Pinch-QB Davis helps Northeast to Public League title

Lamont Davis switched high schools this year, from West Catholic to Northeast, with the hope of becoming a full-time, two-way football performer.

That hasn't quite worked out, but he's not exactly despondent.

In the hallways today, look for the kid whose feet are a good 4-5 inches off the floor. Yup, that's Davis, aka The Toast of the School . . . well, one of them.

Northeast now owns its first Public League championship since 1983 and Davis' right arm is ready for bronzing. It delivered the 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Deion Barmes on fourth-and-2 with 3 minutes, 7 seconds left in the fourth quarter, snapping a 6-6 tie and enabling the Vikings, at their own stadium, to topple George Washington, 13-6.

Davis, a starting defensive back all season (mostly strong safety, some corner) and recently at least a part-time rusher, became the sixth Viking to throw the ball in 2010.

He didn't do so at quarterback. The memorable play occurred off a fake field goal attempt, with Davis as Howard Lynn's holder.

"Truthfully, I think I should have played quarterback all season," said Davis, who goes 5-8, 175. "I have a good arm. Quarterback was my main position in [youth ball].

"I was in coach [Chris] Riley's ear about it a little, but I never really pressed him. I wanted to play defense the most. If he put me at quarterback, he probably would have taken me off defense. You know how that goes. But he knew I could throw just from seeing me messing around before practice. And coach Virn was always telling him, too."

Coach Virn is assistant Virnest Beale. He, as a junior defensive back, and Riley, as a senior lineman, were starters for the '83 champs. More recently, Beale assisted at West Catholic before joining Riley's new staff last season.

Beale last week suggested to Riley that Davis should be installed as Lynn's holder. Done. And as the week's practices concluded Friday, Beale brought up a West Catholic play from 2008. The one where Davis, in the state AA quarterfinal vs. Lancaster Catholic, completed a conversion pass to Eddie Colon after controling an errant snap as the holder.

Thus, the Vikings installed the trick play, and sought to perfect it. Worked on it for hours and hours. Deep into the night.

Um, that's a lie.

"We only did it once," Davis said, laughing. "And on that one, I didn't even throw it to Deion. The pass went to Camille Max, one of the wing guys."

This time, Davis said the players were all in agreement with Riley that the fake was the way to go. The Vikings were headed to the Glendale Avenue end zone. Lynn, who added to the trickery aspect by making late adjustments to the kicking block, is a left-footer (though, in an oddity, he punts right-footed). So when Davis snagged the snap, stood up and ran to the right, he did not have to whirl around.

"I had three choices," Davis said. "Throw it to Camille or Deion or run it myself. I took a good number of steps. Coach Riley was saying, 'When we run this play, it's gonna work.' They did cover it decent, though. My pass was gunned. I had to throw it hard to get it in there to Deion."

Max preserved the win with a big, fourth-and-1 tackle on star rusher Hakeem Sillman (24-138), and then by tacking on two big rushes for an it's-all-over first down.

Max also ran 1 yard for Northeast's TD 1:30 before halftime after Barnes, a megaprospect as a two-way end, blocked a punt and saw it squirt over the sideline at Washington's 2.

While Washington had captured three consecutive crowns and 11 in all under coach Ron Cohen, Northeast had failed in its last seven title-game visits (all since '97).

"Northeast always has good teams," Davis said. "That's hard to believe."

So was this: Before the game Washington's players ran onto the field through a long, paper banner, held aloft by the cheerleaders, that made reference to a four-peat.

"I saw it. We all did," Davis said. "Something like that is going to come to your attention. I didn't like it. At all."

You could say Lamont Davis was up in arms. The right arm, anyway.