Levi Davis runs a keeper and gets just enough for a score during the first half of a dominating 42-14 win over rival Olentangy. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless)
After helping Orange’s basketball team capture its first state championship last March, Levi Davis has moved his wizardry to the gridiron, where he powered the Pioneers to a statement win over rival Olentangy.
Lewis Center, OH – Levi Davis has been dazzling audiences with spectacular feats of athleticism in multiple sports throughout most of his life.
But as a senior at Olentangy Orange, Davis said his primary focus is to play quarterback at an elite level to help his team win as many games as possible.
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The 6-foot, 185-pound Ohio University recruit continued his quest for greatness Friday by dismantling Olentangy’s star-studded defense with both his arm and his legs in front of near-capacity home crowd, leading the Pioneers to a 42-14 victory.
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Davis not only completed 15 of 22 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, he also ran for 92 yards and three more scores on just 13 carries to help Orange improve to 3-0 overall.
“A lot of people try to paint me as an athlete, but I’m a quarterback first and foremost, and my job is to lead our team to wins, whether I’m throwing, running or handing off to someone else,” said Davis, who also started at point guard while helping lead Orange’s boys basketball team to its first Division I state championship as a junior. “I just work hard to be ready to do whatever my team needs from me in any situation.”
Davis showed off many facets of his diverse skillset, while guiding the Pioneers to three consecutive touchdown drives and a 22-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Lucas Fickel was a menace on the ground, bullying his way through a stout, Olentangy defense.
After zipping the ball into the arms of five different receivers for a total of five completions for 73 yards, Davis capped Orange’s second possession of the game by bowling over a defender at the goal line for a 2-yard touchdown run.
On the Pioneers’ following possession, Davis lofted a 6-yard touchdown pass just inches over the overstretched fingertips of a defender, with the ball dropping gently into the hands of tight end Mason Poulter in the back of the end zone.
And Davis then utilized his blazing speed to outsprint Olentangy’s perimeter defenders for a six-yard touchdown run.
Two extra-point kicks by Tyler Gibson, sandwiched around a two-point conversion run by senior running back Lucas Fickel, also helped the Pioneers march to a 22-point lead with just 4 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
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“Levi is not just a special athlete, who can do it all of the field, he’s also a special human being,” said Orange coach Wes Schroeder, whose squad is 7-10 in the all-time series against Olentangy, despite having won six of the last 10 meetings, including a 21-17 playoff victory last fall. “You see him out here making these amazing throws and running all over the place making defenders miss, but what you don’t see is all of the hard work he puts in year-round and what a great leader he is in practice as well.
There were a few bright moments in the Olentangy offense such as this 37-yard TD strike from Luke Chilicki to Mike Alexander late in the second half.
“Levi’s worked incredibly hard to learn the style of spread offense my staff runs, when we got here last year, and now he’s running it with incredible poise and confidence.”
Davis scored his fourth touchdown on an 8-yard run midway through the third quarter, after mesmerizing Olentangy’s defense with a convincing fake handoff to Fickel and then racing to the goal line untouched.
But Davis’ most spectacular play of the game happened on a third-and-six play, when the quarterback used multiple spin moves to break free from three potential sack attempts, before scrambling deep into his own backfield and then juking past two more defenders on the way to an electrifying 25-yard run for a first down at Olentangy’s 20-yard line.
“That was one of those prototypical Levi plays, where I’m on the sideline yelling ‘no, no, no’ and then he makes a special play, and I’m yelling ‘yes,’” Schroeder said while shaking his head and chuckling.
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Three plays later, Fickel scored on a 1-yard run up the middle to make 35-14 with just 6:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Zane Konczak completes the second part of a spectacular defensive play by first deflecting the pass intended for Olentangy’s Trace Newsome, then diving under the ball before contact with the ground.
“It’s so hard to defend a kid like Levi who can run the football as well as he does, but also can stand back there and make all of the throws all over the field, too,” said Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew, whose squad dropped to 2-1 overall. “He had some highlight runs tonight, especially the long one to convert the third down for them and set up their touchdown.
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“But that’s not what killed us. All of those little plays that he makes with his arm and his legs for an extra five yards here and there is what hurt us the most.”
Running behind a powerful offensive line of seniors Anthony Barbarula, Remley Bowen, Reece Richardson and Cameron Samu, and sophomore Jake Hendon, Fickel finished with 127 yards and two touchdowns on 24 attempts, including a 2-yard scoring run with 1:24 left.
Mike Alexander gets stripped of the ball by a tenacious Orange defense during a critical Olentangy drive.
Schroeder said his linemen more than held their own while going up against a defense that featured three Division I college recruits in linebacker CJ Sanna (Ohio State), lineman Daniel Stephens (Navy) and safety Kaden Gebhardt (Clemson).
“Our offensive line coaches, Ed Miley and Nic Melsop, did a great job with their blocking schemes and also getting a great effort out of our kids,” Schroeder said. “Our linemen are the glue of our team, and they played mean and nasty football.
“Lucas is a physical running back, who has become our dude, and he’s not even a finished product yet.”
Quarterback Luke Chilicki led the Braves offense, by completing 13 of 17 passes for 165 yard and two touchdowns.
If he doesn’t beat you through the air, Levi Davis will beat you on the ground as in this scamper for a score to increase the Pioneers’ margin in the second half.
The senior connected with wide receiver Jackson Mangham for a 39-yard scoring strike to pull the Braves within 22-7 with 2:47 left in the second quarter, and Chilicki tossed a 37-yard touchdown pass to slot receiver Mike Alexander to make it 29-14 with 3:11 remaining in the third quarter.
“That’s a good defense and football team, and honestly, they kicked our asses,” Bartholomew said. “We did too much as a staff and had the kids overthinking on the field, so that’s on us.
“But I’m really proud of our offense because we had some bright moments. This wasn’t our night, but our culture is continuous growth and we will learn from this and get better.”
Led by middle linebacker Brennan Kesler (forced fumble), outside linebackers Aden Scott and Kingston Johnson (two sacks, fumble recovery, six tackles) and defensive back Zane Konczak (interception), Orange’s defense forced two turnovers and limited the Braves to just 72 rushing yards on 25 attempts.
“Our goal was to stop their (run-pass option) and put a lot of pressure on their quarterback, and we got (four) sacks,” Johnson said. “This was a big rivalry game and our hardest one yet, but we came out and punched them in the mouth early, and finished it.”
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