Arayvis Davenport’s 3 TD Performance Carries Team East to 24-14 Win Over Team West in 2023 Gridiron Football Junior High All-American Bowl Game

The second annual Gridiron Football Junior High All-American Bowl Game proved to be a great appetizer for a great day of football on Saturday, December 30th at Memorial Stadium. Throughout the week, close to 60 7th and 8th graders from all across the state of Louisiana took part in this game in order to get their name out there, and it was certainly clear that one particular 8th grader stole the show with his incredible performance.

From the very start, Arayvis Davenport from T.O. Rusheon Middle School in Bossier, Louisiana represented the 318 in flying colors for Team East. On the second play of the game, the big, physical and athletic specimen took a direct snap where he broke seven tackles and outraced the entire West defense for a 47 yard touchdown run to put Team East up 6-0. That run would set the tone for what would be a dominant individual performance by Davenport.

Along with the opening touchdown, Davenport also helped Team East jump out to an 18-0 lead as he showed not only his power, but his breakaway speed with two 78 yard touchdown catches. The star running back from Bossier, Louisiana was not only great on offense as he finished with 207 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns, but he also made it tough for the Team West offense to sustain any success with 4.5 tackles, a force fumble, and a quarterback hurry on defense.

Davenport, who eventually took home the Team East Offensive MVP, was not the only standout performer as both of his quarterbacks ended up throwing touchdown passes in the game. One of the most talented young rising quarterbacks in South Louisiana had an impressive performance as well in Youngsville Middle School QB Carson Gurzi, who completed four of seven passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns to Davenport. Gurzi showed great pocket presence, mobility, and the ability to throw the football in different arm angles.

While Gurzi and Davenport proved to be a great 1-2 duo, Delta Charter QB Andy Keith connected with Ferriday Junior High WR Zyion Alexander for an 80 yard touchdown to put Team East up 24-0.

Team East was in control for most of the game, but Team West came soaring back late. After a fumble recovered by Plaquemine Middle DT Hendren Stewart gave Team West the ball in prime scoring position, the offense finally got on the scoreboard with a short touchdown run by West Feliciana RB Ty London to make it 24-6.

Team West would then recover their onside kick to give them the ball right back after the touchdown. That’s when Northwestern Middle School QB Willie Johnson III and Woodlawn Middle WR Brayden Jean accounted for 8 points with both players connecting on a touchdown and the two-point conversion to make it 24-14 late in the game. However, the late rally would end when Team East recovered the onside kick to run out the clock.

After getting blown out in last year’s inaugural game, Team East, led by head coach James Taylor, got revenge over Team West, led by head coach Quinton Dixon, by a final score of 24-14 this year.

As indicated earlier, Arayvis Davenport earned Team East Offensive MVP honors, but he was joined by Ferriday Junior High DT Sammond Davis, who finished with two tackles and a fumble recovery as the Team East Defensive MVP. Other defensive standouts included Ferriday Junior High DB Chris Sheppard, who had 2.5 tackles and an interception, Griffin Middle Academy DB Kelton Bennett, who had 1.5 tackles and a forced fumble, and Zyion Alexander, who along with a touchdown had an interception on defense. The Team East defense came up big in forcing four Team West turnovers throughout the game to help them secure the win.

For Team West, Brayden Jean was named the team’s Offensive MVP with his touchdown catch and two-point conversion. While Team East had two notable performances at quarterback, so did Team West as both Southern Lab Middle School’s Dexter Ricard Jr. and Northwestern Middle School QB Willie Johnson III had their fair share of good plays during the game. Ricard is a great athlete and did a fantastic job of extending a lot of plays by rushing for 49 yards on the ground. Johnson did a great job of complimenting Ricard as he was the team’s leading passer completing seven passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. The Northwestern Middle School passer is accurate, has a great release, and shows commanding authority on the field.

Defensively, Brusly Middle School DE Hagan Collins was named Team West Defensive MVP as he led the way with five tackles and a sack. Woodlawn Middle School ATH Daelyn Early made it tough for the quarterbacks as he had 2.5 sacks throughout the game. Northwestern Middle School LB Joshua Morgan and Rougan Middle School DL Jacorryan Franklin also posted sacks. Finally, Westdale Middle School DL Ivory Johnson stuffed the stat sheet with a half sack, a fumble recovery, and a quarterback hurry. With the exception of four big plays, the West defense did a good job of holding their own and keeping the offense in check, but in the end, did not get things going on offense until it was too late in the game.

