The Road to State: Sean Davis

Sean Davis got his start in running by accident.

An avid football and lacrosse player Davis didn’t give much thought to track or cross country. It wasn’t until Junior High after he was inspired by his older sister that he decided to give it a try. It took some time but after running 4:50 for the mile in his last race as an 8th grader running was finally on the radar.

That next fall Davis played quarterback for the freshman football team and then as planned played lacrosse for his club team in the spring. After some convincing he decided to split his time between track and lacrosse. His freshman year on the track was outstanding running 2:02 for 800 meters and 4:30 for the mile.

“I had a few coaches talk me into running track my freshman year and it turned out I wasn't terrible and I kind of liked it,” Davis said. “I had grown up loving to run some of the longer distances and I would watch my sister run and I figured I could do it too.”

It wasn’t until his senior year that Davis decided to focus on his running and after the first race of the season he knew he had made a good choice. Finishing 4th in the Senior race at the Early Bird Invitational he competed with the best athletes in the section establishing that he was in the running to win a CCS title. “Early bird was my first chance to feel what a real cross country race is like,” Davis said. “CCS was my chance to prove that I could win a real race.”

CCS was a huge moment for the Senior as he won the CCS Championship in school record time. “I felt like I was finally peaking at the right time and I just felt strong running," Davis said. “I felt that I had put in a lot of hard work over the summer and everything was finally coming together at the right time.”

But as he was learning the sport, the strategy and how to run three miles there were bumps along the way. Mid-way through the season in his biggest race to date Davis cramped up and was forced to drop out of the race. But rather than see it as negative he used it as an experience to learn from. “It was a beneficial experience that I’d look back on during the entire season,” Davis said. “I was able to learn more about myself as a runner and competitor in this race over any championship title or record I may ever set. Oregon taught me how to run in big races and how do bounce back from adversity. How to forget what is behind and strain for the goals ahead.”

“What helps me put the work in day in and day out does not come down to one thing, it can't. Some days it is my love for running that gets me out on the trail. Yet there are many days where I really don't feel like running and the love is gone. Then the drive to be the best competitor I can kicks in and that gets me out on the trail. Then there are the days where I don't feel the love of running and I could care less if I was the best. When this occurs it is my teammates and those around me that get me out and running. Running is something that can't be done alone, because no matter how hard you try, you can only push yourself to a certain point, it is your teammates that drive you beyond what you think you can do. So All those components working together get me out on the trail or track putting the work in.”

Davis will compete in his first State Championship November 26th at Woodward Park in Fresno.  The Boys Division III race is scheduled to start at 1:25 pm.