Davis leads group of historic scorers into 45th News Journal All-Star Classic

MANSFIELD — Fifty years ago this year, Jerry Cline broke the career scoring record at Mansfield Christian with 1,641 points.

And it stood strong for five decades.

And then, it came crumbling down giving way to a new king of Mansfield Christian scoring. Senior Amarr Davis now stands alone. During a 69-50 win over St. Paul in the Division IV sectional championship game, Davis scored 23 points to help him pass Cline's 50-year-old record all while landing the Flames their first sectional championship since 2010-11.

BEST BUDS: NJ Classic's No. 1, No. 2 picks, Dawson and Toms, share basketball bond

Davis finished his illustrious career with 1,671 points setting a mark that just might stand the test of time much like the total he passed this season.

"I have to thank God because I wouldn't be able to do anything without him and that means a lot," Davis said. "It means a lot to me and my family. My dad told me from a young age I could do special things if I put in the work. I put it in and the work really does pay off."

Davis was a four-year starter for the Flames scoring 296 points as a freshman, 495 as a sophomore and 477 as a junior before putting up 403 this season. He was just the third Flame to reach the 1,000-point milestone before his senior season joining Cline (1,166) and Tyler Lilly (1,041) who is No. 3 on the all-time list at 1,476. Davis's 495 points as a sophomore is a program record for most in a single season.

And that year could have satisfied even the biggest of competitors, but for Davis, it was a driving force to do it again.

"It was all about having the mindset of wanting to get better every single day," Davis said. "I didn't just want to do it for myself, but I wanted to make sure I set up a bright future. If you can get a little bit better every single day, it can lead to special things."

And it absolutely did. While Davis was enjoying individual success, the Flames were doing things that haven't been done in the program in a very long time. They went 18-4 during the regular season tying the 1990-91 team for the program record for most wins in a regular season. The 2023-24 Flames finished with a 20-5 record after winning two tournament games and falling in the district semifinals to Colonel Crawford. The 20-win season is just the third such in program history joining the 1990-91 (20-3) and 1973-74 (21-2) teams.

"We miss it a little bit, honestly," Davis said. "It means a lot to us as a team and a program to show that we did things that no other team could do. It means a lot to us."

Davis has been used to breaking records during his senior year. In football, he took every receiving record at Mansfield Senior. He passed 2019 Mr. Football runner-up Angelo Grose for the most receptions, legendary receiver Chekiah Wachington for the most yards to become just the first 2,000-yard receiver in Mansfield Senior history. He also finished with more than 20 touchdown receptions to give him that record, too.

He finished with 167 catches for 2,479 yards, a 14.8 yard-per-catch average and 21 receiving touchdowns, all program records. He had 24 total TDs to his credit during his career.

But going back and forth between two schools and two teams must have been difficult, right? Not for Davis who seems to fit in just about anywhere thanks to his competitive fire and winning desire.

"It wasn't difficult at all," Davis said. "It was kind of fun to be around a new group of guys and trying to get them all to have the same mindset of holding each other accountable. That is what it all came down to in both football and basketball."

And that is what led him to being chosen to represent the Flames in the 45th News Journal All-Star Classic on Friday at Lexington High School. Davis is one of many historic scorers playing in the game. Lucas's Logan Toms and Bucyrus's Malachi Bayless are the all-time leading scorers in their programs' histories. Toms broke a mark set by Logan Niswander back in 2020 and is the only player in program history to top 1,400-career points.

Bayless is historic in his own right. He owns the single-game scoring record at Bucyrus with 45 in a win over Buckeye Central this season and is the only 1,000-point scorer in the school's boys basketball history.

Shelby's Alex Bruskotter, who was chosen to play but had to pass for a trip to Italy, is No. 2 on his school's all-time scoring list with 1,689 just 99 behind Larry Siegfried. Galion's Cooper Kent is No. 2 all-time with 1,149 sitting behind Nate Reinking's 1,702. Galion teammate Elijah Chafin had more than 1,300 career points but nearly 700 of those came at Mount Gilead.

Hillsdale's Braylen Jarvis is a historic scorer in his own right. He finished No. 2 on the Falcons' all-time list with 1,060 points, just 27 points behind No. 1 Eric Pickering. But his 507 points Jarvis scored during his senior year is the all-time single-season mark.

Willard's Max Dawson ended his career with an amazing 1,849 points which is third most in Willard history behind Nick Dials's 2,180 and Jimmy Langhurt's 2,199. So, Dawson is a historic scorer in his own right.

But a five-decade-old record falling is what sets Davis apart. There hasn't been a player like him at Mansfield Christian in 50 years and who knows if there will be another. We may have to wait another half century to find out.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

X: @JakeFurrr11

If you go

When: March 29

Where: Lexington High School

What: News Journal All-Star Classic Alumni Game at 6 p.m. and 45th News Journal All-Star Classic North-South charity basketball game at 7:30 p.m.

Cost: $5 per ticket.

How to get tickets: Tickets are currently on sale at Catalyst Life Services locates at 270 Sterkel Boulevard in Mansfield. Cash, card and check will be accepted Monday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Tickets will remain on sale there until the day of the game.

You can also purchase tickets during the all-star practices on March 26 and 27 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. and March 28 from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. Practices are open to the public and will be held at Lexington High School. This will be a cash or check-only option.

And finally, you can purchase your tickets at the door the night of the game. Tickets are $5 apiece.

Why: 100% of the proceeds from the 45th News Journal All-Star Classic will be donated to Catalyst Life Services and will benefit the Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Crisis Services department. Over the last 44 years, the News Journal had donated nearly one million dollars.

For any questions, please contact Mansfield News Journal Sports Reporter Jake Furr via email at jfurr@gannett.com or via text at 740-244-9934.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Christian's Amarr Davis broke boys basketball scoring record