Davis hopes for national title at Penn State

By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HOWLAND -- Tony Davis didn't win a state high school football championship. So he figures on making amends at the next level.
"Wherever they want to play me, I'll do the best I can so we can go to a national championship," said the Howland High senior on playing at Penn State next fall.
"That's what they want and that's what I want," he added. "To work together and get a national championship."
Complete prep career
A state championship trophy may be all that Davis, The Vindicator's football player of the year, is missing from his long list of accomplishments during a stellar career at Howland.
As a 6-foot, 1-inch, 175-pound running back and defensive back, Davis helped lead the Tigers to three straight playoff appearances, including their first one at home this past season, and their first Metro Athletic Conference championship.
"His greatest value to our program was his work ethic and his contribution as a leader," Howland coach Dick Angle said.
"He's a great example for our younger kids to follow, in that he was always the first one on the field and the last one off the field."
Davis rushed for 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns in the regular season as Howland won nine straight games to qualify for the playoffs.
"He's deceptively strong. He's a real hard worker in the weight room," Angle said of Davis' running style. "Besides making people miss because of his athleticism, he's strong enough to run people over, too."
Davis also continued to make an impact defensively. Over his career, he intercepted 14 passes from his cornerback position to draw attention from college scouts.
"He [Davis] reminds me a lot of Michael Echols," Angle said of the former Ursuline High and University of Wisconsin standout, now playing with the Tennessee Titans.
"When you assigned him to a player, he locked him down," Angle added of Davis. "He would go to a single-receiver side and we could count on that guy being shut down. Then we could load up on the other side."
College position
Defense is where Davis figures on playing, in addition to special teams, under coach Joe Paterno at Penn State.
"The coaching staff was great, and they made me feel right at home," Davis said of his experience in State College, Pa. "Even though I came from Ohio, they still showed me respect."
Penn State has fallen on hard times. The Nittany Lions went 3-9 this past season, leading to rumblings in the program about Paterno's lack of job security.
"I don't really worry about that," said Davis, who plans to pursue a business degree. "He basically told us that he'd be there for our class. If he does leave, it'll be a big loss. It probably won't be the same Penn State."
Davis won't officially sign with Penn State until February. In the meantime, there's plenty of work to do.
He wants to gain 10 pounds of muscle and improve his time of 4.42 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
"We try to have our kids take two to three weeks off" after the season, Angle said.
"It's pretty hard to keep him down. He's back at full go."
richesson@vindy.com