South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

committed before he left Knoxville. “I think I can contribute to the program very soon. Vanderbilt’s academics are as good as they get, and playing in the SEC will be awesome,” he says. After he made the decision, he felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders, and he knew he could relax and have fun during his senior season.

But relaxing and having fun doesn’t mean goofing off, and his stats show that he hasn’t been on cruise control. He and his teammates remain committed to their goals. They’ve already achieved their first goal, and that was to win the region. Now they’re in the playoffs, and they have pledged to take things one week at a time as they march toward what they hope will be a state championship.

In college, his father sees him as an inside receiver, the kind of player who excels at crossing routes, quick screens, speed sweeps and bubbles. Coach Pruitt thinks Trenton’s 4.5 speed might earn him a job returning punts. “He’ll do a good job for them. He has good hands and quickness. He understands defenses and knows how to run routes,” says Coach Pruitt.

Trenton plans to study human and organizational development at Vanderbilt. He would like to pursue a career in business, though he’s not opposed to following in his brother and father’s footsteps and entering the coaching field. “I’ve thought about it. If I do coach, I’d like to do so at the college level,” he says.

Trenton isn’t the only senior on the 2009 Fitzgerald squad who will be playing on Saturdays next fall. Tight end/linebacker R.J. Davis is also being recruited, though he hasn’t made a decision yet on where he will play. R.J., a 6’, 215-pound bruiser who possesses excellent speed and great hands, has been an incredible asset to the ‘Canes during his four-year career. He was slated to start on the varsity squad as a freshman, but a broken foot suffered early in the season at practice kept him off the field for the remainder of the year.

Coach Pruitt knew what kind of player R.J. was from the time he was in middle school. According to Pruitt, the tight end position is one of his staff’s hardest to fill. The Purple Hurricanes run a wing-T scheme, and it requires a tight end with exceptional blocking abilities. At the same time, when the offense does go to the air, the tight end is a favorite target, requiring those who fill the position to have good hands and route-running ability. R.J.’s abilities fit the job description perfectly. He has the speed necessary to stretch the field vertically. He can catch anything that comes his way and flattens opponents with brutal blocks whenever he can. “He can run, he can catch and he has great speed. He’s a very valuable player for us,” says Coach Pruitt.

Because of what he’s done on the field, several schools, including Georgia Southern, Florida State, Middle Tennessee State and Carson-Newman, would like to have R.J. on their rosters next season. Most are looking at him as a linebacker, which he says is his favorite position. “You just get to fly around and make plays,” he says. Georgia Southern and Carson-Newman want him at tight end.

Through nine regular-season games, R.J. had 11 receptions for 256 yards and four touchdowns, and more pancakes than you could count. “That’s my favorite part of the game, pancaking someone,” he laughs.

Despite his playmaking ability, R.J. is known for something else. On October 9, in a game against Berrien County, R.J. caught a touchdown pass and did something he has always done when he scores — he stood in the end zone and pointed to the sky for a few seconds before running off the field. He says he was honoring God with the gesture for allowing him to score a touchdown. “I point upwards every time I score. I used to get down on one knee, but I felt I might be down there too long. So I started pointing up,” he says.

That particular night, an official on the field didn’t particularly care for the post-touchdown gesture and threw a flag for excessive celebration. To R.J. and the rest of the team, it wasn’t a big deal. “I thought it was just another flag. They had been throwing flags all night. I had never been flagged for it before, but I really didn’t think much about it,” he recalls.

Coach Pruitt agrees. “He’s done that as long as he’s been playing. The flag resulted from an interpretation of one official. I didn’t get mad. We got flagged, we dealt with it and moved on,” he remembers. Little did anyone know what would happen as a result of the flag. News of R.J.’s gesture — and subsequent penalty —  spread across the country quickly. News stations and media outlets all over the nation picked up on the story. The following Monday, R.J. had a message on his Facebook page from Arkansas. He fielded media requests and became a bit of a public figure over the incident. T-shirts popped up. Message boards ignited. And most of the Purple Hurricanes were caught off guard at the firestorm that erupted. “When the flag was thrown, I didn’t think it had any religious significance. We had a big lead at the time, and I just figured the refs didn’t want any celebrating,” says R.J. According to Coach Pruitt, the incident wasn’t a big deal on the team. “We didn’t talk about it much. It got blown out of proportion, but R.J. handled it well,” he says.

If the penalty did anything, it provided R.J. with an opportunity to share his faith and let others know how important his relationship with God is. While many may question God’s involvement in sporting events at all levels of competition, R.J.’s gesture wasn’t about God taking sides in who wins or loses. It was simply his way of thanking his Savior for giving him the talent and ability to be on the field on Friday nights. “I always try to give God the honor when I’m on the field,” he says. The next week against Early County, R.J. scored once more. Again, he pointed to the sky. This time, no flags were thrown.

R.J. hasn’t decided upon a school, but he does know what career he would like to pursue. He wants to major in biology or pre-med and become a chiropractor. “That’s what I’ve always wanted to be,” he says.  But his immediate goal is the same as Trenton’s — take each game one at a time and be the last team standing at the end of the season. “We want to be the champions in the end,” he states.

He enjoys playing with Trenton, and loves clearing the way for his teammate. “When he’s on the field, you know it. He’s very athletic and very motivated. He changes the game when he’s on the field,” R.J. remarks.

Interestingly, Trenton says almost the same thing about R.J. “We’re really good friends. He’s been there the whole time with me. We get a spark when he’s on the field. R.J. is an awesome football player,” says the future Commodore.

“Both of these kids are excellent young men. We’ve expected our children to act right and do right. Anything else is unacceptable. R.J. comes from the same kind of family,” says Coach Pruitt. •