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Former Hun Star Davis Primed to Excel At Sunshine Football Classic and Beyond
By Bill Alden
Former Hun School football star Emir Davis is planning to pursue a career in medicine, motivated by a long-held desire to help other people.
This Thursday, the Georgetown University-bound Davis will be putting his football skills on display to aid others as he plays in the Sunshine Football Classic, which raises money for the Sunshine Foundation, a charity dedicated to granting the wishes of seriously ill, physically challenged, and abused children.
Davis is primed to show that he belongs with the elite as he looks to help an all-star team from Mercer County top a squad featuring Skyland Conference standouts in the game which is played at The College of New Jersey.
"I'm really excited about playing in this game," said Davis, between practices from the Mercer team's two-a-day sessions at Hightstown High. "I'm getting to refine my skills. I feel like I can definitely compete with these guys. I know that the competition level is going to be higher than I've seen but based on practice, I feel I'll be a star among stars."
Davis emerged as a star after transferring to Hun from Lawrence High before his junior year. The fleet Davis used his speed to star as a productive running back, gaining 736 yards on 97 carries in his senior season, and as a shut-down cornerback known for blanketing opposing receivers.
As he reflected on making the move to Hun, Davis maintains that the transfer worked out well on several levels."It was hard leaving my friends but the upside was the academics," said the earnest Davis, who will be playing defensive back in the Sunshine Classic. "The experience was great, the academics and the networking. I also really enjoyed playing football there. The coaching was great."
With Davis as a spark on both sides of the ball, the Raiders put together two of their better seasons in recent years as they went 6-3 in 2002 and 7-2 last fall. Although the Raiders fell just short of winning the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) title during Davis' time, he enjoyed seeing the fruits of the team's hard work.
"I think people really got into the weight room, they worked hard in the off-season," said Davis. "We had a solid season my junior year and as a senior we really wanted to win the MAPL. Even though we didn't, I'm proud of winning seven games."
Davis is proud of the strides he made at Hun as a person and as a player. "I think I bring leadership, on and off the field," asserted Davis, who was active in student government at Hun and was a star sprinter on the school's track team.
"Football-wise, I'm physical. I'm not a big talker, I let my playing do my talking for me. Speed is my biggest asset. I work hard to get better every day."
Davis is relishing the challenges he will face at Georgetown as he works hard to juggle football with his pre-med studies. "Georgetown is a great fit for me as far as the city and the academics," said Davis, who expects to play running back for the Hoyas.
"It's an up-and-coming football program. The first year is going to be a challenge. I'm going to have to be bigger and faster. The Patriot League is getting more competitive as we speak."
In preparing for the rigors of college ball, Davis has been training with former Penn star running back Terence Stokes. "I'm working with my friend Terence Stokes," explained Davis. "He lives in Ewing and works with kids in Trenton. He's a real inspiration."
Davis was certainly an inspiring figure
during his time on the Hun campus.
