Before football season started, Davenport coach Grant Powell talked to his coaches about an incentive to reward the Bulldogs if they got a shutout.
The solution: if they got a shutout, the coaches would feed them nachos during their film session the following Sunday.
Talk about a payoff. Week 1 - Dawgs, 54, Hilldale-Kremlin 0. Nachos!
Week 2 - Dawgs 50, Maud 0. Nachos! Week 3 - Dawgs 46, Savanna 0. Nachos!
Weleetka and Depew broke the streak by scoring against Davenport in Weeks 4 and 5, but it was nacho time again last Sunday after the Dawgs shut out Yale, 56-0, on Friday night.
“With our schedule, we thought we might get a shutout or two and do something different for the boys,” Powell said.
“Then it started to get crazy, because we got three in a row.
“We went to Sam’s the first week and then we had to make another trip and then my wife is like ‘Whoa, we need to stock up a little bit more.’
Powell said his wife, Emily, is in charge of the nacho project.
“We’ve kind of switched it up,” he said. “We’d get some hamburger meat and then some pulled pork and we did some chicken nachos one week. We try to switch it up for them.
“My wife is definitely the one in charge of that.”
Powell said the nachos have been a unifying element for the team and engendered a bond of togetherness.
“From No. 1 to No. 88, they’re hunting for that shutout because they want those nachos on Sunday,” he said.
“From the opening kickoff, everyone’s excited. The starters go out and then we roll in the freshmen and the subs, and the varsity guys are cheering for them because they want that shutout.
“I don’t care if it’s for the nachos or for the next guy. I just know that everyone is cheering for each other and everyone is playing unselfish football. That’s a huge part of our success right now.”
Against Yale, the Dawgs scored early and often and earned their nachos by halftime under the 45-point mercy rule.
Yale tried an onside kick to start the game, but Davenport recovered it and took possession in Yale territory.
The first play was a sweep to Reece Murfin for a 36-yard touchdown. Davenport got the two-point conversion and then forced Yale to punt on its next possession.
On their first play after getting the ball, Brody Robinson caught a screen pass and took it 64 yards to the house. A two-point conversion late, Davenport was up 16-0, had 100 yards of offense and snapped the ball twice.
“I’m proud of them, from top to bottom,” Powell said. “Our starters get us ahead and then our subs come in and they’re doing a great job finishing the game and keeping the shutout.”
Quarterback Chase Mitchell completed seven of eight passes for 184 and four touchdowns and Jaxson Brinkley completed one pass attempt for nine yards.
Robinson carried the ball six times for 23 yards and had his touchdown catch for 64 yards.
Aydan Stancell carried four times for 23 yards and caught one ball for 14 yards.
Murfin had two catches for 49 yards and one score.
Carter Marshall caught one pass for 34 yardsand a touchdown.
Brody Phillips rushed twice for 14yards and caught one throw for an 18yard touchdown.
Devin Murfin rushed three times for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Seth Lippert had a catch for nine yards and Brennan Stokes caught one ball for five yards.
Davenport starts district play this week, hosting the Gans Grizzlies on Friday night.
The Grizzlies are 1-4 on the season having beaten Midway, 46-0, and being shut out in their other games against Olive, Magazine, Ark., Copan and Savanna.
“I’m trying to get the guys to under- stand that our season actually starts this week in district play,” Powell said. “We’ve talked about it since July and we’re hunting for that district championship.
“I think we have an opportunity to get another big victory Friday night.
“Gans will try to run the ball and keep the clock rolling, because we like to score fast.
“I’m telling our guys ‘just go out and play football. We don’t need to get in a hurry.
“Just play our game and everything will fall into how it should fall.’” Following the Gans game, Davenport gets a week off, then finishes the district schedule against Keota, Webbers Falls and Wetumka The Dawgs continue to be ranked No. 1 in Class B-II in the Maxpreps rankings and hold the No. 12 spot nationally