In front of a good crowd at Memorial Stadium, the second annual Gridiron Football Junior High All-American Bowl Game was a smashing hit filled with even better talent. We are looking forward to an even better third annual game next season with the best talent yet.

For the next couple of weeks, keep an eye on our website where we will get to interview all of these young players that participated in our game as our Rising Stars!

Check out some of the postgame interviews below!

East Roster

Number	Name	Position	School	City	State
0	Kelton Bennett	WR/DB	Griffin Middle	Lake Providence	LA
1	Carson Gurzi	QB	Youngsville Middle School	Youngsville	LA
2	Aiden Taylor	WR/DB	Griffin Middle	Lake Providence	LA
3	Jase Harris	QB/DB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
4	Jumyri Carter	RB/LB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
5	Ty Simpson	RB/DE	Delta Charter	Ferriday	LA
6	Amareya Reynolds	WR/DB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
7	Chris Sheppard	WR/DB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
8	Zyion Alexander	RB/DB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
9	Andy Keith	QB	Delta Charter	Ferriday	LA
10	McKale Wyatt	TE/LB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
11	Logan Sprunk	WR/DB	Kenner Discovery	Kenner	LA
12	Jeremy Freeman	WR/DB	Griffin Middle	Lake Providence	LA
20	Gary Wilson	DL	Einstein Middle School	New Orleans	LA
21	Javon Northern	RB/LB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
22	Brayden Allen	DL	Crowville School	Crowville	LA
23	Xavier Walker	RB/LB	Vidalia Junior High	Vidalia	LA
24	Arayvis Davenport	RB/LB	Rusheon Middle School	Bossier City	LA
26	Anthony James	WR/DB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
27	Kam Anderson	LB	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
30	Montrevelle Lewis	WR	Rusheon Middle School	Bossier	LA
50	Sammond Davis	OL/DL	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
52	Johnterrius Jackson	OL/DL	Baskin	Baskin	LA
65	Dillan Scott	OL/DL	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA
77	Isaiah McLaurin	OL/DL	Einstein Middle School	New Orleans	LA
77	Kobe Lewis	OL/DL	Ferriday Junior High	Ferriday	LA

West Roster

Number	Name	Position	School	City	State
0	Aiden Melancon	WR/DB	North Iberville	Maringouin	LA
1	Willie Johnson III	QB	Northwestern Middle School	Zachary	LA
2	Dexter Ricard	QB	Southern Lab	Baton Rouge	LA
3	Ty London	RB	West Feliciana	St. Francisville	LA
4	Dustin Davis	WR/DB	Northwestern Middle School	Zachary	LA
5	Brayden Jean	WR/DB	Woodlawn Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
6	Cameron Carter	WR/DB	Rougon Middle School	Rougon	LA
7	Sevin Domingue	RB/DB	Parkview Baptist	Baton Rouge	LA
8	Daelyn Early	ATH	Woodlawn Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
9	Javonta Thomas	DB	North Iberville	Maringouin	LA
10	Jayden Jones	DB	GEO Prep Academy	Baton Rouge	LA
11	Hagan Collins	DE	Brusly	Brusly	LA
12	Brice Fisher	WR/DB	Northwestern Middle School	Zachary	LA
20	Troy Ramos	WR/DB	Southeast Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
21	Jacob Scott	RB/LB	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
22	Kendarius Bridges	WR	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
23	Stratton Cain	LB	Catholic Pointe Coupee	Pointe Coupee	LA
24	Jamarion Campbell	DL	Livonia Middle School	Livonia	LA
26	Talamesi Albert	RB/LB	Woodlawn Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
27	Tyler Payne	WR/DB	Caneview Middle School	Port Allen	LA
30	Roddrick James	DL	Prairieville Middle School	Prairieville	LA
42	Ivory Johnson	DL	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
50	Joshua Morgan	RB/LB	Northwestern Middle School	Zachary	LA
52	Jacorryan Franklin	OL/DL	Rougon Middle School	Rougon	LA
65	Karter Williams	OL/DL	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
67	Kieran Robinson	OL/DL	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
68	Hunter Jarreau	OL/DL	Catholic High School	Baton Rouge	LA
75	Jax Spiller	OL/DL	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
78	Heyzen Vasquez	OL	Westdale Middle School	Baton Rouge	LA
99	Hendren Stewart	OL/DL	Plaquemine Middle School	Plaquemine	LA

