2018 Team Preview: AC Davis Pirates

Key Players

TE/DL Ivory Evans-Kimble - He’s been the heart and soul of Davis Football for the last couple seasons. Kimble returns as a second team all league tight end and defensive end; he should improve on that. Has a legit D1 frame at 6-2 225 pounds.

QB/DB Angel Amezola - Became the starting QB towards the end of last season. Amezola is a strong athlete capable of making accurate throws from the pocket and on the run. He has good size at 6-0 190 that should absorb hits well.

RB/DB Jorge Martinez - Smaller back but still grounds and pounds between the tackles. Davis is going to run the ball a lot this year and he’s prepared to handle the workload. Will play a hybrid between linebacker and safety.

RB/LB Henry Hernandez - Two way threat at running back and middle linebacker. He’ll be a good compliment to Martinez in the backfield. Defensively, he’s expected to be a big-time run stopper.

OL/DL James Copeland - One of the most consistent players on the team. He plays two difficult positions in right tackle and defensive end. Disciplined in his assignment, and brings tremendous leadership to the team.

Overview

After making back to back state playoff appearances in 2014 and 2015, Davis has seen a steep drop off in production. They’ve gone 2-18 over the past two seasons.

Regardless, this is a high spirited group this year. Head coach Rick Clark leads the charge, going into his 14th season.

He loves the senior leadership he has with his group this year, and believes it can be enough to get his team out of a rut.

Clark says that Angel Amezola is as good of a QB as he’s had in his 14 years at Davis. Where he excels is extending plays and keeping his eyes downfield. This will give Davis opportunities in the passing game.

A safety net for Amezola is going to be Evans-Kimble. He has sure hands and will primarily run underneath to intermediate routes.

When Davis does decide to stretch the field, look for Jackson Curtsinger, Tyler Girard, Estevan Gonzalez and Pancho Sanchez.

All of them have a similar playing styles, which is bring the speed and find space between zones.

Despite the solid passing game, the motto this year is going to be establish the run.

The running back room will take a committee approach as Davis likes to play up tempo.

Jorge Martinez and Henry Hernandez will split carries. Both are shifty but are comfortable running north south.

Paving the way for these backs will be a line that returns just one starter. But he's a good one in 6-3 220 pound right tackle James Copeland. He’ll be a great run blocker in this power run scheme.

At the pivotal center spot will be stocky and powerful Coby Rodriguez. A couple other important pieces are going to be Jose Gudino, Jose Garcia and Sage Cloward.

The defensive philosophy of this team is going to be a 3-5 stack that will send different blitz packages.

In order to be effective with three down linemen, you need some studs to control the line of scrimmage. Those two guys would be Ivory Evans-Kimble and James Copeland.

Evans-Kimble’s natural position is linebacker, but he fills Davis’ need at defensive end. He’s relentless off the edge, and teams are going to be game-planning for him.

Copeland is rangy at 6-4, and uses his long arms to create havoc in the backfield. Nose tackle is still up in the air and will most likely be a rotation early.

The linebackers are a lot of two way starters. Henry Hernandez will hold down the middle linebacker spot, with Coby Rodriguez and Angel Amezola lining up next to him. Jorge Martinez will play the buck, which allows him to be mobile around the field.

The corner spots will be played by Jackson Curtsinger and Tyler Girard. Their speed translates well at both receiver and cornerback.

Up the middle at free safety is going to be Miguel Ceja. He’s a true ball hawk that knows when to stay back on passes. But he also knows how to fly up and assist on tackles.

Projection

A lot of Davis’ success this year will fall on the shoulders of Angel Amezola. Top to bottom this roster isn’t one of the deepest in the league, but that can be countered with elite QB play. Outside of Amezola they have a few solid pieces like Evans-Kimble and Henry Hernandez that they will need to keep healthy. Davis has some winnable non-conference games early that they can use to build momentum. But ultimately it’s going to matter most when they play Big Nine contenders like Moses Lake and West Valley. If they’re not able to get a few balls bounce their way early, this could be another tough year for Davis.

Key Games

@ Moses Lake 9/21

Wenatchee 10/12

@ West Valley 10 10/19