West Davidson football savors a turnaround

West Davidson has had little to cheer about in football for quite a long time.

The Green Dragons, from Lexington, North Carolina, suffered through an 0-10 season in 2023 and haven’t reached the state playoffs since 2010.

They are in the process of flipping the script.

In a stunning turn of events, the Green Dragons overwhelmed Davidson County rival Ledford, 35-0, on Friday and now sit at 2-0. West Davidson hadn’t beaten Ledford since 2010 and fell 42-7 in last year’s game.

“I’m really tickled for the kids,” said West Davidson head coach Brian Billings. “They’ve been through a lot the last two years.”

The Green Dragons last had a winning season in 2008 and have not been to the state playoffs since 2010. Their last 2-0 start before the current season was in 2010.

Considering what has taken place in the first two weeks of the season, West Davidson represents one of the state’s most dramatic turnarounds. When the final score from Friday popped up on message boards, there was considerable shock.

“It was a good win for us,” said assistant coach Bryan Lingerfelt. “We finally beat those guys. It was a long time.”

Lingerfelt is one of two former West Davidson head coaches on the staff along with Dale Barnes.

While the score came as a surprise to many, the sense among those close to the program was that something was quietly building the last few years.

“We’ve had a pretty good group of young people the last couple of years in our JV program,” Billings said. “We were 5-5 and then 8-2 last year. And adding those guys to some of the older guys and it’s a good group. They’ve bought into each other and they’re doing a lot of good things.”

West Davidson has produced good football players in the past. The most famous one is Josh Bush, who earned a Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos. Barnes was an assistant coach on the excellent 2001 team nearly toppled eventual 1-A state champion Albemarle.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is West Davidson likes to run the football. The 250 yards pounded out on the ground against Ledford was music to the ears for Barnes, who especially emphasized the run when he was the head coach.

“That’s Brian Billings and Bryan Lingerfelt football,” Barnes said. “I’m just glad to be along for the ride.”

One new wrinkle that is helping keep defenses thinking is the passing game. Sophomore quarterback Carson Correll was 11-of-16 for 94 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Ledford. 

“We’re going to throw it enough to keep people honest,” Billings said. “You can say we’re multiple-I and we do some shotgun.”

Another thing that stood out in the Ledford game was the number of players turning in solid performances.

Nicholas Huff had 13 carries for 89 yards, Ethan McCloskey ran twice for 57 yards and a touchdown while Aaron Journigan added 56 yards on 13 carries. Correll also had a touchdown run. Mason Miller caught 7 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Keegan McCready caught a touchdown pass.

Hayden Perryman highlighted the defense with a 75-yard pick-six and Killian Burr also hauled in an interception. Cooper Moore, a sophomore, recorded 11 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery. Clayton Gathings led the team with 14 tackles and Nicholas Tierney recovered a fumble.

“We’ve got guys who are really buying into what we’re doing,” Billings said. “We’ve been able to execute really well the first couple of games.”

West Davidson will try for its first 3-0 start since the 2010 season when they take the short trip to play archrival Central Davidson and the Spartans’ quirky double-wing offense.

“We’re going to get ready for the rugby scrum,” Billings said.

West Davidson has been shut out in its last three games with Central Davidson, so a victory would represent yet another step forward for the Green Dragons.