Seated on the ground-Ed Lakey, Manager
The 1946 Boonville High School football team defeated Raeford High School 27-7 to become Yadkin County’s first football State Champions.
They would remain Yadkin’s only football state champions until 1998, when Starmount High School won the state championship.
Boonville was coached by Grover “Speedy” Brown.
Brown had been a star athlete at Boonville High School. He played football, basketball, and baseball at Appalachian State. Brown later coached winning teams at Courtney High School from 1951 to 1967 and at Forbush High School from 1967 to 1974.
Boonville started the season slowly, losing to Galax 13-7, defeating North Wilkesboro 20-7, losing to Landis 19-0 and tying Wilkesboro 7-7. They then swept the final games ending with a state championship victory over Raeford.
Boonville displayed a powerful offense and defense. They outscored their opponents for the season 209 to 66. Three teams were held scoreless and only three touchdowns were allowed by Boonville in their last five games.
Eight Boonville players scored touchdowns during the season. Bernard “Lefty” Pardue scored 7, Henry “Shorty” Brown-6,Tommy Johnson-4, Grady Lakey-4, Donald Casstevens-4, Tommy Pardue-2, John Shore-2, and Virgil Swain-1.
Three of Lefty Pardue’s touchdowns were on runs of more than 70 yards. Shorty Brown was described by a Winston-Salem reporter as being able to “run faster than a scared rabbit.”
Boonville played Elkin High School for the Western North Carolina Championship before advancing to the state finals. The game was played at Boonville. The stands were reported by the Winston-Salem Journal, “to be overflowing with over 1,000 rabid fans strung out along the sidelines loudly exhorting their team.”
Elkin was the favored team, but Boonville scored first in the second period, when, after Jack Gentry recovered an Elkin fumble, Tommy Johnson ran two yards for a touchdown.
A pass from Lefty Pardue to Tommy Pardue for the extra point made it 7-0. Grady Lakey ran 10 yards for a touchdown in the third period for Boonville. Tommy Pardue recovered a fumble in the end zone for the extra point to make it 14-0.
Elkin came back and scored two touchdowns early in the fourth period. They missed the extra point to leave the score Boonville 14- Elkin-13. Boonville settled the outcome with two quick touchdowns.
Shorty Brown ran 60 yards for one touchdown and Donald Casstevens, after a long drive ran two yards for the other.
Boonville had to travel to Raeford High School near Fayetteville to play in the state championship game.
Raeford scored in the second period and led at half-time 7-0.However in the 2nd half the Winston-Salem Journal reporter wrote, “that the Yadkin Boys came back and exploded for 4 touchdowns with such fury that the Raeford Boys hardly knew what hit them.”
Tommy Johnson, Grady Lakey, and Shorty Brown ran for touchdowns, and Tommy Pardue caught a 10 yard pass from Tommy Johnson for the fourth touchdown. The strong Boonville defense held Raeford scoreless in the second half, leaving the final score Boonville 27- Raeford-7.
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