Malik Davis could probably be the BHSN Athlete of the Week every week.
He is that good.
However, this past Friday not only gave Davis the weekly honor, but also a lifetime of recognition after he broke the Hillsborough county career rushing record.
The previous record holder was Ray Ray McCloud, who was a stud running back at Sickles and is currently a sophomore at Clemson.
On Friday night against Robinson (a 56-3 win for Jesuit) Davis rushed for 214 yards and scored five touchdowns. It was a 30-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that put Davis into the history books.
And for a usually stoic Davis, the moment when his team stopped the game to recognize him brought out an emotional side of the Tiger running back.
"My mom is a pretty emotional person," said Davis. "She was crying and she nearly had me crying. It is a moment that I will never forget."
"(Malik) was a freshman when I was in my first year (as head coach)," said Matt Thompson, who is now in his fourth year at Jesuit. "He is a great runner, but for me it is the growrth of him as a great young man. He is just an amazing person. I am so proud and I am so happy for him."
Davis not only captured the county rushing record (currently at 5,787 ruhing yards) but also took over as the all-time touchdown leader as well. Davis passed former Amwood standout Kalvin Bailey for this particular honor. The previous record was 68 touchdowns. Davis used five on Friday to up his total to 71.
"I knew that I was closing in on both records," Davis told BHSN after the game. "I knew if I just stayed focused on my task and helped my team, everything would take care of itself."
It certainly did.
Davis and the Tigers are 7-0. And they hope to finish off this season in Orlando with a state title in hand. For the senior running back it has, and will always, be a team first mentality.
"I have created such a great bond with my teammates," said Davis with a smile. "We have something that any team would want to have with each other. It will last a lifetime."
So will the name: Malik Davis.