Varsity Football

Coach Dan Casey of the St. David’s Varsity Football team is known as a fantastic young coach and is beloved by his players and fellow coaches. This past week, Coach Casey was named to the AFCA (American Football Coaches Association) 35 Under 35 Coaches List for 2020. It is a prestigious recognition, one that is only granted to a handful of young coaches around the country, in high school and college. “I am extremely honored to be on this list alongside some excellent football coaches,” said Coach Casey about being named to the list. “It’s a testament to the dedication of the players and coaches here at St. David’s - they were willing to experiment with everything from our off-season training regime to our concept-based play calling. The players really bought in and allowed a lot of creativity to take place here. We encourage a growth mindset from everyone involved in our program.” Thanks to his inclusion on the list, Coach Casey will be published in the bi-monthly AFCA Magazine. Additionally, he will be placed on the AFCA Foundation Committee and: “become a part of a prestigious network of rising coaches in the profession along with many other great benefits” per the AFCA website. Coach Casey certainly deserved this honor, and the Varsity Football program is in great hands with Coach Casey at the helm as head coach. He already is looking to use this opportunity to improve the program and his players. “I hope the Coaches Leadership Institute will be another opportunity for me to develop as a coach and model that mindset for our players.”

Congratulations to the following seven St. David's School student-athletes who have been named NCISAA All-State in their respective sports. Athletes received a medal from the NCISAA and will also be recognized on the All-State Warrior wall between the two gymnasiums on campus, adding their name alongside the other 212 St. David's athletes that have received the distinguished honor of being named All-State.

GIRLS GOLF

Kinsley Smith 

FOOTBALL 

James Talton

Ford Everett

GIRLS TENNIS 

Grace Haile

Sydney Cook

Kate Goracke

VOLLEYBALL 

Olivia Leshnock

The following athletes received all-conference honors for the 2019 falls sports season.  Congratulations to the following Warrior athletes: 

CROSS COUNTRY

EPIC ALL-CONFERENCE:

Luke Fuller

Laura Martin

FOOTBALL

BIG 8 ALL-CONFERENCE:

James Talton

Ford Everett

John Nicholson

Trey Weddington

HONORABLE MENTION:

Turon Murray

BOYS SOCCER 

EPIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Owen Barr

EPIC ALL-CONFERENCE:

Owen Barr

Hoyt Lewis

Chris Messmore

HONORABLE MENTION:

Andrew Hoffman

GIRLS TENNIS

EPIC ALL-CONFERENCE:

Grace Haile

Sydney Cook

Kate Goracke 

VOLLEYBALL

EPIC ALL-CONFERENCE:

Olivia Leshnock

HONORABLE MENTION: 

Anna Grace Call

The Varsity Football team headed into Friday night with the goal to beat their rival Cary Christian and to put on a show for the St. David's homecoming crowd. That is exactly what they did as the Warriors defeated the Knights in a decisive 38-26 victory at John A. Murray Field. The Warriors scored early and often, putting up 22 points in the first half, taking a 22-20 halftime lead over the Knights. The game slowed down in the third quarter, and the defenses for both teams shined. Eventually, in the fourth quarter, the Warriors scored a crucial touchdown and pulled away, finally putting away the Knights 38-26. “I couldn’t be prouder with how we battled tonight,” said coach Dan Casey after the win. “Our guys put the last game behind them and really gave it all they had.” Senior Quarterback James Talton threw five touchdown passes to lead the Warriors explosive downfield offense, and Junior Ford Everett blocked a kick. The Warriors will look to get another win on Friday, September 27, at Rocky Mount Academy.

The Varsity Football team headed into a Monday night game against the Faith Christian Patriots with a chip on their shoulder. The Warriors fell just short in their first game against Greenbrier Christian Academy and looked to rebound in their home opener with a win. “Losing against Greenbrier was pivotal for us in a way,” said Coach Dan Casey after the game. “It really reminded us to go back to the basics, back to what we do best.” The team started strong in the first quarter, seizing an 8-0 lead thanks to a 19-yard touchdown catch by senior Trey Weddington, and continued to build on their lead after the first quarter by exploding for three second-quarter touchdowns. The Warriors run game dominated the first half with James Talton and Cole Deihl both recording rushing touchdowns, and the team as a whole logged 187 rushing yards and averaged over six yards per rush. The Warriors defense stood strong against the Patriot’s offense the whole first half, they held the Patriot offense scoreless in the first three quarters, thanks in large part to sound tackling and ball-hawking, as the Warriors forced a total of seven turnovers on the day. St. David's was able to hang on to their lead in the second half and walked away with a resounding 38-16 victory. “I’m so proud of our defense,” Coach Casey continued. “We were able to match their physicality tonight, on both sides of the ball, I think if we can stay healthy we’re a team that’s very hard to beat.” The Warriors move to 1-1 on the season after the win, and will play Arendell Parrott Academy on the road this Friday. 

The Varsity Football Team headed into a Monday night game against the Faith Christian Patriots with a chip on their shoulder. The Warriors fell just short in their first game against Greenbrier Christian Academy, and looked to rebound in their home opener with a win. “Losing against Greenbrier was pivotal for us in a way,” said Coach Dan Casey after the game. “It really reminded us to go back to the basics, back to what we do best.” The team started strong in the first quarter, seizing an 8-0 lead thanks to a 19 yard touchdown catch by senior Trey Weddington, and continued to build on their lead after the first quarter by exploding for three second quarter touchdowns. The Warriors run game dominated the first half with James Talton and Cole Deihl both recording rushing touchdowns, and the team as a whole logged 187 rushing yards and averaged over six yards per rush. The Warriors defense stood strong against the Patriot’s offense the whole first half, they held the Patriot offense scoreless in the first three quarters, thanks in large part to sound tackling and ball hawking, as the Warriors forced a total of seven turnovers on the day. St. David's was able to hang on to their lead in the second, and walked away with a resounding 38-16 victory. “I’m so proud of our defense,” Coach Casey continued. “We were able to match their physicality tonight, on both sides of the ball, I think if we can stay healthy we’re a team that’s very hard to beat.” The Warriors move to 1-1 on the season after the win, and will play Arendell Parrott Academy on the road this Friday.

The St. David's Varsity Football team heads into the 2019 season after losing an excellent senior class, but already looks to be reloading across the board with a slew of returning talent. “We have a lot of returning talent on offense, especially at skill positions,” said Coach Dan Casey. St. David's will return all-state senior quarterback James Talton, as well as all-conference linebacker Ford Everett. The Warriors also have plenty of veteran leadership, with players who have been on the team for multiple years. Seniors John Nicholson and Ka'von Benbow are returning with three years under their belts on the defensive line, as are fellow seniors Turron Murray and Trey Weddington. However, while this year’s squad will certainly be dependent on their new senior leadership, they have a bevy of young talent as well, as Coach Casey said: “We really hope that younger players develop this year, we’ll look for them to make daily improvements and take it one day at a time.” Highlighting this young talent is all-conference linebacker Ford Everett, tailback/cornerback Cole Diehl, and jack-of-all-trades Meik Goode. “We’re expecting a lot of explosiveness from Meik,” continued Coach Casey. “He doesn’t really have a position, he just does a little bit of everything.” The Warriors' strength this season will certainly be their offensive explosiveness, as well as their experience in the front seven on defense. The Warriors will look to return to the state championship game this year, and with this amount of talent, anything is possible.