HIGHLANDS RANCH — As one of the multiple leaders on a tightknit Fountain-Fort Carson outfit, Chris Davis can offer his Trojans teammates perspective that goes well beyond football.
Davis, a junior, scored three touchdowns and rushed for 147 yards Thursday night as Fountain-Fort Carson easily won its Pikes Peak League opener, 35-7 against Rock Canyon at Shea Stadium.
But the most significant statistic is that Davis, 6-feet, 190 pounds, beat up on cancer. Lymphoma gave him a tumor in his chest, and chemotherapy led to him missing his sophomore season, but he’s back for the Trojans, ranked No. 8 in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A poll, and atop any list.
“It was just a challenge that I had to go through, and I think I did very well with that challenge,” Davis said.
Longtime Trojans coach Mitch Johnson knows a special young man when he sees one.
“Chris Davis? It’s a blessing every day we have him,” Johnson said. “He went through the chemo, he was coming down to the practice field . . . We were just loving him up. What a great kid, and it says a lot about his character.”
Davis, who still is checked regularly, said he tried to keep a level head, especially initially, and noticed he was without what he loved.
“It made me miss football,” he said. “To be back with (fellow running back Quinton Lawson) and my teammates, it’s good. I missed them, and they missed me.”
Together, the Trojans (3-0 overall, 1-0 league) have made lots of early noise. Against the Jaguars, they were dominant in almost every area.
Lawson rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown as Fountain-Fort Carson totaled 354 on the ground, 436 overall. The offensive line was crisp and active, and Lawson and Davis, who offered balance in the Trojans’ veer attack, had big nights cutting and reading seams. Defensively, the Trojans behind the line of scrimmage were exceptional. They cut off lanes and ran with Rock Canyon receivers. And they were resilient — sophomore linebacker Kevin Davis was run over on a play that netted Rock Canyon an early first down, then responded with two of the Trojans’ three interceptions.
At halftime, the Jags (1-1, 0-1) had only 55 yards and trailed 21-0, and then 28-0 after the first series of the third quarter.
“(The Trojans) did what works on us; they occupied our receivers,” Rock Canyon coach Tom Lynch said. “They’re pretty good.”
Said Johnson: “We were nervous with the short week, naturally. But we’re athletic and those running backs we have are terrific in 4A and complement each other very well.”
Fountain-Fort Carson 14 7 7 7 — 35
Rock Canyon 0 0 0 7 — 7
FFC — C. Davis 7 run (kick failed). FFC — Gallegos 4 run (Lawson run). FFC — C. Davis 25 run (K. Davis kick). FFC — Lawson 1 run (K. Davis kick). RC — Krietemeier 5 pass from Sandlin (Hopper kick). FFC — C. Davis 21 run (K. Davis kick).
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
