Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Davenport proves patience pays off
FORT SMITH —Fort Smith Southside linebacker Darin Davenport completed his goal of playing at the next level Wednesday, signing to play at the University of Central Arkansas, but it wasn’t an easy journey.
Davenport, who earned all-state honors this season, overcame two ACL injuries that cut playing time in both his sophomore and junior years. But Davenport said he knew there was no doubt he would bounce back from the injuries.
“Coming off these two injuries, you have to be dedicated to go play at the next level, which was my childhood dream,” Davenport said. “I didn’t want to let it be taken out of my hands. I set my mind to it to fulfill this dream.”
Davenport capped a strong senior season with 125 tackles, two interception and two forced fumbles. That caught the interest of UCA, which Davenport said was a perfect fit.
“UCA was the place for me,” Davenport said. “The place is so nice. They will go play big Division I schools like Ole Miss and Missouri. That’s a big draw because I want to see how good I really am. You always want to test yourself.”
Southside had six other football players sign national letters of intent at Southside Gym, which capped a second-round appearance in the Class 7A state tournament in their final season.
“This is one of the hardest working senior classes we’ve ever had,” Southside football coach Jeff Williams said. “Everybody sees it on Friday night, but they don’t behind the scenes. This group had to overcome some things including injury to have a shot to play at the next level.” Quarterback Taye Gatewood, who earned allstate honors, will continue his playing days at East Central (Okla.) University. Gatewood finished his career as a Maverick with 55 touchdown passes and threw for 5,275 yards. He also ran for 1,395 yards with 28 additional touchdowns on the ground.
“I’m very excited, and I’m just blessed to have this moment,” Gatewood said. “I’m very happy to have everybody supporting me and ready for the next chapter in my life.” Cole Altes, who was a doit-all player for Southside, signed with the University of Arkansas at Monticello. He had playing time on offense, defense and special teams throughout his career.
“Right now just seems all surreal,” Altes said. “It’s a crazy experience. We have been working hard for this goal. For all of us to sign together makes it even sweeter. This is a special day.” Conner Robles, a kicker, decided to play at the next level at Langston, but he said he never saw this day coming after he switched sports. He had 75 total points and had six onside kicks recovered in his career.
“Since I was little, I always wanted to play college sports,” Robles said. “But I thought it would be soccer. I grew up playing that. But the football team was asking around for a kicker. I fell in love after that.”
Offensive lineman Keith Turner signed with Southwestern (Okla.) State after two successful seasons with the Mavericks. He graded out at 87 percent and allowed only five sacks in his career.
“This is something I dreamed of, but I didn’t think I would be doing it,” Turner said. “It pretty crazy. I wasn’t really on the map early, but I put in a lot of hard work and now I’m here.”
Jordyn Jackson will play at the next level signing with Grand View University. He finished with 40 catches for 945 yards with 10 touchdowns and had to miss most of his senior year because of an injury. “This is a very special day,” Jackson said. “I’m very excited to be here in this blessed moment. I’ve dreamed of playing at the next level, and it’s finally here.”
Jaylin Coleman signed with Northeastern (Okla.) State after finishing with 117 career tackles, six interceptions and five defensive touchdowns for the Mavericks.
“This is a roller coaster of emotions,” Coleman said. “I’m just proud of this moment for me and my family. All the extra work and hours with teammates and coaches paid off. It’s a blessing.”