A look at Davie High football records

Published 10:30 am Tuesday, July 29, 2025

By Brian Pitts
Enterprise Record

With football season around the corner, it’s a good time to take a look at Davie’s season, game and career records.
Season record for pass attempts – Nate Hampton 437 in 2019.
Season record for pass completions – Hampton 263 in 2019. The 6-6, 240-pounder from Advance transferred from Liberty to Gardner Webb as a grad student, and he’s battling for G-W’s starting quarterback job with two others. Receiver Jack Reynolds of Mocksville is also finishing up his college career in Boiling Springs after transferring from Charlotte.
Season record for passing yards – Hampton 3,295 in 2019.
Season record for TD passes – Garrett Benge 34 in 2006.
Season record for receptions – Ben Ellis 91 in 2015. He has 13 more catches than the No. 2 guys (Reynolds had 78 in 2019 and Za’Haree Maddox had 78 in 2021).
Season record for receiving yards – Ellis 1,215 in 2015. Ellis also owns the No. 2 spot with 1,191 in 2014.
Season record for touchdown catches – Ellis 17 in 2015.
Season record for touchdowns – Cooter Arnold 30 in 2004. Arnold is also tied for second in that category with 26 in 2003. He’s tied with Tate Carney, who had 26 in 2019.
Season record for extra points – Palmer Williams 53 in 2021.
Season record for punting average – Williams 43.3 yards in 2022. He edged out David Wooldridge (43.2 in 2001) by a whisker.
Season record for interceptions is a tie between Scott Cornatzer (10 in 1997) and Matt Oswell (10 in 2006). Cornatzer has been at the top for 27 years.
Season record for rushing yards – Arnold 2,344 in 2004. Arnold, who had 1,921 in 2003, has been 1-2 on the list for 20-plus years.
Season record for rushing attempts – David Daye 292 in 1996. That record has not been touched in 28 years.
Season record for yards-per-carry average – Arnold 8.9 in 2004. The only one close to Arnold is DeVonte Lyerly, who averaged 8.7 in 2019 on 83 carries. It’s worth noting that Arnold toted the rock 262 times in 2004.
Season record for yards-per-catch – Jae-Re Peebles 26.4 in 2011. After making 16 catches for 423 yards, Peebles has held the record for 13 years. Russell Arnold is a shade behind at 26.1 from 1983. You must have averaged at least one catch per game to qualify.
Season record for field goals – Jared Griggs nailed 15 in 2016. He converted 15 of 17 tries to beat out a kicking/punting legend in Wooldridge, who holds the second and third spots with 13 in 1999 and 12 in 2001.
Season record for tackles – James Boyle 206 in 2016. There’s only been two 200-tackle seasons, the other being Cody Hendrix’s 203 in 2017.
The single-game record for touchdowns is Carney’s eight in a 62-43 win over Reynolds in the spring of 2021. That tied a state record.
In the same at Reynolds, Carney set the Davie single-game record for rushing yards with 327, breaking Arnold’s mark of 322. Carney’s pinball numbers included 10.2 yards per carry, three TDs in a span of 5:12 and a 41-yard reception that gave him 362 rushing/receiving yards. He gained 132 rushing yards if you counted just his TD runs.
“Everybody up front kept it moving,” Carney said then of linemen Camden Beck, Merritt Killian, Ashton Williams, Ethan Doub and Spencer Williams. “When the fourth quarter rolled around, there were so many holes to pick from I just had to run up one. The receivers were blocking their butts off. It was so much fun being out there. I’m happy to have it, but I couldn’t have done it without the o-line.”
In a ridiculous varsity debut as a freshman last year, Draeton Nance set the record for passing yards in a game with 450. As if that wasn’t enough, he became just the fourth Davie QB to throw five-plus TDs in a game as Davie whipped North Davidson 44-17.
“He’s got four years and we’re glad to have him,” receiver Ethan Driver said then. “He should grow into an amazing player, and I’m glad I’m playing with him.”
Nance’s mind-boggling performance saw him complete 20 of 35 and average of 22.5 yards per completion. He surpassed Alex Summers’ record of 448 yards in a 62-28 loss at Glenn in 2021.
“I was nervous,” Nance said then. “Coming from JV, it’s a whole different ballgame. The stands are packed, everything, so yeah I was nervous the first play. I had to keep my composure; can’t let the opponent know I’m feeling nervous.”
The single-game record for TD passes is seven by Ty Miller in a 60-28 win at West Rowan in 2023. Miller had two more than the previous Davie record and fell two shy of the state record. He hit 19 of 40 attempts for 325 yards.
“I know all the quarterbacks that came before me, so it’s pretty cool,” Miller said then. “I talk to Chris (Reynolds) sometimes and ask for advice. I’m boys with Nate (Hampton), so it’s pretty cool to be up there with them.”
