Centennial's Dewayne Davis emerges as star in debut track and field season
Dewayne Davis has accomplished his goal of challenging himself athletically during his sophomore year at Centennial, but he’s not done yet.
Upon the urging of the school's former football coach, Donte Goosby, Davis decided to join the boys track and field program. He’s been a quick study, becoming one of the team’s top athletes.
Davis qualified for the Division I regional by winning the discus (personal-best 146-9) in the district 2 meet Tuesday at Hilliard Darby. He will compete in the regional Wednesday at Pickerington North, with the top four finishers in each event advancing to state June 2 and 3 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.
Davis also finished 13th in the shot put (41-9 ¾) at district, which concluded Saturday.
“I was trying to do more sports,” Davis said. “My football coach recommended I do (track) and I tried it. I had a (personal record) in the discus (at district). That’s my first time throwing 146. I felt good. I had faith. The goal is to get to state. I have to keep practicing hard and become more consistent.”
Davis played basketball as a freshman, but left the program to join the wrestling team this past season. He also learned quickly in that sport, winning the City League championship at 190 pounds.
“I just wanted to try it out,” Davis said. “My football coach recommended I do that, too, so I did it. That was my first year wrestling.”
Davis plays tight end and defensive end in football. In track, he has been able to learn from second-year assistant coach Kelvin Gilliam, a 2020 Centennial graduate who competed in track, football and basketball for the Stars.
“I see a younger version of me in him,” Gilliam said. “He’s doing a little better than me when I was a sophomore in high school. Size-wise, we were about the same. They considered me an all-around athlete. He is also.”
Gilliam finished eighth in the discus (program-record 164-4) in the Division I state meet in 2019. His senior season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m really confident that (Davis is) going to go far,” Gilliam said. “He’s only a sophomore. I see him making big plans in the future with college. He listens to me great. He does home studies (on the discus and shot put). He looks at YouTube videos all week. I’m really happy for the kid.”
Davis accounted for the Stars’ 10 points at district, as they finished 14th behind champion North (94).
Goosby stepped down as football coach after last season and was succeeded by Brandon Fort.
Independence boys dethrone Eastmoor as City League champions
Independence entered the postseason with momentum, having won the City League meet held May 9 and 11 at Africentric. The 76ers scored 106 points and held off runner-up Eastmoor (99), which had captured 11 consecutive league titles.
“Eastmoor has had a stranglehold on that City championship for a long time,“ Independence coach Maurice Douglas said. “Our kids did a great job. We’re very proud of them. We weren’t surprised. We knew we had a pretty deep team and we knew we had to execute to get it done.”
The 76ers kicked off the postseason by finishing 10th (32) in the Division I, district 2 meet. A.J. Jordan won the 100 meters (10.63) and 200 (21.64) and also helped the 400 relay (fourth, 43.38) and 800 relay (fourth, 1:28.98) earn regional berths.
“This is my last year and it’s very special to me,” Jordan said. “Coach has meant a lot to me. He’s been another father figure to me.”
Beechcroft’s Douglas wins pair of district titles
Beechcroft senior Jayden Douglas enters the Division I regional meet seeking a return trip to state, where he won the 300 hurdles (36.72) and finished fifth in the 110 hurdles (14.22) a year ago.
In the district 2 meet, Douglas won the 110 hurdles (13.84) and 300 hurdles (37.02) and helped the 800 relay (1:28.21) and 1,600 relay (3:25.95) both finish second as the Cougars placed sixth (45).
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Centennial, Independence star in Columbus City League track
