Davidson re-writing Columbiana’s record book

— HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL —

By Steve Ruman

sports@vindy.com

COLUMBIANA

Columbiana football coach Bob Spaite knew right away that he had a special player in Mitch Davidson.

In fact, Davidson was just a 14-year-old freshman playing in his first-ever varsity game when Spaite spotted what the rest of the Inter-Tri County League is now experiencing first-hand.

“Even when he was in eighth grade, we knew that Mitch was a talent,” Spaite said. “It was obvious he could throw the ball. It was clear that he had the mechanics and the smarts to play the position.

“But until a player is actually thrown into the fire, you never really know how he will handle himself. You just can’t teach game experience, so there is always a question mark.”

However, any questions surrounding Davidson’s abilities were quickly answered.

Against Bridgeport in the opening game of the 2013 season, Davidson handled himself like a veteran. He led the Clippers down the field with both his arm and his legs. He threw for a 38-yard touchdown pass early in the game. Six plays into the fourth quarter, Davidson, in the shotgun, picked up a bad snap and powered his way into the end zone from 6 yards out.

Then there was Davidson, facing a third-and-25 from his own 35, taking a direct snap and racing 65 yards to paydirt,

“That very first game, and that play in particular, he showed that he had the physical and mental toughness, and I knew he’d be OK,” Spaite said. “Here was a freshman playing against the big boys. Not only did he display the skills, he showed a coolness and a maturity that you don’t expect from such a young kid playing the quarterback position.”

Davidson was more than just OK. As a freshman, he compiled 1,182 passing yards while rushing for 715 yards.

By the end of his sophomore season, Davidson had already become the Clippers’ all-time leading passer (single season: 2,180; all-time: 3,362).

Now a junior, Davidson shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he is not only on pace to set yet another single-season school passing record, but this year he has completed 70 percent of his passes.

Through seven games, Davidson has completed 106 of 152 passes (18 for touchdowns) for 1,774 yards. He has rushed for 755 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. He hasn’t thrown an interception.

Thanks in large part to Davidson’s play, Columbiana is 6-1 and ranked sixth in the Division VI, region 19 computer rankings. The Clippers have already surpassed last year’s win total of four games. Their offense is averaging 42.2 points per game.

“The thing with Mitch, he always keeps his composure and he is always aware of the situation around him,” Spaite said. “And, he seems to play at his best in big games. If we get into a shootout, Mitch always seems to find a way to make one big play after another.”

In Columbiana’s season-opener, Davidson threw five touchdown passes. His final pass of the night was a 25-yard TD reception to Tanner Smith that came with just 22 ticks left on the clock, giving the Clippers a 44-37 victory over Western Reserve.

“That was a huge moment, even though it was the first game of the season it felt like that night we turned the corner,” Davidson said.

“That was a total team effort. On offense, it really takes eleven guys on the field to score that many points.”

Three weeks ago against Mineral Ridge, Davidson threw for 314 yards, ran for 164 and totaled five touchdowns in his team’s 42-7 win. Last Friday in a 49-24 win over Springfield, Davidson completed 21 of 25 passes (two touchdowns) for 298 yards. He added 109 rushing rushing yards with another pair of TDs.

However, Davidson is quick to point back to week 6 when Columbiana rolled to a 55-18 win over Southern. In that game he threw just nine times (completing six) and carried the ball just three times for 23 yards.

“I am surrounded by great players, and that’s why I get the numbers I do,” Davidson said. “They put pressure on the defense and that puts less pressure on me. Without those guys, I wouldn’t be able to do a thing.”

Spaite noted that in recent years Columbiana has produced a string of quarterbacks who have rushed and thrown for 1,000 yards in a single season.

What Spaite referred to as “a perfect storm” now has Davidson and the Clippers breaking school passing records with each passing game.

“We’ve always had a big line and the type of quarterback who could run and pass,” Spaite said.

“Well, along comes Mitch. Our offensive line isn’t as big as it used to be, and we didn’t have that hammer at the fullback position that opened up the running game. So we’re spreading things out more, asking more from Mitch, and he sure is delivering.”

On Friday, Columbiana hosts Lisbon (7-0). The game will go a long way in determining the Clippers’ playoff fate. They close the season with games against Wellsville (3-4) and Leetonia (1-6).

The Clippers made the playoffs seven times between 2003 and 2011. However, they are currently in the midst of a post-season drought which began when Davidson was in the seventh grade.

He insists he would trade in all of his record-setting numbers for the opportunity to play into November.

“There are times when I’ve put up big numbers in a loss, and those numbers don’t mean anything to me,” Davidson said.

“My only goal is to help get Columbiana back on the radar and the only way to make that happen is to play past Week 10.”