SPRINGDALE — Colton Davis has already had an impressive summer to remember. As the senior-to-be quarterback for Gravette High, Davis has guided the Lions through a stellar 7-on-7 season, where the signal caller has helped his team look like one of the top teams heading into the fall.
“The summer is going great,” Davis said. “We’ve gotten all our timing down with all of our receivers and we’ve been working real hard. So it’s been going real good so far.”
Davis stepped away from his teammates for a bit Saturday and faced a different group of competition when he took part in the seventh annual AAO Top Gun University in Springdale’s Jarrell Williams Bulldog Stadium. A combine-style quarterback challenge, the Top Gun features some of the top high school QBs from around the state of Arkansas.
For Davis, the AAO Top Gun University is a chance to shine on the big stage. At the same time, though, Davis said there is plenty he can learn from his time at Top Gun.
“This is great,” Davis said. “It’s not just competition. They’ve got a camp going on and they’re teaching us everything. It’s pretty great.”
Davis (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) was a first-year starter for the Lions in 2009 and guided Gravette to a 9-3 overall record, which included a trip to the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Deemed a ‘great pocket passer’ by his coach Bill Harrelson, Davis threw for nearly 800 yards as a junior in Gravette’s spread formation.
But while pocket passing is his strength, Davis admits running with the football is not.
“I’m not a running quarterback at all, and that would be the biggest thing I need to work on, throwing on the move,” Davis said. “I just need to work on my mobility.”
Davis said winning the Top Gun Challenge, which took place Saturday evening, was the obvious goal. And Top Gun co-founder Jason Allen said it’s possible.
“We’ve had a lot of different quarterbacks win the Top Gun,” Allen said. “You never know who is going to win until they get out there. It usually seems to be the guy who stays the most consistent through the competition.”
No matter how things turn out at Top Gun, Davis is happy to be involved and even more excited about what the future holds with his Gravette teammates in the fall.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who play their part,” Davis said. “We don’t have that one guy at receiver but everybody does their job at Gravette and we’ve got a lot of depth at receiver and we’re looking forward to a big season.”
Profile
Colton Davis
SCHOOL: Gravette High
POSITION: Quarterback
YEAR: Senior
NOTABLE: Davis competed in the AAO Top Gun University at Springdale High this weekend, along with 22 other top quarterbacks from around the state. … As a junior, Davis threw for nearly 800 yards and led the Lions to a 9-3 record and the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs.