Bradenton, October 24, 2018– Class of 2019, lock-down cornerback Mark Davis is turning some important heads in his second and final year down in Braden River. Racking up major recruitment and respect in his 7A powerhouse district. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ down south and take some time to appreciate this elite, Pirate-bred defensive talent.
“I’m looking to make my team better on the offensive side of the ball and make it to the state championship; also looking forward to a couple Power 5 schools to offer me. Haven’t made a decision yet on my recruitment, but soon.” states Mark Davis simply.
Davis is a true ball hawk on the gridiron, scanning reads with top-tier awareness and great length with a 6’2” 175-pound frame. He’s got some thump behind his tackling skills and did I mention his set of absolute WHEELS, running a 4.42 40-yard dash- need I say more?
“My best attributes would be my speed and vertical, I try to base my game and play like [NFL DB’s] Dominique Rogers Cromartie and Denzel Ward,” exclaims Davis.
Mark can turn on the burners at a given moment, courtesy of his reactive hips and acceleration in his tunnel vision pursuit of the ball carrier. His ability to consistently keep his opponent in front of him and go stride for stride, especially in press coverage, aides him big-time in his secondary threat efforts. Capable of adjusting to a multitude of coverages is one of the many reasons Davis is such a highly sought after prospect- the 3-star senior defensive back has just received his 10th D1 offer and counting!
“Ritual and mindset wise, I just pray and listen to music before each game; not much else. The plan outside of football is to probably major in sports medicine after committing.”
Through 8 games this 2018 season, Braden River is currently 6-2 and 3-1 in their district. Transferring from the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs his sophomore year, Davis has figured a pretty track record and booming progression. The secondary isn’t the only place he resides on field for Braden, as he is also listed as an ATHLETE on their roster, not exclusive to the DB position.
This senior showcase, Mark has put up 8 solo and 13 total tackles, defended 6 passes and has collected 2 interceptions with 85 return yards- one of them a 55-yard pick-six against Booker in a 38-20 victory. On track to double his overall junior totals and earns the 40th ranked corner spot in the sunshine state of Florida!
Mark and the Pirates’ annihilated his old team and rival division foe, Lakewood Ranch, with a pummeling score of 56-0. This Friday night, the team will travel down to North Port in an away conference game; kickoff at 7:00p.
Vaughan Sixbury, BCP Contributor