FEATURE: Davis flashes speed, athleticism against Katy

HOUSTON – Standing outside the locker room inside NRG Stadium, North Shore quarterback Dematrius Davis with his red equipment bag hanging from a white string in his hand didn't know about the video-game-like numbers he had just posted.

The junior quarterback knew he had helped his team get past Katy for a second-straight year in an impressive 56-35 victory but past that didn't know about any of his individual accomplishments for the day.

"I have no idea," Davis said when asked if he knew how many yards he had.

The response back from reporters huddled around him with phones and video cameras pointed in his direction - 283 yards rushing with six total touchdowns.

"Dang," Davis said with a smile. "I don't even think about it. I just play."

When talking about Davis this season, his ability to run is brought up, because he can take off with it at times, but it wasn't the main concern when it comes to how he can hurt you.

Heading into Friday's meeting with Katy, the junior had rushed 77 times for 665 times and 16 touchdowns. But it was his arm – passing for 2,043 yards and 22 scores – that Katy was more worried about, especially, after backfield mate Zach Evans went wild a week prior against Pearland Dawson rushing 20 times for 354 yards and a pair of scores.

The Tigers' mission on defense was to slow down Evans in the running game.

Against everything on paper, it was Davis' running ability – rushing for a season-high 283 yards and three scores – that ultimately doomed the Tigers in the end in a 56-35 loss.

"The plays he hurt us on weren't all designed runs," Katy coach Gary Joseph said. "They were plays where he extended plays and we just didn't do a good enough job of keeping him in the pocket. We were there, we hit him, we just didn't get him on the ground. That's a credit to them."

From the start, Davis showed he was going to be a handful with his arm and his legs against Katy's stout defense, which was coming off a four-turnover performance against previously undefeated Cy-Fair.

The Tigers' wouldn't get one turnover out of Davis this time around, unlike in their season opener when they got one interception in a 24-21 victory on August 29.

The 6-foot, 195-pound junior quarterback looked elusive, quick-footed, dynamic in each run. Then he showed the speed off in 40-yard and 30-yard touchdown runs.

"He's unbelievable," North Shore coach Jon Kay said. "I mean he takes what the defense gives him. He understands coverage, they get man coverage they run him off. We've been there defensively. It's extremely frustrating but they have a guy for him and he makes a guy miss. Just a great example of what he can do."

Davis did it all for the Mustangs behind their monstrous offensive line – led by the likes of 6-foot-7, 345-pound Alabama-commit Damieon George – which Joseph last year compared to the likes of "playing the Green Bay Packers" a year ago.

"We had a guy there for him on every play," Joseph said. "It wasn't just him. We have other guys who are responsible for doing things. Their size caught up with us a little bit. They were throwing us around. We were just about a step off on everything we did."

When it was all said and done Davis had ran 20 times for 284 yards (average of 14.2 yards per carry – his long being a 62-yarder) and three touchdowns.

"The offensive line they opened holes for me," Davis said. "I just took them. The outcome was great."

But like the scouting report said, teams can't forget about his passing ability either.

To go with his rushing outbreak, Davis through the air, added 134 yards on 8 of 12 passing with three more scores to give him a total of six touchdowns and 417 total yards of offense on the day.

"He's a quarterback," Kay said. "I think a lot of times people misconstrued that he's an athlete back there playing quarterback. The kids a QB. He wants to sit in the pocket and throw the ball but obviously he can make sure he hurts you."