Four former Missouri high school track and field athletes won a second straight NCAA Football Championship Subdivision National Title Sunday at Toyota Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas. The top-seeded Jackrabbits won the national championship 23-2 over #2 seed Montana. South Dakota State finished the season 15-0 and has a 29-game winning streak. Their lone loss in the last two seasons was a 7-3 loss at Iowa to open the 2022 season.
First-Team All-America running back Isaiah Davis, a senior from Joplin, rushed the ball 16 times for 90 yards (5.4 avg) and one touchdown while also making 1 catch for 3 yards. Davis finishes the season with 236 rushes for 1600 yards rushing (6.7 avg) and 18 touchdowns while also catching 23 balls for 199 yards and 1 touchdown.
The Joplin High School alum and All-Stater in the javelin, Davis finished off a 75-yard opening drive by South Dakota State with a 6-yard touchdown dash to give the Jackrabbits a lead they never relinquished.
Chaminade College Prep alum Amar Johnson, a junior tailback, rushed nine times for 51 yards (5.6 avg) with a long of 13. The O' Fallon native, who was the First Team Missouri Valley Football Conference All Purpose Player honoree, didn't get the chance to return kicks after averaging 23.5 yards on 12 for the season. Montana only kicked off twice and only one was returned.
Redshirt freshman cornerback Jalen B. Lee made four solo tackles, to tie him for the 4th most on the team. The Wentzville native sprinted at Ft. Zumwalt North High School. Lee and the Jackrabbits defense stifled the Montana offense. The Grizzlies totaled just 259 yards of offense with just 91 yards of rushing and only a net of 47 yards on the ground. SDSU limited Montana quarterbacks to just 28 of 46 passing and 212 yards.
Lee is joined on the defense by another redshirt freshman Trevor Scott. The linebacker was a 2-time state qualifier for Platte County in the 4x100, earning Class 5 All-State honors as a senior in 2022. Scott didn't play this year, but played in four games last year, even recording a tackle in the national championship game, while still maintaining his redshirt status.
SDSU will have an official celebration of the title on January 18. It seems likely that Davis will stay eligible for the NFL draft and not return for a fifth season of college eligibility, available to all players who endured the 2020-2021 season that was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The powerful 6-1, 220lb workhorse running back has an invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl where NFL scouts can see him close-up. Scouting websites project him as a Day 3 (4th-7th rounds) NFL Draft prospect or free agent. Davis will play in the all-star game with rosters of mostly FBS players, including University of Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis.
The quartet joins other former Missouri prep track and field athletes to play in and win collegiate national championship games. Former John Burroughs sprint and hurdle superstar Ezekiel Elliott led the Ohio State Buckeyes to the FBS national title in the 2014 season. Former Cardinal Ritter star sprinter and hurdler Jameson Williams tore an ACL in the 2021-2022 FBS national championship as Alabama lost to Georgia. Both are currently in the NFL and were 1st-round draft picks.
Even with the loss of Davis to the pro ranks, if redshirt junior quarterback Mark Gronowski returns, the Jackrabbits may be favored to win a 3rd straight title. Gronowski was named the Walter Payton Award as the best offensive player in FCS. Johnson would go from the #2 in the best 1-2 running back rushing punch in FCS, to the 1st option.