In the same North Davidson game in which Nance went bananas in his varsity debut, Driver broke the single-game record for receiving yards with 268. He became just the third War Eagle ever to eclipse 200 yards in a game while making nine catches and averaging 29.7 yards per catch. The old record was Ellis’ 253 against West Rowan in 2014.
“Ethan’s super competitive,” coach Tim Devericks said then. “The performance he put on tonight was phenomenal, but if it’s somebody else that makes all those catches and scores, he’d be just as excited.”
The single-game record for catches – dating from 1981 – is Jack Reynolds’ 15 in a 37-34 upset win at West Forsyth in 2019. Davie handed the Titans their first loss in eight games as Reynolds hauled in 180 receiving yards and two TDs.
“That’s Jack being Jack,” Devericks said then. “Our DBs are happy that somebody else gets to see that.”
A third-and-26 play summed up the historic night. Hampton threw a strike through a tiny window and the 5-9, 160-pound Reynolds came down with it for a gain of 26.
“Getting to hang out with Jack and being so close to him, I know how underrated he is,” Hampton said then. “Everybody kind of sleeps on him, especially colleges. It makes me mad because I see the kind of plays he makes.”
“Nate did a heck of a job,” Reynolds said then. “He didn’t curl up under pressure. The o-line didn’t curl up either. That’s a great (West) defense.”
In a 40-33 win over Mt. Tabor in 2015, Chris Reynolds set a record for consecutive completions with 18. He finished 25 of 28 for 250 yards. What’s more, he ran 21 times for 90 yards and two TDs. His primary targets were Ellis (12 catches, 100 yards) and Cooper Wall (6-103).
“I can’t do it by myself,” C. Reynolds said then. “When you’ve got people like Ben Ellis, Cooper Wall, Mitchell McGee and Beau Byerly out there, it’s hard to miss. (Ellis and Wall) are both so good, you can pick either one and they’re going to show out. It’s amazing. They’re freak athletes; I don’t know what I would do without them.”
The single-game record for pass attempts is Hampton’s 51 in a 21-16 loss to Glenn in 2019. He completed 31 of them.
The single-game record for completions is 33, and it’s been done three times. Alex Summers achieved it twice – in a 56-49 win over Mt. Tabor in 2021 and again in a 61-28 playoff loss at Asheville in 2021. Miller had 33 completions in a 21-7 win over Glenn in 2023.
The record for longest pass completion will never be broken. During a 34-0 win over Reynolds in 2010, QB Carson Herndon and receiver Joe Watson hooked up for 99 yards. A Reynolds punt had pinned Davie at its 1. On first down, Herndon play-actioned and hit Watson down the left seam. He was gone.
“No. 1, our offensive line did a job of blocking the blitz because they were coming with eight of them,” coach Doug Illing said then.
“Coach said you know what I like right here, and he called it,” Herndon said then. “The play-action held their guys and Joe got inside of them.”
The record for longest field goal is 50 yards by Wooldridge in a 19-13 overtime loss at South Rowan in 2000. Defensive tackle Nick Raby recovered a fumble with :16 left in the first half. After barely missing from 50 yards in the first quarter – Wooldridge had plenty of leg, but it sailed left – his second chance from 50 hit the cross bar and fell through for a 6-0 halftime lead, breaking his record of 48 yards.
The single-game record for interceptions – dating from 1981 – is Kristian Lyons’ three in a 21-14 win over North Davidson in 2018. Lyons’ third pick was clutch, coming at the Davie 12 at :31 to clinch victory.
“Three picks – man, that’s insane,” J. Reynolds said then of the sophomore. “It’s crazy because he was a running back last year (on JV). He switched to corner and look at him now. He’s getting hat trick interceptions.”
“Definitely thanks to my DB coach (Blaine Nicholson),” Lyons said then. “Coach Nic has been a great help on and off the field. I watch film 30 minutes to an hour after each practice, just to see what we can work on technique-wise and things like that.”
Career Records
Touchdowns – Carney 79 from 2018-21.
Rushing yards – Arnold 5,236 from 2002-04.
100-yard rushing games – Arnold 29 from 2002-04.
200-yard rushing games – Arnold 5 in 2003-04.
100-yard receiving games – Ellis and Wall with 11 each.
Rushing attempts – Arnold 786 from 2002-04.
Passing attempts – Benge 732 from 2005-07.
Pass completions – Benge 443 from 2005-07.
Passing yards – Benge 6,392 from 2005-07.
TD passes – C. Reynolds 59 from 2014-16.
Receiving yards – Wall 2,940 from 2014-17.
Receptions – Wall 187 from 2014-17.
TD catches – Wall 33 from 2014-17.
Field goals – Wooldridge 36 from 1998-01.
Extra points – Michael Rowe 124 from 2006-08.
Tackles – Hendrix 523 from 2014-17.
Interceptions – Raeshon McNeil 17 from 2002-05.
1,000-yard rushing seasons – 3 each by Justin Brown (2002-04) and Carney (2019-21).