FREDERICKTOWN — Brode Davis caught everything thrown his way Friday night.
Davis, Fredericktown’s junior defensive back, intercepted two passes to spearhead the defense and the Freddies cruised to a 31-0 Knox Morrow Athletic Conference win over East Knox on Senior Night.
“This was a huge win for us,” Davis said. “We’re in the same region and we’re playing for a playoff spot, and it’s a county rivalry.”
The Freddies (5-3, 4-1) led 18-0 late in the first half when Davis turned in the play of the game.
The Bulldogs (4-4, 3-2) marched deep into Fredericktown territory when Davis picked off a bobbled pass at his own 10 yard line and raced 90 yards for a touchdown and a 25-0 lead with just 25 seconds to play before halftime.
“I was waiting for them to throw a corner deep … then all of a sudden I saw them throwing underneath,” Davis said. “Our safety kind of knocked it loose and it came right to me and I just took off as fast as I could.
“That was a big momentum swing.”
East Knox coach Andy Beatty agreed.
“The pick-six at the end of the half was a back-breaker,” Beatty said. “Fredericktown did a really good job of capitalizing on our mistakes.
“They earned this victory, but I just felt like we couldn’t get out of our own way.”
Davis’ pick-six was one of two defensive touchdowns scored by the Freddies. Kooper Auker scooped up an East Knox fumble and returned it 20 yards for a score late in the first quarter to give Fredericktown an early 12-0 lead.
“You had to pretty evenly-matched teams on paper and one of the themes throughout the week was who was going to make mistakes and who was going to take advantage of those mistakes,” Fredericktown coach Will Hartley said.
“East Knox was starting to get into a rhythm on offense and if they get a score right before the half, they take away our momentum.”
The Freddies also had a pair of big plays on offense in the first half. Fredericktown’s first score of the night came on third-and-seven when quarterback Blake Sipes hooked up with tight end Gavin Toombs on a 21-yard scoring strike.
Sipes scored on an 84-yard run to make the score18-0 midway through the second quarter.
“We had a couple of missed assignments and they made us pay,” Beatty said. “Fredericktown is a very good team and you can’t make mistakes against good teams.”