Varsity Football

St. David’s senior Houston Walker will play college football for the Rhodes College Lynx in Memphis, TN in the fall. Walker joins former Warriors teammates Hudson and Walker Taylor at the Division III school. “I knew it was the right place for me when my family and I visited,” said Walker. “I’m excited about playing with my friends again and I have an instant support system in place. St. David’s has prepared me well and I’m grateful for the opportunity.” Walker was a two-time All-State selection at St. David’s and helped the Warriors to a pair of appearances in the state title game. Walker will also be a member of the Lynx track and field team. 

St. David’s running back Tai Goode will join the Campbell Camels as a preferred walk-on in the fall. Goode led the Warriors to the state finals his senior year and was a two time All-State selection. “His blazing speed and all-around athleticism set him apart,” said coach Dan Casey. “During his first practice of his junior year, we sent him back to field a punt with no blockers against a full defense. He made everybody miss him and scored. We knew then he was special.” Goode finished his senior season with 36 touchdowns, including seven in the Homecoming game against Parrott Academy.

Nine Warriors earned All-State recognition for fall sports. Seniors Alice Holding, Madison Smith and Gracie Crowder and sophomore Louisa Holding helped St. David’s win its seventh straight state title. Seniors Tai Goode, Houston Walker and Cooper Crosby along with junior James Talton led SDS to the football state championship match. Senior Miller Ashe was the soccer Warriors leading scorer and helped the team advance to the state quarterfinals.

Two Warriors made the News & Observer’s Starting 11 for their performance in last week’s state championship game. Here’s the link for more details.

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article221283990.html

The Warriors bid for a state championship fell short as Faith Christian of Rocky Mount rallied for a 24-20 victory Friday night at John A. Murray Field. St. David’s took a 6-0 lead just before halftime as James Talton hit Ford Everett with an 18 yard scoring pass. The Warriors made it 14-0 on the first drive of the second half when Talton found Robert Batchelder for a 62 yard scoring strike. Talton struck again with a 42 yard TD to Cooper Crosby for a 20-12 lead with 1:32 left in the third quarter. However, Faith answered as the quarter ended to make it 20-18, then drove 78 yards on seven plays to take the lead with 2:30 left in the game. The Warriors couldn’t answer and both teams finished 9-1. “We are very disappointed, but give credit to Faith,” said coach Dan Casey. “It was two great teams going at it and they came away on top. I’m so proud of our guys for playing their hearts out. Our seniors were huge for us again and I thank them for their contribution to our program.” Faith had 339 total yards, with 266 on the ground, while St. David’s gained 246 of 266 total thru the air.  Batchelder caught seven passes for 182 yards. Matthew Haist led the defense with seven solo tackles and six assists. SDS senior James Motter took the photo that accompanies this post.

Warriors seniors Tai Goode and Houston Walker are members of the News & Observer’s Starting 11 for their performances against Rocky Mount Academy. Here’s the link with details.

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article220888845.html

The Warriors advanced to the 8-man state championship game with a 66-31 rout of Rocky Mount Academy Thursday night at John A. Murray Field. St. David’s is 9-0 and will host Faith Christian of Rocky Mount Friday, November 2^ndat 7 p.m. The Eagles scored on their opening drive, but the Warriors reeled off 30 unanswered points before the first quarter ended. “We showed great maturity there,” said coach Dan Casey. “RMA was the defending state champs and always have a scheme or two to throw at us. We bounced back from that early score and took control.” St. David’s rolled up 588 total yards with 468 on the ground. Tai Goode ran for 235 yards and scored three touchdowns, while Houston Walker tallied 169 and scored twice. “They were both terrific tonight and James Talton (QB) did a great job of setting the pace and getting us into our offense.” Talton was 5-8 for 118 yards and two touchdowns through the air and ran for two more scores. Cooper Crosby led the defensive with 7.5 tackles, while Ford Everett had seven. “We played well tonight and will need to again,” said Casey. “Faith is a physical team and will be ready to play.” St. David's freshman Redmond Smith took the photo that accompanies this post.

The Warriors finished an undefeated regular season with a 52-8 pounding of Southampton (Va.) Academy on Senior Night at John A. Murray Field. St. David’s scored first when Tai Goode threw a 65 yard halfback pass to Robert Batchelder in the first quarter. “That was a special play,” said coach Dan Casey. “One of our biggest fans, Mac Boxley, passed away Wednesday. He gave me a playbook when I started here and that was one of his favorites. Mac was a huge supporter of St. David’s athletics and the school overall so this one was for him. His daughter, Elizabeth Feeney, teaches here and I coached his grandson, John Mac (Class of 2018). His granddaughter, Claire, is a student here as well. We missed him in the stands tonight and we know he is proud.” Goode finished with 117 yards rushing and a touchdown, which gives him 33 for the season. Batchelder caught three passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns as the Warriors had 389 yards of total offense, while holding the Raiders to 143. Quarterback James Talton was 3-5 for 112 yards as the starters didn’t play in the second half. “We were solid and sometimes spectacular, which is a sign of a maturing team,” said Casey. “Our defensive line was outstanding and the seniors came up big on their night.” The Warriors are the top seed in the state playoffs and host Rocky Mount Academy Friday. SDS senior James Motter took the photo that accompanied this post.

St. David’s senior Tai Goode is part of the News & Observer’s Starting 11 for the second time this season. Goode scored seven touchdowns in the Warriors 60-22 Homecoming victory over Parrott Academy. He gained 119 yards rushing and 167 receiving for 286 total yards. Here’s the link to the rest of the Starting 11:

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article219424685.html

The Warriors remained undefeated with a 60-22 victory over Parrott Academy on Homecoming Friday night at John A. Murray Field. With cameras from CBS-17 and WRAL-TV 5 rolling, senior Tai Goode scored seven touchdowns to lead St. David’s. He scored on runs of 21, 34, 19 and 30 yards and caught scoring passes of 61, 42 and 64 yards. “He was his usual, amazing self,” said coach Dan Casey, whose team is 5-0. “He is a tremendous competitor and used his blocks to find the open field. I’m very proud of the way our guys responded tonight. We had a great atmosphere and pulled off a big win.” Goode had 286 total yards-167 receiving and 119 rushing as St. David’s outgained Parrott 518-276. James Talton was 8-16 for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Cooper Crosby and Ford Everett led the defense with six solo tackles, while Houston Walker had four. Crosby also added a sack.The Warriors remained undefeated with a 60-22 victory over Parrott Academy on Homecoming Friday night at John A. Murray Field. St. David's senior James Motter took the photo that accompanies this post.

The varsity football Warriors rolled over Rocky Mount Academy, 52-14, Friday night at John A. Murray Field. St. David’s (4-0) turned an 8-8 second quarter tie into a 44-8 advantage late in the third quarter behind explosive senior Tai Goode, who ran for 184 yards on 14 carries with three touchdowns and caught four passes for 160 yards and two more TD’s. Goode has 21 touchdowns so far this season. “I’m just glad he’s on our team,” said coach Dan Casey. “He took over midway through the second quarter and I don’t think anybody catches him when he gets going.” Goode scored on plays of 37, 39, 55 and 79 yards, the last two on back-to-back touches. Quarterback James Talton was 8-11 for 250 yards and four touchdowns, two to senior reciver Robert Batchelder, as the Warriors rolled up 555 yards of total offense. “James made some excellent plays for us and our defense played consistently well. Cooper Crosby, Troy Exum, Ford Everett and Matthew Haist were making tackles all over the field.” The Warriors host Parrott Academy Friday for Homecoming. St. David's senior James Motter took the photo that accompanies this post.

CBS-17 has chosen the St. David’s Homecoming clash with Parrott Academy as the Game of the Week on the Friday Night Blitz high school highlights show. Sports anchor Todd Gibson will go live from John A. Murray Field during the 6:00 newscast, tape video highlights during the game and do a post-game interview on the field. You can watch it all at 11:30 following the CBS-17 local news on the Friday Night Blitz. Bojangels will provide biscuits and prizes for corn hole for SDS students before the game. 

The varsity football Warriors scored on all 10 first half possessions on the way to a 85-14 rout of Cary Christian Wednesday night in Cary. Junior quarterback James Talton was 13-15 for 290 yards and five touchdowns, including three to senior Tai Goode, who scored six touchdowns for the second straight game. Goode had four carries for 88 yards and three scores and all three passes he caught went for touchdowns.  Talton’s big plays included an 80 pass to Robert Batchelder to open the scoring and 40 and 37 yard scoring tosses to Goode. "James was sharp throwing the football," said coach Dan Casey. "He keeps getting better every week. Our young guys stepped up and played really well. Meek Goode had a couple of interceptions and Cole Deihl ran strong." Lineman Cooper Crosby also scored on an interception return. St. David’s (3-0) outgained the Knights 664-160 with 374 rushing yards, led by Deihl with 131 and two touchdowns. The defense held Cary Christian to just 11 rushing yards on 16 attempts. St. David's senior James Motter took the photo that accompanies this post.

Senior Tai Goode and junior James Talton were named to this week's News & Observer's Starting 11. Here's the link for more details: https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article218186385.html

The varsity football Warriors used six touchdowns from senior Tai Goode to rout Faith Christian, 65-14, Friday night in Rocky Mount. The Warriors (2-0) trailed 14-6 early in the second quarter before Goode went to work. He scored on a 27 yard run, a 12-yard pass from James Talton and added the two point conversion on another Talton toss for a 20-14 halftime lead. Goode returned the second half kickoff 65 yards for a score, then jetted his way to a 75-yard TD run on the next possession for a 33-14 advantage. Goode capped his night with a 37 yard scoring reception from Talton later in the third quarter as the Warriors outgained Faith 439-181. "Tai is a playmaker," said coach Dan Casey. "He is extremely explosive and took advantage of some good blocks that sprung him for big yards. James did a great job orchestrating our big drives and completed 66% of his passes. The defense played well for the most part, so I'm really proud of our team." Talton was 10-15 for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Goode accounted for 166 rushing yards, 73 receiving and 65 return yards. Robert Batchelder had two touchdown receptions and Cole Deihl scored the final touchdown. Houston Walker led the defense with eight tackles.  

The varsity football Warriors opened the season with a 51-19 rout of Greenbrier Christian Academy from Chesapeake, VA Friday night at John A. Murray Field. The Gators took the opening kickoff and marched down the field to take a 7-0 lead. They wouldn’t score again until midway through the third quarter. By that time, the Warriors led 45-13. “We responded well after they scored early,” said St. David’s coach Dan Casey. “I was impressed with the way we tackled after their first drive and the way our defense competed.” The offense did its part with 513 total yards including 185 on only eight carries for senior Tai Goode. He started the second half with an 85 yard scoring jaunt, one of his four TD’s on the night. Junior quarterback James Talton completed eight of 11 passes for 188 yards and a touchdown and ran for 105 yards with a pair of TD’s. Robert Batchelder caught four passes for 129 yards. “I thought James grew a lot at his position over our three weeks of practice,” said Casey. “He proved it under game conditions tonight with a good pace and good decisions. Tai was his usual outstanding self and Robert had some good catches. It was a great way to start the season.” St. David's senior James Motter took the photo that accompanies this post.

The varsity football Warriors open the season at home Friday against the Greenbrier Christian Academy Gators of Chesapeake, VA. St. David’s returns two potential All-State candidates in the offensive backfield, while breaking in a new quarterback. “Houston Walker and Tai Goode give us lots of options on offense,” said second year coach Dan Casey. “James Talton and Paxton Williams have looked good under center in practice. Our defense should be more consistent this year, but the key is staying healthy. If we can keep our playmakers on the field, we should have a fun season.” Former players Braxton Montague and David Pierce are new to the coaching staff this fall. Both were captains on the Warriors 2015 state runner up squad.