Football: Danville overcomes East Knox, mud to win 2nd consecutive DevilDog
Friday, October 20, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Tough Street lived up to its billing on Oct. 20 thanks to a steady rain that turned a perfectly nice field at Municipal Stadium into a mud pit.
The mud pit became a second opponent in the DevilDog rivalry. At the end, the Danville football team used the mud as a Slip-and-Slide to celebrate a 14-12 overtime win over East Knox.
With the win, the Blue Devils won the Knox Morrow Athletic Conference outright, its league title since 2017, which was the league’s inaugural year.
Danville, which has 46 league titles all told, secured its first undefeated regular season since 2015 and its second consecutive win in the DevilDog series, which it leads 42-24-1.
“You just gotta take your short, choppy steps. You can’t overstride and you gotta hold onto the ball with both hands at all times,” senior quarterback Walker Weckesser said. “It impacted us a lot because we couldn’t do as much motioning and cutting and stuff that we would normally be able to do. But I think our strength and our heart brought us together to get the win.”
Weckesser made three consecutive plays in overtime, a 16-yard run, followed by a 4-yard touchdown run and finally, a two-point conversion run that put the Blue Devils (10-0, 7-0) up for good.
Danville’s Aiden Burke (22) looks for running room during the host Blue Devils’ 14-12 victory over East Knox in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play on Oct. 20. Photo: Michael Rich
It was a sequence of redemption for Weckesser, who threw two fourth-quarter interceptions – the first by Will Jensen and the second by Bracen Davis.
“My coaches just kept telling me that they believed in me,” Weckesser said. “Now was my time to step up. As a captain on the team, I felt like, after throwing those two interceptions, I had to do something to make up for it. The team had my back the whole night and we came together.”
The response shows how much Weckesser has grown, coach Matthew Blum said.
“He’s grown so much as a player,” Blum said. “He’d be the first one to tell you – last year in those situations, he would have melted down. But that kid has grown so much.”
Davis made a one-handed reception in the back of the end zone on a 3-yard pass from Jax Lester on East Knox’s overtime possession. But Josh Byers Jr. tackled Blake Elliott for no gain on the ensuing two-point conversion to end the game.
“There’s no doubt that we absolutely brought our best,” East Knox coach Andy Beatty said. “That’s what I ask of them – bring your best and leave no doubt you emptied the tank. So, this one will hurt, but it’s not a hurt of regret. It’s a hurt of defeat and that is the difference.”
Weckesser scored the game’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run in the second quarter. The play was set up by a 48-yard pass to Carson Proper on the right sideline.
East Knox’s Bracen Davis celebrates a touchdown during the Bulldogs’ 14-12 overtime loss at Danville in Knox Morrow Athletic Conference play on Oct. 20. Photo: Michael Rich
The sidelines proved to be a bastion of offense for both teams.
“It really changed the way that we were able to do stuff,” said Blum, whose team averaged just over 50 points per game coming into the game. “Our downhill rushing attack is something we like to establish. But with the conditions, we weren’t really able to do that. And also, credit to East Knox because I thought they played very well defensively.
“That’s why we were trying to get to the edge a little more. (We were) trying to get some good grass to run under. It is what it is. This is Ohio and we have a grass field. So, we’ve got to be ready to play in these sorts of conditions.”
Davis finished with seven receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns, including several receptions on the sideline.
Davis has done a lot of things for the Bulldogs over the last couple of years, going from quarterback to receiver on offense and playing cornerback this year on defense.
“This may have been his best game ever,” Beatty said. “That young man has been counted and he’s been overlooked and told what he’s not over and over. But every night he goes out and performs and absolutely brings it, defensively and offensively. I can’t speak enough about his talent or leadership skills.”
Davis did find freedom in the middle of the field when he caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from Jax Lester over the middle. The play converted a fourth down and tied the game with 22 seconds left before halftime.