, and this game really showed our character and shows how good a team we are.”

The War Eagles’ wonderboy quarterback (junior Garrett Benge) threw for 384 yards on 19-of-28 passing, and their phenomenal receiver (Rivers) had seven catches for 194 yards. Benge broke his own record for passing yards in a game, and Rivers was three yards shy of the Davie record for receiving yards.

But many guys helped pull off the win. Kenneth Brown rushed for 105 yards in his third straight triple-digit effort. Grannaman stopped a third-and-1 run with Davie nursing a 34-30 lead. Perry James made two adrenaline-pumping plays at cornerback, including a game-clinching pick-6. The big grunts – Untz, Derrek Abendroth, Kevin Boehm, Michael Murphy, Tony Steele and Drew Kakouras – gave Benge plenty of protection against West’s mighty d-line. And oh by the way, the diversified offense got four receptions for 102 yards from Chris Kinard.

“It’s hard to give up 37 points and feel good, but I feel like I’ve been in a fight with Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier,” Davie defensive coordinator Devore Holman said.

“They’re the best team we’ve ever seen up front. They blow Independence out of the water,”  left guard Abendroth said. “But we’ve bonded real good. I think it’s like it was (in 2004, when Davie went 14-1). We’ve bonded like that team. If we keep going like this, I think we’ll be talked about for a long time.”

“That felt like a 40-round fight,” defensive tackle Nic O’Brien said. “The offense saved our butts all night long. We let them down a bunch, but we kept digging in at the end when it really mattered.”

After Davie fumbled and West hit a short field goal, Davie answered in spectacular fashion, with Benge firing a 78-yard TD to Kinard, who caught the bomb five steps behind the defender.

The next time Davie got the ball, it blasted 84 yards down the field. Benge, who is always calm, left folks grasping for superlatives to describe a 5-for-5 drive. He hit Kinard for 9 yards. He hit Rivers for 14 and 16 yards. He’ll throw over one defender and under another, and he checked off receivers downfield and flicked short ones to James Mayfield and Brown that resulted in 17 and 15 yards. Benge sneaked in from the 1, and a James-to-Rivers two-point pass gave Davie a 15-3 lead.

Thanks to a 54-yard punt return by Richo Bridges, West’s offense started at the Davie 16, ran the ball three straight times and got back in the game at 15-10.

Benge came right back with a pair of 33-yard completions to Rivers. Then he pitched to Mayfield, who knifed through two would-be tacklers for a 9-yard TD.

Moments later, Mayfield turned an innocent pass into a 13-yard gain, bringing gasps from the crowd when he juked a guy out of his cleats. Davie made the 86-yard drive look ridiculously easy, with Benge lofting a 26-yard pass to Rivers, who tiptoed the back of the end zone. Michael Rowe’s extra point pushed the lead to 28-10 with 43 seconds left in the half.

Davie could have had a commanding halftime lead, but West QB Jamel Carpenter connected with Brantley Horton for 45 yards to the Davie 4, and West scored on the next play to pull within 28-16.

At halftime, Benge was 14 of 18 for 283 yards. “You can’t get any better than that,” Rivers said.

The third quarter was all West, its well-oiled ground game churning out 62 of 85 yards on a 20-play surge that milked 10:10 off the click. Kevin Parks (17 carries, 124 yards), Mike McGorda and Jamie Chambers hammered through the heart of Davie’s defense as West converted four third-down situations.

But it was Carpenter (17 carries for 88 yards, six completions for 171 yards) who stole the show. He cut back for 9 yards on fourth-and-2 and scored on a sneak. The West faithful were fired up with Davie’s lead trimmed to 28-23.

“Jamel did some special things,” Young said.

Now the War Eagles were the ones stumbling, going 3-and-out and watching Parks rip off 40 yards for a go-ahead TD. After two scores in 1:44, West had a 30-28 lead.

But Benge stole the momentum back in dramatic style. Flushed out of the pocket, he lowered his head and rambled 48 yards around right end for a 34-30 lead.

“This is my top emotional game of all time,” Benge said. “It was unbelievable.”

Benge’s amazing run saw beautiful downfield blocks from receivers Kinard and Heath Boyd, who had his guy on skates. “Without Heath’s block, I never score,” Benge said.

West roared back in front on an 89-yard connection from Carpenter to Horton. West had a 37-34 lead with 5:45 remaining.

West’s all-star defensive end, Tristan Dorty, sacked Benge on first down, and West was three plays from putting Davie to bed. But on second-and-17 from the Davie 24, Rivers made an incredible 29-yard catch over the middle. Benge’s pass appeared overthrown, but the 6-3 Rivers reached high with his left hand, tumbled to the ground and somehow maintained possession for a one-handed, you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it catch.

“I thought it was way overthrown,” Illing said.

“I think Rivers is big-time,” Young said.

“How does he come down with that?” Holman said.

Two plays later, Rivers turned a short route into 43 yards. He made West pay for one-on-one coverage, did a wicked spin move and wasn’t caught until he reached the West 5. Brown scored on the next play, didn’t get up and was carried off the field with cramps.

With Davie leading 41-37 and 3:09 left, there was bedlam all around the stadium. Ninety seconds later, James denied West’s hopes for a sixth lead change, the sophomore cornerback intercepting Carpenter and returning it 40 yards for the clinching TD.

The shootout will always be remembered for Rivers’ sensational snag.

“You can watch any college game on Saturday or any pro game on Sunday and you won’t see a better catch than that,” assistant coach Randy Athey said.

“Oh my gosh, I couldn’t believe he came down with that,” Benge said. “I thought I overthrew it. When something like that happens, something just unbelievable happens, you’re going to score. That was a total momentum shift.”