By Holly D’Addio, Source Sports Writer:
Being a sports star
is something that runs in the family for Mike Davis. Following in the footsteps
of older brothers Andrew and Tom—Andrew plays football in college and Tom is in
the minor league system for the San Diego Padres—Mike has already made a name
for himself at Daniel
Hand High
School and will undoubtedly finish his senior
year with a bang.
“Both my brothers
are inspirations to me in sports,” says Mike. “I really look up to them and
hope to continue to play after high school like they are.”
Mike has been
playing football since he was a youngster with Madison Youth Football. He made
varsity at Hand his sophomore year as a running back and receiver and is now a
captain this season for the Tigers, who currently hold a 6-4 record.
“All but one year
we’ve been a good team,” says Mike. “We have a really great group of kids and
it’s so easy to be a captain to them. There’s been a lot of hard work in the
off-season to ensure we continue to do well and I’m really proud of our season
so far.”
Off-season training
for the team includes lifting, a passing league, and Yale Football Camp as a
team. That hard work and dedication has led Mike to be named Player of the Week
on three occasions by MSG, MyChannel9, and WABZ and the admiration of his
coaches.
“Mike leads by
example and is a very physically tough kid who plays with injuries—he never
misses practice and never complains,” said Coach Steve Filippone. “He sets a
good example on and off the field and on top of that, he’s a very gifted
player.”
Besides football,
Mike focuses his time on baseball, a sport he’s played since he was very young.
He’s been a player with Madison Little League and Madison Legion, which he
played with for three years. He made varsity at Hand his freshman year as an
outfielder and will be a captain this upcoming spring, when the team will
return to try to best last season when they lost in the state semifinals.
“We should be a
pretty good team,” says Mike. “Everyone’s excited after how well we played last
year.”
At Daniel Hand, Mike
is a member of the Athletic Advisory Council and volunteers his time often with
the football team helping with canned food drives, participating in the Cove
Walk, and with the Reading
for Character Program at the local elementary schools.
Mike’s major goal
after high school is to continue playing football while getting an education
degree. He has had coaches from Stony Brook College,
University of New
Haven, and Curry
College who are
interested in having him on their teams and seen him play. His number one
choice stands with Salve
Regina University,
a school he is still waiting to hear back from.
“After all of this
time playing football, I’d have a hard time giving it up after this year,” says
Mike. “I really want to continue to play in college and then after college, I
would like to coach.”
Sidelines with Mike
Davis
What is your most
memorable sports moment?
During baseball
season last spring we were playing in the state tournament and it was
bases-loaded with one out for the other team. They got a base hit to the
outfield where I was and if they scored, they were going to win the game, but I
threw the runner out at home to save the season and we ended up winning the
game.
Who would you like
to thank?
My parents for
sticking with me and my older brothers, Andrew and Tom—I’ve always looked up to
both of them in sports. I also want to thank my coaches, especially Coach
Filippone—he’s been such a great coach for the past three years and he’s taught
me a lot more than football on and off the field.
Pictured: Mike Davis is a senior captain of the Daniel Hand football team this
season and is currently playing in his third varsity season.
Photo by John
Vanacore