Why Damarius Davis is upset about his own highlight reel catch

Original Post August 27, 2017

Timberland receiver Damarius Davis catches a deep ball with a single hand in the Wolves win Friday against Liberty. Photo Credit Craig Larsen.

The Wentzville Timberland Wolves notched the team’s first win of the season Friday with a 49-6 win over Wentzville Liberty, One of the best plays of the still young season was a one handed catch by Senior wideout Damarius Davis that has been the talk of social media and HUDL circles over the weekend. We asked Davis to diagnose the play, the moment, and as he explains, what upset him about it.

“It all started when we were in the huddle, and our quarterback Cole Martin called the play. As soon as we broke the huddle, I was already thinking touchdown. I started my route with a jog; when I broke toward the goal post, I was wide open. I looked into the sky and found the football. I adjusted my route to make the catch, but my left hand was too far away to catch it with both hands. Instincts kicked in and I stuck out my right hand and the ball fit perfectly in my glove. It all happened so fast, I didn’t even realize I had caught the ball; next thing I know the crowd goes wild. Now the race to the endzone starts, and I’m down the sideline in a heartbeat. The defender is right on my tail and won’t give up, so I throw a stiff arm in his face which slows him down for a second. I then realize that I’m only about 5 yards away from the goal line so I prepare to dive for the front pylon, but by then the defender caught up and tackles me at about the 3 yard line. I can remember having tons of turf pellets in my eye as I got up. I could see all my teammates coming toward me to celebrate, that’s when I realized that I had made a spectacular play. I could hear the crowd roaring and that’s when it the chant started: “Damarius Davis, Damarius Davis, Damarius Davis.” When I got back to the sideline after sophomore running back Jarrett Wilson scored, everyone was waiting to congratulate me. Coaches, teammates, team managers, the trainer, cheerleaders, it was everyone. I still hadn’t realized how nice of a catch it really was until I saw the pictures and watched the film.

I’ve watched the play on Hudl at least 300 times, it’s a moment I’ll never forget. I’d like to thank Coach Collins for believing in me and calling a play for me. Cole Martin for the sweet pass. The offensive line for the protection and time to get down the field. The play honestly upsets me, I don’t want it to overshadow what my teammates did. We did a lot of great things. Will Huelskamp scored a defensive touchdown. Brett Hiatt scored a touchdown, Jordan Peebles and Javon Hune both had interceptions. Jarrett Wilson had a good game. The offensive line played excellent all day. I don’t want the game to be remembered for what I did as an individual, but rather what Timberland accomplished as a group of young men playing for each other.