Josh Davis wants to be a veterinarian one day. And not just any type of veterinarian, he thinks big. He wants to work with large animals – horses, cows and livestock. But first, he has some big unfinished business at Brantley County High School.
“The coolest thing that I have ever done was to be on the second team in Brantley County history to make it to the playoffs for football,” said Davis. “It was special to all of us because it was what we had all worked so hard for and now if we keep working hard we have a chance to create a new tradition in Brantley County.”
A new tradition of winning seasons and playoff appearances.
Last season, Brantley County made the state playoffs for just the second time in school history. The first had occurred in 2006 under then-head coach Sean Pender in his pre-Pierce County and Brunswick days. The Herons claimed the number three seed from Region 2-AAA in 2016 and Davis was a big part of that success.
“When I get on the field, I am in a totally different frame of mind,” he said. “It is like everything else in the world is turned off and it is just me and my team against the enemy.”
Now in his junior year, Davis has improved his game by becoming a stronger, faster and smarter player. He has also worked on becoming a better leader on and off the field by setting a good example for his teammates.
“I have gotten better by coming to work every day with the mindset that no one is going to out work me and that I have to get so much better in order to get where I want to be,” he said.
And where he wants to be is back in the playoffs with his teammates.
Davis started playing football in fifth grade and then picked up basketball the following year. He has been playing both sports ever since. His first big play on the football field came at Brantley Middle School against Pierce County. An errant pass was about to hit the ground when Davis, playing outside linebacker, came up with a one-handed interception and returned it to the 10 yard line to setup a first and goal for the Herons.
He got his first varsity start as a freshman against Pierce County High, Brantley’s rival, in a game played at Heron Field. Anytime these two teams meet it becomes intense.
“The atmosphere was insane,” he said.
Davis is a total team player, even volunteering to practice with the offensive line during spring practice.
“He came to us with that because he knew that was an area of concern for us,” said Brantley County Coach Mark Walker. “Josh leads by example. He started as a freshman not just because he is athletic, but because he is mentally and physically tough.”
Davis has started to appreciate the trappings of high school football in Brantley County, especially on Friday nights at home in Caney Bay.
“I love running through the banner to the sounds of the entire county there supporting us,” Davia said.
The highpoint of last season for Davis came during the second half of the year when the Herons started playing games that counted toward the playoffs.
“When we began our region play and began to play our best football,” he said.
Brantley County won three of their last five games and one of the losses was by less than a touchdown and could have gone either way. The Herons finished the regular season 6-3 and playoff bound.
The son of Len and Raleeta Davis of Hoboken, Josh is attracting attention from colleges because of his work in the classroom. He carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average and takes advanced courses. He hopes to play football in college and then go on to work with animals. He has been raised around livestock and wants to make a career out of helping them. Davis has the grades and classes to make that happen.
“He couldn’t take weight training class during fall semester because his schedule would not allow it due to taking advanced academic classes including college classes,” Coach Walker said. “He still worked out every day after or before school and is the strongest kid on the team.”
Davis is the only player at Brantley this year to join the Heron’s thousand pound club.
Davis credits his mom for helping him by encouraging him to give his best all of the time regardless of the circumstances. His parents push him to give more than he thinks he can and set high expectations.
“My mom is the person who helped me develop the mentality that in order to get better I have to show up every day and push myself beyond what I think my limits are,” he said.
This season Davis will be playing on the line as well, so he is changing jersey numbers to 50. That was the number worn by his father when he played for the Herons in the 1980s. He has excelled on the football field due to his unbridled work ethic, but he has become an outstanding person because he chooses to be. Coach Walker encourages this in his student/athletes.
“We believe that it’s important to make good choices, and the point I’m trying to make is that Josh has chosen to be the best at whatever he does, football, student and as a person,” he said.
SE-MI-0817-Davis
MI – Josh Davis
Brantley County Football
By Rob Asbell
Photography by Jennifer Carter Johnson
Building a New Tradition
