FLEMING ISLAND - Two significant pieces of the Jason Davis puzzle defined the type of athlete that perservered for nearly 18 years to become the first state wrestling champion out of Fleming Island High School.

Davis, the Class 3A champion at 182 pounds for the Golden Eagles, had his first obstacle to that pinnacle at birth.

“Jason was born with a vocal cords defect that forced us to pray a lot and hope he would be able to breathe throughout the first six weeks of his life,” said Mike Davis, Jason’s father. “We thought it was asthma, but the doctors said he would have a tracheotomy (breathing tube) for a minimum of three years up to life and that any stress or physical exertion may trigger his inability to inhale. Any excessive weight gain or inactivity could accelerate the defect as well.”

Davis recalled a home run Jason hit during Little League that not only created a high physical stress situation as he ran the bases with excitement, but got an ambulance ride because he couldn’t breathe.

“The EMTs had no clue what was going on so we had to kind of clue them in,” said Mike Davis. “He was okay once we explained what he was going through.”

Jason Davis’ second obstacle, after overcoming and pretty much defeating the first obstacle with his innate physical conditioning and athleticism, was a seventh grade wrestling practice, his first at Oakleaf Junior High School with coaxing from football coach Skip Yearty.

“He was convinced that wrestling would be good for his football and wanted to give it a try,” said Mike Davis. “After the first practice, he told me he wanted to quit.”

Davis noted that his conversation with Jason centered around total support by himself and wife Kim for any activity that any of the kids were interested in under one condition; you have to finish; no quitting.

“I thought about Jason telling me he wanted to quit wrestling that day after the first practice and simply told him he could, but he had to walk over to coach Yearty and tell him face-to-face,” said Davis. “He didn’t.”

And from that day, Jason Davis’ journey through wrestling at both Oakleaf and Fleming Island high schools led to two third place finishes; one in Class 2A for Oakleaf in his sophomore year and one in Class 3A in his junior year at Fleming Island, and the state title at 182 this year.

“I always remembered that feeling of winning on the wrestling mat when I won the North Florida title in eighth grade only because I was terrible in seventh grade because I was fat,” said Davis. “Then, I met coach P.J. Cobbert at Fleming Island. Then, I got better.”

Davis was on a wrestling team that featured the likes of Shaquille Quarterman, now starting middle linebacker at the University of Miami; Deandre Steelman, and Keylan Brown, all buddies from his football days at OPAA.

“Those were all great athletes on that team and at OPAA,” said Davis. “They set the tone for being as good as we could get and it just stayed with us into high school. Jonathan Bryant, a great basketball player at Oakleaf High now, was on that OPAA football team.”

Still, as a freshman at Fleming Island High School, Davis was still toying with both football and wrestling, but quickly found out through practicing with the likes of John Martorana, David Detwiler and Austin Smenda that life on the wrestling mat was not going to be easy.

“Those guys beat the snot out of me every practice, it was rough,” said Davis. “But, funny as it sounds, I was beginning to love the sport and I loved coach P.J.”

Davis, third at districts and fifth at regions, did not make state his freshman year and also was forced to go back to Oakleaf because his ride from Oakleaf to Fleming Island; Heath Whiddon, graduated and moved on to college.

“I was a match away from going to state and the guy who beat me wound up fourth and went to state,” said Davis. “I was so close to going to state. I knew I had to learn from it and I was in the room a week later preparing for next season.”

Back at Oakleaf, Davis rumbled through the season en route to his first third place medal at 182 with just three losses.

“I made a mental mistake in the semifinal and the guy wound up state runnerup,” said Davis. “I lost off a stalling point. Seeing that now and knowing what I have learned, it would be different.”

In his junior year, able to drive now, Davis returned to Cobbert and the Fleming Island High wrestling room to better his medal grab; this time at 195. One name popped up twice, Chei Hill of South Dade, a state runnerup and twice state champion; once at 195 in Davis’ junior year after beating Davis in the semifinals and, in 2017, at 220.

“That semifinal in my junior year he beat me twice; once at Lyman, then in the semifinals,” said Davis. “The semifinal he caught me with my feet together and that was it. It was 0-0 after the first period.”

Davis recovered to place third again at 195 in Class 3A.

“P.J. kept telling me that I have to believe that I could win a state title,” said Davis. “After gaining All-American at nationals at Disney, I started seeing the big picture.”

For his senior season, Cobbert and Davis agreed on 182 as his weight to compete at despite weighing a whopping 235 prior to the season.

“A lot of people can say I should have went to the same weight as Chei Hill, but we looked at the what the team needed and Ryan Smenda was going to be the 195 and I didn’t think I would look good at 220,” said Davis. “I cut through the off season but it cost me in the first three weeks of the season because I was so weak and depleted. It was horrible and I had plenty of doubts.”

Davis lost to Lake Highland Prep’s Bryce Rogers, the eventual 1A champion and top-ranked nationally, at Lyman High School’s invitational.

“I almost quit my senior year because of that weight cut,” said Davis. “I wanted to tell P.J. but he said if I don’t make 182, I won’t wrestle. He was serious.”

Davis lost a second time to Rogers just two weeks later.

“That’s when I kicked my mind into gear and stopped feeling sorry for myself,” said Davis. “I told myself I was not going to lose any more. My weight started to stabilize and I was getting my strength back. I did the running and paid the price.”

From that day, Davis tore through his 3A ranks and got to the state finals with little fanfare.

“I had no doubt I was making the finals at state,” said Davis. “My semifinal guy just blocked everything I did, but I got to him and won.”

In the final, Davis felt cleared to the title into the third period and Cobbert told him to focus and do what he knew.

“P.J. actually told me to slow my warmup because the finals started at 6 p.m. and I was wrestling at 9:30-ish,” said Davis. “I had a 103 degree fever and was throwing up. I felt like crap. I weighed in at 179 at districts then got strep throat for regions.”

Davis remembered Cobbert telling him he had won one of his four state titles while sick and that he just had to go out and battle for six minutes.

“I just kept seeing the referee holding my hand up when it was over,” said Davis, who won 3-1. “I was going to get on the top of that podium no matter what.”

After the state meet, Davis got invited to the National High School Wrestling Championship in Virginia Beach, but a shoulder injury prevented that. In May, Davis is planning on wrestling with an Indiana club team in the National High School Wrestling Duals Championships. Davis will wrestle at Southeastern University in Lakeland next year.

“I want to become the first national champion at Southeastern, an NAIA school and the only Florida college with wrestling,” said Davis. “I want to make Fleming Island proud again.”