Skip to content
  • St. Margaret's Josh Davis is the Register's Small Schools Boys...

    St. Margaret's Josh Davis is the Register's Small Schools Boys Athlete of the Year. Davis, a senior, starred in football and lacrosse.

  • St. Margaret's Josh Davis accounted for nearly 7,000 total yards...

    St. Margaret's Josh Davis accounted for nearly 7,000 total yards and more than 100 touchdowns as a quarterback and helped the Tartans win a Southern Section championship in lacrosse as a junior.

of

Expand
Damian Calhoun. Sports Newsroom Assistant.

// MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

The St. Margaret’s football team entered the season with a playoff streak it wanted to forget.

The Tartans had suffered back-to-back postseason losses to Rim of the World of Lake Arrowhead in 2011 and 2012.

So when the playoffs rolled around last fall and the teams were set to meet for a third consecutive year, St. Margaret’s quarterback Josh Davis made it clear that he wanted to end the streak.

“He made a comment,” St. Margaret’s coach Rod Baltau said “… he was like, ‘we want Rim (of the World).’ You never want to give anybody bulletin board material, but at the same time you love that confidence and that just comes from his experience and becoming a leader for us.”

Davis and the Tartans got past their stumbling block, beating Rim of the World, to advance to the CIF-SS East Valley Division final.

“That’s probably my greatest memory,” Davis said of the 27-26 victory over the Fighting Scots.

Davis, a senior, will leave St. Margaret’s with several lasting memories from his years on the football and lacrosse field.

For all of his accomplishments on the field, Davis has been selected as the Register’s Small Schools Boys Athlete of the Year.

——————————

RELATED:

Hot Shots: Athletes of the Year banquet (6-10-14)

2013-14 AOYs: McLaughlin was the real deal

2013-14 AOYs: The do-it-all star also won it all

2013-14 AOYs: Engel got the party started

2013-14 champions: Fall sports

2013-14 champions: Winter sports

2013-14 champions: Spring sports

2013-14: All of the OCVarsity award winners

——————————

“It is cool to leave a little legacy behind,” Davis said. “There have been a lot of good athletes who have come to our school, so just to be part of that legacy of the past great athletes is cool.”

Davis set himself apart in many ways.

“I was recruited in two sports (football and lacrosse), and I would like to think I stood out in both sports,” he said. “Standing out for four straight years, being consistent … I think those are the little factors that helped me separate myself a little from the norm.”

Davis will continue his athletic career at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. He will play quarterback at the Patriot League school.

He also had scholarship offers for lacrosse after helping the Tartans win Southern Division and Southern Section championships as a junior. He was a four-year varsity letterman in lacrosse.

As the starting quarterback, Davis led the Tartans to a 31-7 record. He finished his high school career with 5,182 passing yards, 60 passing touchdowns, 1,780 rushing yards and 45 rushing touchdowns.

“I felt like there was a lot of pressure,” Davis said. “I’ve gone here forever, since kindergarten, and I’ve kind of watched the high school program be so successful. There was a lot of pressure to succeed, but also, I had a lot of support from everyone.”

Davis said it took him a while to become comfortable in a leadership role for both teams.

“Since my sophomore year, it has been a learning process,” he said. “I would say that I haven’t really mastered it (being a leader) yet. My senior year was still full of learning situations.

“This place has really helped me grow up.

Davis plans to major in economics at Lafayette, and he is looking forward to his new challenges. He is supposed to report for early workouts on July 5.

“It is going to be fun,” he said.

Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com