Davis Scrambles Out of Pierce Just In Time

Josh Davis knew something was up.

“I saw that Coach Fenwick had left and I saw everybody else leaving like rats leaving a sinking ship,” Davis said. “I knew something was going on. I talked to the athletic director, Bob O’Connor, and some other people at Pierce and they told me that I had better get out now if I wanted to play.”

Davis, the quarterback last season for Pierce, left just in time. The school announced Tuesday the elimination of its football and basketball programs. Anticipating the move, he enrolled at Valley last semester.

“It didn’t look good after Fenwick put in his papers,” said Davis, referring to the former Pierce coach who is now an assistant at Cal State Northridge. “I knew if Fenwick wasn’t there, a lot of guys were going to leave.”

More than a dozen former Pierce players went to Valley. For Davis, it’s just another stop. He attended seven high schools and Valley College before he went to Pierce last season.

“It’s like I’m progressing up the ladder and each rung is a new step,” he said. “I just hope I’ll get to the top and have one long rung with the same school.”

He shouldn’t have a problem solving Valley’s strategy--he didn’t last season. Quarterbacking for Pierce, he completed 10 of 23 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns against the Monarchs. But he would have preferred to play at Pierce.

“It would have been so easy to have stayed at Pierce and have a good season,” he said. “I can’t believe they dropped football.”

In the last two seasons, Pierce won two conference championships. But when Pierce fumbled with its football program, Davis packed up his playbook and was on the road--again.

“I really wanted to compete at Pierce,” he said. “As it is, though, I had to make another journey to find another destination.”