Team East Stats:

Passing:

#	PLAYER	C-A	YDS	TD	I	C%
1	Carson Gurzi	4-7	162	2	0	57.1%
9	Andy Keith	2-3	84	1	0	66.6%
3	Jase Harris	2-3	18	0	0	66.6%
	3 Passers	8-13	264	3	0	61.5%

Rushing:

#	PLAYER	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
24	Arayvis Davenport	9	45	1	5.0
5	Ty Simpson	6	8	0	1.33
6	Amareya Reynolds	1	2	0	2.0
30	Montrevelle Lewis	1	-3	0	-3.0
8	Zyion Alexander	1	-6	0	-6.0
23	Xavier Walker	1	0	0	0.0
	6 RUSHERS	19	46	1	2.4

Receiving:

#	PLAYER	NO	YDS	TD	AVG
24	Arayvis Davenport	2	156	2	78.0
8	Zyion Alexander	1	80	1	80.0
30	Montrevelle Lewis	2	22	0	11.0
4	Jumyri Carter	1	6	0	6.0
0	Kelton Bennett	1	4	0	4.0
12	Jeremy Freeman	1	-4	0	-4.0
	6 RECEIVERS	8	264	3	33.0

Defense:

#	Player (Starter)	TotTk	Sack	Int	BrUp	QBH	FF	FR
24	Arayvis Davenport	4.5	0	0	0	1	1
7	Chris Sheppard	2.5	0	1	0	0	0
50	Sammond Davis	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
52	Johnterrius Jackson	2	0	0	0	0	0	1
6	Amareya Reynolds	2	0	0	0	0	0
0	Kelton Bennett	1.5	0	0	0	0	1
10	McKale Wyatt	1.5	0	0	0	0	0
8	Zyion Alexander	0.5	0	1	0	0	0
22	Brayden Allen	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
4	Jumyri Carter	0	0	0	1	0	0
	TOTALS	18	0	2	1	1	2	3

Team West Stats:

Passing:

#	PLAYER	C-A	YDS	TD	I	C%
1	Willie Johnson III	7-16	57	1	1	43.8%
2	Dexter Ricard	2-6	28	0	1	16.6%
	2 PASSERS	9-22	85	1	1	36.3%

Rushing:

#	PLAYER	ATT	YDS	TD	AVG
2	Dexter Ricard	7	44	0	6.3
3	Ty London	7	23	1	3.3
7	Sevin Domingue	5	8	0	1.6
1	Willie Johnson III	1	8	0	8.0
21	Jacob Scott	1	8	0	8.0
	5 RUSHERS	21	91	1	4.3

Receiving:

#	PLAYER	NO	YDS	TD	AVG	Fumble	2 PT
5	Brayden Jean	1	28	1	28.0		1 catch for 2 point conversion
12	Brice Fisher	2	28	0	14.0
7	Sevin Domingue	2	15	0	7.5	1
0	Aiden Melancon	2	6	0	3.0
4	Dustin Davis	1	6	0	6.0
6	Cameron Carter	1	2	0	2.0
	6 RECEIVERS	9	85	1	9.4	1	1 catch for 2 point conversion

Defense:

#	Player (Starter)	TotTk	Sack	Int	BrUp	QBH	FF	FR
11	Hagan Collins	5	1	0	0	0	0	0
23	Stratton Cain	4	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	Daelyn Early	3.5	2.5	0	0	0	0	0
42	Ivory Johnson	1.5	0.5	0	0	1	0	0
50	Joshua Morgan	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
52	Jacorryan Franklin	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
5	Brayden Jean	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	Cameron Carter	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
99	Hendren Stewart	0.5	0	0	0	0	0	1
24	Jamarion Campbell	0.5	0	0	0	0	0	0
10	Jayden Jones	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
	TOTALS	20	6	0	1	1	0	1

Punt Returns:

Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
Brice Fisher	1	15	15	15	0

Kick Returns:

Returner	NO	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD
Cameron Carter	1	5	5	5	0

Check out all of the photos that were taken by Billy Metcalf and Jason Saucier!

Check out our past coverage of the Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game Week below! We will post coverage of the 2023 Gridiron Football Senior All-American Bowl Game on the website by the end of the week so stay tuned!

Middle Schoolers and Seniors Get Prepared for Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Games

Kaden Dixon, Beau Perez Were First Selected in 1st Annual Gridiron Football All-American Bowl Game Draft