Princeton’s Teegan Davis is ‘freaky’ good

Rob Jensen has seen a lot of good athletes over the years coaching football and track at Princeton High School.

He says PHS junior Teegan Davis isn’t just good, he’s “freaky good.”

Freaky good that he can ….

Throw a football for a deep touchdown pass or run it the length of the field.

Throw down a tomahawk slam dunk off an alley-oop pass off the backboard.

Put the exclamation mark on the regional championship victory with a breakaway two-handed jam.Put the exclamation mark on the regional championship victory with a breakaway two-handed jam.

Win the Class 2A state high jump title and qualify for state in three other events.

Pick up new events like the triple jump and pole vault and compete at any given notice.

Along the way, Davis picked up all-conference and all-state recognition in football, basketball and track all in the same school year.

The multi-threat at quarterback rushed for 1,099 yards and 16 touchdowns and passed for 1,838 yards and 19 TDs.

He helped the Tigers to their first regional basketball championship in 11 years, averaging 15.9 points, and led the Tigers in rebounding (7.8), assists (3.0) and steals (2.2).

In addition to winning the state high jump state crown, he also medaled and led the BCR Honor Roll in the long jump (22-6) and triple jump (43-9) and ran on the Tigers’ top 4x100 relay.

For all of his accomplishments, Davis is the 2022 BCR Athlete of the Year.

“I was pretty pleased with all three sports this year,” Davis said. “Football had a good year. Basketball had a good year. Track, I went to state and had a good time at state.”

Once in awhile Davis surprises himself, but said he just tries to exceed his goals.

He said he had a lot of favorite moments this year and had a lot of fun, but did offer that the alley-oop pass he took from teammate Kolten Monroe for a dunk against Hall was “special,” quickly adding “we’ll see a lot more of that (next) year.”

He is quick to say “football” when asked what his favorite sport is. That is the sport he is pursuing collegiately, following in the footsteps of his brothers Drake and Wyatt (the 2019-20 BCR Athlete of the Year), who team up at Northern Michigan University.

“Something about it, not in other sports. Lot more aggressive. I like the aggressiveness of the sport,” he said. “It teaches you a lot of mental toughness.”

He does like the individual aspects that track provides.

“It’s just you out there. Really no one out there affects you. It’s just you,” he said.

Bragging rights at home

Davis grew up in a competitive household of three older brothers all coming up to outdo the others, as well as his parents, who played collegiately. He’s the first to win a state championship and he’s happy to earn bragging rights at home.

“Lots of competition at our house,” he said. “Everything’s a competition. Our stats, how our season’s gone, our wins and losses. I always want to be the best of my family.”

The new school year will provide a twist with little sister Keighley, an up and comer in her right, joining the family fun as an incoming freshman.

“I’ll be riding to school with her and see her in the hallways. We’ll see how that goes,” he said with a laugh.

What the coaches say

Princeton football coach Ryan Pearson said Davis “is a true competitor” with a “whatever it takes” attitude.

“We all know about Teegan’s athletic ability. What sets him apart is his fierce competitive nature,” Pearson said. “He wants to do the best at everything he does.”

Tiger basketball coach Jason Smith said Davis is just fun to coach.

“You can do a lot of different things on the floor and play multiple spots on the floor with his athleticism. What separates him from everyone else is his competitiveness and want to win more than anyone else. He’s also a great role model for the younger kids as well.

“He has is the complete package and I’m just lucky enough to get to know him and have a chance to coach him.”

PHS track coach Dan Foes calls Davis a phenomenal athlete.

“His abilities are a unique combination of speed, jumping ability and strength. I am never surprised anymore when he ups his marks, because of that ability,” Foe said. I think what separates him as an athlete is his competitiveness and his sports intelligence. Teegan is a student of his events and sports. He is able to break down his performances and critique them himself, sometimes as he is actually doing them.

Foes said Davis is also a great competitor.

“He is very driven and does not like to lose. He is an individual athlete that has the will to prepare to win, along with the will to win,” Foes said. “I have been blessed to have coached many great athletes but when you put Teegan’s athletic abilities, competitiveness, and intelligence together, he is the best athlete I have ever coached.”

Getting better in senior year

Davis is looking to up his game in each sport for his senior year.

He wants to hopefully go deep in the playoffs and play for a state title in football “doing everything I can to get better to help the team, working out, build a bond with the team.”

He has the same desire for basketball by “keep working together play in summer league games and do all the work I can to get better for the team.”

In track, he’s eying the school record in the high jump and looks “forward to going 6-9 or 7 foot next year.”

“It’s definitely in reach,” he said.

With Teegan Davis, no one doubts it.

The Teegan Davis file:

• BCR Track Athlete of Year

• 3A state high jump champion

• Unanimous TRAC East All-Conference QB/DB

• Unanimous TRAC East All-Conference basketball

• All-State recognition football, basketball