Ridger Sports

The dream is free... the journey is not

Grind.

When injured Arkansas running back Knile Davis addressed a press conference last week, he was wearing a shirt which was emblazoned with the word “GRIND.” Under that word was the phrase “The Dream is Free ... The Journey is Not.”

For those unaware of Knile Davis, he was a pretty good running back for the Razorbacks last year until the midway point of the season when he developed into a very good running back. By the end of the season, he was an outstanding tailback who led the Hogs on a late season surge that led them to the Hogs’ first ever BCS bowl game, the Sugar Bowl.

Things looked great for 2011.

Some sources had the Hogs starting out in a near top 10 ranking, and with their schedule, they had a clear path to the 2011 National Football Championship. The Razorbacks had, or rather still have, a chance to have the most successful season in the storied history of the school. Davis wasslated to be one of the most important cogs in a power machine.

Davis had his best pre-season ever, he was exuding confidence and leadership and the sky was the limit. He was on magazine covers and there were even some opinions that he might be in line for a possible Heisman Trophy selection. Then something happened.

In the Hogs’ first pre-season scrimmage, a lineman fell on Davis’ leg, breaking his ankle.

The injury required surgery and ended all his personal hopes for the present. It did not, however, end his dream.

At the press conference, Davis said that “This is a great team, you know what I mean? WhenI got out of surgery, I mean the whole team was there, waiting for me to come out. Every day I hear people are praying for me.

This year didn’t work out for me, so my thing is to come back even stronger.”

Coach Bobby Petrino thought Davis was in line for a monster season. In addition to losing his ace rushing star, Petrino also bemoaned the loss of Davis’ effort, toughness and good humor that has been a catalyst for a team seeking greatness.

The shirt that Davis chose to wear in the press conference pretty much summed up the star’s attitude. He has already been begun working hard in rehab and has been on the field everyday exhorting his teammates to work hard and harder.

Quarterback Tyler Wilson remarked that Davis has become the teams’ biggest cheerleader.

In what might be an epic season for the Hogs, Davis will miss out taking the field, but he won’t miss out participating as a supporter,coach and as a generally upbeat, positive role model as he continues to be a leader.

It is going to be a grind for Davis over the next few months, but he appears ready for it.

Blackhawks led by Vikings?

Any time you see a movie with Vikings in it, they usually seem to be big burly fellows that you might not want to pick a fight with.

I have seen a lot of the pre-season print discussion regarding the hopes of this year’s Blackhawks football team and it would seem that a big part of it has to do with these “Norse” men who will play big roles this season. In case you didn’t know, the “Norse” men of history were the “North” men, men from the north as in northern Europe. They have been generally referred to as Vikings.

A sea faring, fight and pillage kind of people.

The “Norse” men on the ’Hawks squad would be senior Drew and junior Zach. Of course, I knew them by their old name asthe Norris brothers. They are certainly big enough to look like Vikings (235 and 245 pounders) but I think that maybe somewhere down the line, somebody in the media got their names wrong.

I first read about the “Norse” brothers in the Hooten’s 2011 Football guide, and the “Norse” brothers reappeared in the northwest Arkansas football guide which came out last week.

Since I had all the Norris brothers in art a long, long time ago, I can appreciate the effort the brothers have made to make the ’Hawks team better than what has happened the past few years. Here’s to their upcoming season of pillaging and raiding the other teams on the Pea Ridge schedule.

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Editor’s note: John McGee is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].

Sports, Pages 7 on 08/31/2011