Clayton Davis has gone from productive receiver to unbeaten quarterback for Lincoln County
As a sophomore Clayton Davis had a season where he put up some impressive numbers for Lincoln County. He caught 48 passes for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. On defense, he had 66 tackles — fourth best on the team — along with two interceptions, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
However, Lincoln County went 3-8.
This season Davis has moved to quarterback and the Patriots are 3-0 for the first time since 1988 and averaging 51.3 points per game compared to the average of 33.3 in 1979, Lincoln’s previous best scoring start to a season after three games. Lincoln has opened the season with wins over North Laurel (50-26), South Laurel (50-36) and Anderson County (54-14) going into Friday’s game at Madison Central.
How good has the 5-10, 170-pound Davis been?
Davis is 7-for-9 passing for 151 yards and one score with no interceptions. He’s rushed 32 ties for 492 yards — an average of over 15 yards per run — and nine touchdowns. He’s even caught two passes for 88 yards. On defense, he’s recovered two fumbles and is second on the team with 13 tackles from his safety position.
Lincoln County coach Spencer Crutchfied says he’s not been surprised by what Davis has done after switching positions.
“I knew Clayton was a great athlete. Going from receiver to quarterback has surprised me a little as successful as he has been but I never questioned how athletic he was,” Crutchfield said.
He’s played football since third grade, one year after he started playing basketball. He also was a baseball and track standout in elementary and middle school before opting to give those sports up to concentrate on football in high school even though he does still play basketball for the Patriots.
Davis, who has a 3.7 grade-point average, started at quarterback on the junior varsity team as a freshman so Crutchfield knew a little about what to expect this season.
“He is a smart kid who picks up on things quickly. He has got a good football IQ,” Crutchfield said.
The coach has no regrets about using Davis at receiver last year when Nick Harris was the starting quarterback and threw for 1,444 yards and 14 scores.
“The kid (Harris) last year did a great job. It also gave Clayton another year to mature and not take a beating as a sophomore quarterback,” Crutchfield said. “He had a lot of success at receiver to give him even more confidence.”
Crutchfield thinks his junior standout has definite college potential. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds and has added both strength and weight since last season.
“He could play in the secondary or receiver in college,” Crutchfield said. “He would probably be a slot guy (receiver) because he’s not very tall but he’s shifty and could get mismatches on linebackers to make some big plays. He’s not got blazing speed but he’s really quick and changes directions really well.”
Crutchfield isn’t sure how Davis’ numbers will hold up as competition increases and Lincoln gets into district play. However, he’s not worried about pressure impacting his junior quarterback.
“I don’t think our start or his numbers put any more pressure on him,” the Lincoln coach said. “We are going to try and win every game and that’s what he wants. We just have to get better for district play. He’s a competitor. He won’t let our success bother him or let pressure bother him. He’s just going to play.”
