Wake Forest football relying on host of former Davidson Day players
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CHARLOTTE – Before 2016, the Wake Forest University football program had endured eight straight losing seasons, only making a bowl once in that stretch. Then the Davidson Day boys began to arrive.
Cade Carney was the first former Patriot in 2016, Dave Clawson’s third season as the Demon Deacons’ head coach. This year, his final as a running back in Winston-Salem, he’s one of the team captains and is coming off a season with 1,031 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Carney only spent one season at Davidson Day after coming from Davie County High School, but in 2015 was a vital part of the school’s fourth NCISAA state championship under coach Chad Grier.
Carney’s first season at Wake ended with a 7-6 record and bowl victory following two 3-9 campaigns to open the Clawson era. At the ACC Kickoff July 17 in uptown Charlotte, Carney said he arrived at Wake at a time when there were plenty of mentors on the team.
“I showed up with a team that had gone 3-9 two times in a row, gone through a coaching change. It was down to a group of fourth and fifth-year seniors who loved football and really wanted to be great,” Carney said. “For me, to learn under that, to step into that, a team who hadn't experienced success, to go to the Military Bowl, have a big win, I couldn't have learned under a better group of guys when they were on their way out.”
After that group departed, more former Patriots came in. Linebacker Chase Monroe arrived in 2017, followed by Sam Hartman, the quarterback on the 2015 and 2016 Davidson Day teams, in 2018.
Hartman had followed Grier – father of Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Will Grier – to Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, S.C., for his senior year in 2017, and Davidson Day hasn’t fielded a football team since.
But Hartman reconnected with his fellow Patriots last season, and was the starting quarterback for the Deacons in their season-opener against Tulane. On a Thursday night in New Orleans, Hartman completed 31-of-51 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 Wake victory.
But after nine games as the starting signal-caller, Hartman broke his leg against Syracuse Nov. 3, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
With Hartman healthy for 2019, he’ll have the fourth member of the 2015 Davidson Day squad – Nolan Groulx – as a potential target. Groulx was Hartman’s go-to guy in 2016, when as a sophomore he set the Mecklenburg County receiving record with 1,853 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Groulx spent his final two prep seasons at Hough, where he caught a combined 127 passes for 1,937 yards and 23 touchdowns. His accomplishments landed him in the 2019 All-American Bowl.
Since Hartman’s successor Jamie Newman went 3-1 as Wake’s starter last year, Clawson has a decision to make between the two quarterbacks. And he’s pleased with his options.
“I think the good thing is we have two quarterbacks who have proven they can win games in the ACC, win games at Wake Forest,” Clawson said. “It’s a good problem. It's competitive … Right now I don't know who our starting quarterback is going to be.”
Wake Forest opens the season at home against Utah State Aug. 30 on the ACC Network.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
CHARLOTTE – Before 2016, the Wake Forest University football program had endured eight straight losing seasons, only making a bowl once in that stretch. Then the Davidson Day boys began to arrive.
Cade Carney was the first former Patriot in 2016, Dave Clawson’s third season as the Demon Deacons’ head coach. This year, his final as a running back in Winston-Salem, he’s one of the team captains and is coming off a season with 1,031 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Carney only spent one season at Davidson Day after coming from Davie County High School, but in 2015 was a vital part of the school’s fourth NCISAA state championship under coach Chad Grier.
Carney’s first season at Wake ended with a 7-6 record and bowl victory following two 3-9 campaigns to open the Clawson era. At the ACC Kickoff July 17 in uptown Charlotte, Carney said he arrived at Wake at a time when there were plenty of mentors on the team.
“I showed up with a team that had gone 3-9 two times in a row, gone through a coaching change. It was down to a group of fourth and fifth-year seniors who loved football and really wanted to be great,” Carney said. “For me, to learn under that, to step into that, a team who hadn't experienced success, to go to the Military Bowl, have a big win, I couldn't have learned under a better group of guys when they were on their way out.”
After that group departed, more former Patriots came in. Linebacker Chase Monroe arrived in 2017, followed by Sam Hartman, the quarterback on the 2015 and 2016 Davidson Day teams, in 2018.
Hartman had followed Grier – father of Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Will Grier – to Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Mount Pleasant, S.C., for his senior year in 2017, and Davidson Day hasn’t fielded a football team since.
But Hartman reconnected with his fellow Patriots last season, and was the starting quarterback for the Deacons in their season-opener against Tulane. On a Thursday night in New Orleans, Hartman completed 31-of-51 passes for 378 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 Wake victory.
But after nine games as the starting signal-caller, Hartman broke his leg against Syracuse Nov. 3, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
With Hartman healthy for 2019, he’ll have the fourth member of the 2015 Davidson Day squad – Nolan Groulx – as a potential target. Groulx was Hartman’s go-to guy in 2016, when as a sophomore he set the Mecklenburg County receiving record with 1,853 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Groulx spent his final two prep seasons at Hough, where he caught a combined 127 passes for 1,937 yards and 23 touchdowns. His accomplishments landed him in the 2019 All-American Bowl.
Since Hartman’s successor Jamie Newman went 3-1 as Wake’s starter last year, Clawson has a decision to make between the two quarterbacks. And he’s pleased with his options.
“I think the good thing is we have two quarterbacks who have proven they can win games in the ACC, win games at Wake Forest,” Clawson said. “It’s a good problem. It's competitive … Right now I don't know who our starting quarterback is going to be.”
Wake Forest opens the season at home against Utah State Aug. 30 on the ACC Network.
