ROCKINGHAM — Drew Davis, a senior soccer player, has been named the Week 5 Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by Moss Brothers Tires and Service.
Each week, one male and one female student-athlete from Richmond Senior High School will be selected by his or her coach as ROSports’ Official Richmond County Athlete of the Week based on his or her performance in helping their respective team.
With the Raider soccer team’s much needed win over Seventy-First High School on Monday, Davis’ play over the past handful of games in two different positions has helped light an offensive spark. Richmond will look to keep the winning going, as Davis celebrates his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 17
Birthday: May 3, 2002
Year: Senior
Fall Sport: Soccer
Position: Center Back
Years on Varsity: 2 Years
Height & Weight: 6-2, 170 pounds
Experience: 12 Years
“FINDING TWINE” WITH DREW DAVIS
RSHS Academics: A rare two-sport fall athlete, Davis has the added pressure of trying to maintain a busy course load while playing soccer and serving as the football team’s punter. But he’s managing this semester so far, taking four classes at Richmond Community College and two more at the high school.
At RichmondCC, Davis is enrolled in English 112, Economics 251 and takes Political Science 112 and History 132 online. Other classes he takes at Richmond are Junior Leadership Senate with Ret. Lt. Col. Jon Ring and Marketing Honors with Mrs. Christy Moss.
“It’s a tie with Microeconomics with Mrs. (Kimberly) Parsons and senate with Col. Ring,” Davis shared of his favorite classes. “They are both great teachers and Mrs. Parsons is teaching us how opportunity cost impacts what you’re investing money in.
“Col. Ring is so awesome,” he added. “We are doing a lot of prepping for homecoming right now. He also incorporates a lot of his military experience with our class so that’s a new aspect for a lot of us.”
Davis is in the RichmondCC and Advanced Placement clusters, and is currently ranked 28th in the class of 2020 with a 4.43 GPA. He’s also the Beta Club president, a member of the National Honor Society and an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Rockingham.
Currently the rank of Life in Boy Scouts with Troop 64, Davis will begin his Eagle Scout project following football season. He will be renovating the children’s section of the Leath Memorial Library.
Future Plans: Davis comes from a long line of lawyers and he said it would “only be natural” if he attended law school. He said his dream school is the University of South Carolina, but is also considering the University of North Carolina, Wofford College and Florida State University.
“There are three generations of lawyers in my family, so that has a role in my decision,” Davis explained. “I want to major in political science or government and then go to officer candidate school after my undergraduate.
“From there I will enter law school as a 2nd Lieutenant and then graduate as a 1st Lieutenant,” he added. “I’d want to be a JAG officer (judge advocate general’s corps).”
Athlete of the Week Stats: Through the first nine games of the season, the Raider had only scored seven total goals. But Davis, who plays center back and holds down the defense, had two of those goals in two games last week.
Head coach Chris Larsen decided to shake up the lineup and move Davis up top and it paid off. Davis’ first tally of the season came in the 58th minute against Lumberton High School. He took a throw in down the left sideline from Hector Castro and maneuvered his way past the keeper for a wide open shot.
In Richmond’s next game, Davis scored the lone goal in a loss to non-conference Terry Sanford High School in the 72nd minute. On defense, Davis has served as a vocal leader and kept Richmond in several of its games.
Coach’s Corner: Second-year head coach Chris Larsen explained that Davis has been a crucial component in Richmond’s backfield all season, but has been impressed with his goal-scoring ability the past week.
“Drew has been a solid force on both ends of the field,” Larsen said. “He was able to put in some minutes up top and find the back of the net when it was hard for us to score. Sometimes understanding how the other end of the field works helps you know where to find spaces and let you be successful. Drew has shown that by scoring two goals last week in limited minutes.
“He’s worked hard the last few years to better understand his role at center back and has done a good job helping find consistency,” he added. “Drew has also helped with the many different guys who have filled in roles new to them and has been a vocal leader for us.
“After coaching him for four years, it’s nice to see how his understanding of the game has grown and translated onto the field,” Larsen closed. “He’s been critical in keeping us close in all of our matches — our defense has played well this year. I’ve put a lot on Drew to keep the guys organized and he’s done a great job.”
Raider Video Chats: Drew Davis, Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week
New this season is our “Raider Video Chats” segment that allows student-athletes to connect with fans and readers through video interviews. In his video, Davis talks about his goals, what the Raiders are doing to get better, as well as sharing some personal tidbits about his life in our “Rapid Raider Response” segment.
Click photo for video.
