Under the glare of the spotlights, buffeted by the cheers of his classmates, senior Josh King runs back onto the field after making a game-saving interception. He is being cheered on by hundreds of people in the stadium, but he knows there is one person at the center of it all.

It’s Tavaris Davie, Lawrence High’s one man-cheer squad.

“I knew they were cheering for me. But they were cheering because Tavaris was cheering,” King said. “And that made me feel so happy.”

Most high schools have a cheer squad and pom-poms to cheer on their football team, but LHS has an additional key asset. Since last year, Davie, now a senior, has been supporting the team right from the sidelines. 

“Tavaris brings a lot of support from the sidelines,” varsity tight end Cole Watson said. “Anytime I want to celebrate someone, he’s always there ready to go.”

When Davie isn’t on the sideline with the rest of the team, he can be found in the student section leading them in cheers of support for the Lions. 

“I love getting the crowd hyped up,” Davie said. 

For Davie, being the hype man was always just about supporting his team, not about himself.

“I believe that we will win,” Davie said, with enough confidence to win a hundred games.

The entire team values Davie’s unmatched enthusiasm and encouragement. 

“He’s always out there before games too,” Watson said. “Anytime you need to look for him you’ll find him, he’s on site.”

Since his junior year, Davie has gone to nearly every practice, team meal, and game, home and away.

“I think if we could have a fifth captain, he’d be the fifth,” King said. 

Davie represents a lot of the connection and community that makes Lawrence High special, especially for players like King. His season was cut short due to his second injury in as many years, and he spent a lot of games on the sideline with Davie. 

“I felt like I wasn’t alone on the sidelines, I was always with him,” King said. “I’m very thankful for Tavaris.”

Even when games were tough this season, the team continued to fight to win not just for themselves, but for Davie too.

“We wanted to win for Tavaris,” King said. 

Davie inspired everyone on the team to not give up and stuck with them through the good games as well as the bad ones. He made an impact on them simply by being present and always supporting them.

“Everyone loves Tavaris, that’s always how it’s been and always will be like that,” Watson said. 

The 2022 football season is over for now, but Davie plans on supporting the basketball and baseball teams just as much. And next year he plans to come back for the games, because he will always be a Chesty Lion.