'Ball hawk' Jacquan Davis grabs state-record-tying 12th interception in Fairley win
Wynston Wilcox
Jacquan Davis wasn’t worried about whether he was getting his 12th interception Thursday night against Freedom Prep in Fairley’s 14-6 win.
It took until the fourth quarter, but Davis did get his interception. It tied a state record for interceptions in a season – a record set back in 1974 by Jerry Bierbrodt at Memphis Central – according to the TSSAA record book.
"I just stayed humble and let it come to me,” Davis said of the interception.
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Davis is just that good on defense.
He knows how to find the ball anytime it’s in the air. But he was quick to credit his defensive line for providing the pressure, forcing throws his way to allow him the opportunity to take the ball away.
"I’m a real deal ball hawk,” said Davis, who helped Fairley seal a Region 8-2A title Thursday.
Davis leads the Fairley defense, which forced Freedom Prep's Ernest Gilliam into his first two interceptions of the season. Julian Porter picked off Gilliam earlier in the game.
The defense is exactly why Fairley (9-0, 7-0 in Region 8-2A) finished undefeated this season.
Defense was always going to be the difference in a game between two of Memphis’ top-scoring offenses who managed only a combined 20 points. The game was scoreless through three-and-one-half quarters before Freedom Prep (7-2, 5-1) broke the tie.
Davis’ 12th interception helped him add to his state-leading total, a season after Sheffield’s Mark Joseph had 10 interceptions. It’s the second consecutive year that a Memphis-area defender has led the state in interceptions.
There’s no special scheme Kardarius Harden, the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator, uses to get Davis in position. As the single-high safety, Davis reads the play and reacts to the ball. He’s done that well, helping the Bulldogs’ defense to limit opponents to 57 points this year.
"He’s pretty athletic,” Harden said. “When I first got him this summer, it was just using his range to his advantage.”
The Bulldogs' final game against Tipton-Rosemark has been declared a forfeit, and Fairley will have the final week of the regular season off to prepare for the playoffs. Freedom Prep plays Oakhaven on Thursday and can seal the No. 2 seed in the region with a win.
“We wouldn’t be here without them,” Fairley coach Fred Copeland said of the defense. “We struggled offensively as a unit, so without them we wouldn’t be here. This defense is major.”
Reach Wynston Wilcox at wwilcox@gannett.com and on Twitter @wynstonw__.