DAVIDSON – It was the opener of the 2021 Pioneer Football
League slate for the Davidson. Opposing the Wildcats were the Toreros of San
Diego, a traditional league power who desperately wanted to avenge the pandemic-forced
spring 2021 season which saw Davidson knock off the four-time defending Pioneer
League champs to claim the conference championship for the first time ever. It
was Davidson who would take the day, as the Wildcats held off a late rally to
defeat the Toreros 28-16 at Richardson Stadium.
Davidson had what seemed to be a great start to the game,
forcing a three-and-out and taking over after a punt. The momentum was short-lived, however, and a bad pitch on the Wildcats' second play from scrimmage saw
the ball hit the turf, recovered by the San Diego defense. Two plays later,
Emilio Martinez ran in from thirteen yards out to give the visitors an early
7-0 lead.
The Wildcats went into full ball control mode later in the quarter,
though, marching eighty-three yards on sixteen plays on a drive that ended the
first quarter and began the second. By the time junior Dylan Sparks scored on a
one-yard run, Davidson had chewed off nearly nine minutes of clock and kept a
potent Torero offense on the sidelines.
It was the San Diego special teams that made the biggest
play in the second quarter, though. After coming up short on a run, the Toreros
chose to punt from midfield. The punt rolled down towards the goal line and was
batted out of bounds inside the one-yard line. The San Diego defense stepped up
on the next play, tackling the Davidson ball carrier in the end zone for a
safety and 9-7 lead. After the ensuing free kick, the Toreros sought to extend
their lead with a field goal, but the kick bounced off the right upright.
Davidson started the second half with eight straight rushing
plays before Louis Calosimo was able to find Eli Turner, Jr. lurking behind the
defense, and the two connected on a thirty-one-yard pass to get the Wildcats
inside the five-yard line. Two plays later, Mark McCurdy went around the left
side for the Davidson touchdown and the Wildcats had the lead for the first
time on the afternoon. Davidson had a chance to extend the lead later in the
quarter, but a bad snap on a field goal attempt gave the ball back to the Toreros
and saw the score stay at 14-9 going into the final quarter.
pulled out the halfback pass which Eli Turner, Jr. executed perfectly, tossing
a thirty-four-yard throw to Jalen Staples who went down at the five-yard line.
Turner finished off the drive two plays later on a toss sweep around the right
side of the line, extending the Wildcats lead to twelve points.
San Diego refused to give up and came within five points
after an eleven-yard touchdown pass from Mason Randall to Michael Carner. The
Toreros had another chance late in the quarter but was stopped on fourth down
by the tenacious Davidson defense. Looking to put the game on ice, Louis
Colosimo found Eli Turner, Jr. on a twenty-five-yard slant route for a
touchdown to cap the scoring, and Jordan Burrell picked off a late pass to seal
the deal for Davidson.
Up Next
Both teams are staying in Pioneer League play as Davidson (2-1,
1-0) travels to Florida to take on the Hatters of Stetson University while San
Diego (0-4, 0-1) hosts league newcomer St. Thomas.
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data-title="Davidson vs San Diego"
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