Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Brian Pitts

Enterprise Record

The Ellis football team ran all over visiting Bonnie Cone, the third time the Jaguars have pummeled the competition.

It was 30-0 at halftime. The Jags (3-0) took their foot off the gas in the second half and settled for a 38-0 victory on Sept. 3.

Bowman Blakley led the onslaught with three touchdowns, including two rushing scores and one on a kickoff return. Wade Hefner had two TDs, while Cam James had one.

Assistant coach Mike Morgan said the line deserves some credit for an offense that is averaging 32 points per game.

“Our offensive line has played well so far,” Morgan said. “Joseph Burchette and Brody Newman have been solid. Newman has played well on defense, too.”

Defensively, Hefner had an interception. Henry Migliarese and Wyatt Giff tormented the Eagles at their defensive end positions.

“They had somewhere in the neighborhood of minus-25 yards of offense,” Morgan said.

While Ellis has outscored opponents 96-0, two guys have shown eye-opening improvement: Graham Weaver and Colby Mason.

“Two players have improved a lot who are new to football,” he said. “Weaver, who has played goalie in soccer and played basketball, is learning the game and helping us on both sides of the line. Mason is a transfer from Trinity. It’s his first year of football. He’s athletic and aggressive and has been a pleasant surprise on the defensive line.”

While the Jaguars have soaring confidence, Morgan warned the competition is about to ramp up. South Davie, Mooresville and whoever they face in the playoffs will hardly be guaranteed wins.

“We have to keep getting better,” he said. “Our schedule is back-loaded and we are about to get into the meat of it. We’ve got to continue getting better week to week.”

South 40, Burke 6

Selma Burke was a stalwart squad in 2023. That’s not the case in 2024. Khari McClelland and Dreighton Lunnerman scored two TDs apiece as South Davie planted the visiting Bears on Sept. 4.

One of Lunnerman’s scores was on a pass from William Sandoval, who completed four passes for 95 yards and ran for a TD.

South’s top rushers were Sandoval (four carries, 89 yards) and McClelland (7-40). Backup quarterback Jared Vaughters completed both of his pass attempts as the Tigers (2-1) put up the most points in 12 games.

Coach Germain Mayfield has a new weapon in kicker Justin Jimenez, who made two point-after kicks to account for four points.

“It was our first week doing it,” Mayfield said. “He can make it from 30 (yards) in practice, so by the end of the year he will really be a weapon.”

Moor 38, North 12

If there’s good news from North Davie’s lopsided home loss to Mooresville, it’s that the Wildcats were capable of trading blows with the Red Imps. They just failed to answer the call on Sept. 4.

“If we didn’t beat ourselves, I think we could have had a pretty good fight,” coach Beau Byerly said. “We had a pick that brought them down to the (North) 5. We had a lot of missed tackles – a lot. We were in position to make plays and just did not make them. We had a huge play in the fourth – a 40-yard bomb – and we fumbled it.”

The Wildcats (1-2) dug a 32-12 hole in the first half. Their TDs were a 25-yard pass from Levi Morales to Sawyer Hall and a 20-yard run by Morales.

Peyton Jordan, who plays middle linebacker primarily and some nose guard, was the defensive player of the game with two sacks.