FB: Davis, Cleaver named title game MVPs
defensive lineman to avoid a sack during Thursday's Class 1A D-II state
championship game at Cowboys Stadium. Davis received the Offensive
MVP Award after rushing for 226 yards, passing for 242 and running back
a punt return for a TD. (Photo by John Krueger)
ARLINGTON, Tx -- It was almost a tragedy that there could only be one offensive and one defensive MVP award presented after Thursday night's Class 1A D-II state championship game. Tenaha's entire team was so dominating, not only in their 52-28 whipping of Munday in the title game, but throughout the year as it finished with an unblemished record of 14-0.
But cream does come to the top and two Tigers stood slightly above the long list of support players in helping the school to its second state football championship and first since 1998.
Tiger senior quarterback Reginald Davis and junior defensive back Assuntay Cleaver were almost unanimous choices for the Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP honors, respectively.
For Davis, the past calendar year has been one most athletes would give anything to experience, with trips to the state finals in basketball, track and football. But when the title was on the line there was no second-place finish this time around, not like the runner-up trophy his team had to settle for in March at the state basketball tournament.
No, Davis saved his best high school football game for last, accounting for 556 yards of the Tigers' 650 yards of offense and return yards.
"The key today was to do whatever it takes to put points on the board," Davis said in the postgame press conference. "If it took throwing the ball 20 times, I was going to do it. If it took running it 20 times, that's what I was going to do.
"It feels so much better this time around (compared to the finals in basketball in the spring). We got the gold this time; last time we took the silver. I decided after finishing second in basketball that I never wanted to be second anymore."
And he's just that, finishing first in the 100-meter dash in June in Austin and then leading his team to the state title in football on Thursday.
Davis took control from the outset as he and his teammates never let the game get out of hand. Tenaha didn't turn the ball over all day long, while being called for only five penalties for 25 yards.
"Reginald gets most of the attention in the press, but this whole team is so strong and deserves just as much credit," said Tenaha coach Terry Ward, who captured his first state football championship in only his third year as a head coach. "Reginald has a lot of stats, but he wouldn't have what he has without the other players on this team, and they all know it and they all play their roles so well."
Davis, who came into the game with 1,689 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground, while completing 61.5% (91-of-148) of his passes for 1,773 more yards and 22 scores, continued the precedence that he set all year long. In the Thursday's title game he completed 10-of-21 passes for 242 yards and a pair of scores, while finishing the game as the leading rusher with 226 yards and three more touchdowns.
If that wasn't impressive enough, Davis added 88 yards on two returns, running back one punt return in the second half 80 yards for a score. What was special about that was the fact that Munday has run back 16 kicks for scores this season.
Davis' return for the score put the final nail in the Munday coffin, creating a 38-13 THS lead with 7:53 left in the third quarter, but without a doubt took the battle out of the Moguls for the rest of the night.
On the defensive side of the ball, Tenaha was equally impressive as their offensive counterparts that rolled up 551 total yards. The Tiger defense surrendered 380 yards, but only 28 points to a team that came into the game averaging more than 51 per contest.
"We talked about the defense all week," Ward said after running his coaching record to 33-5 (.868). "Our defense has been doing a fantastic job all year long. We've only given up 11 points per game. Now we've scored some points - we love to score points - but when you look at the other team and they're way below their (scoring) average, that makes it fun."
Cleaver was one of the main cogs in the defense, finishing fourth in tackles with seven, including five solo stops. But the junior picked up two interceptions and both were huge. One was in the endzone and the other was on Tenaha's one-yard line as both thwarted scoring threats.
"The defensive line helped our play in the secondary today," Cleaver said after the game. "They put a lot of pressure on their quarterback and that gave me the opportunity to make the picks."
Freshman Cobe Caraway also had an outstanding defensive game, leading both teams with 13 stops, including seven solo tackles. DeAaron Roland was second on the team with 11 tackles, with eight of those being of the solo variety. Octavius Griffith was third with eight tackles, with a sack, two forced fumbles and two tackles for losses.
It was a dominating final performance for a team which had an impressive run from wire to wire.