Lacey Middle Schooler Prepping for National All-Star Game

A Lacey Middle School student will be one of 33 players representing Monmouth and Ocean counties as a member of the Jersey Shore All-Star American Youth Football team at the spring AYF Football Bowl in June.

Patrick Davis, an eighth-grader, has been playing spring football for the Manchester Hawks – one of five players from Lacey on the team, according to head coach Patrick Riley. And he was one of three Lacey boys selected for the all-star team after tryouts, Riley said. Two other Lacey players were chosen in addition to Davis, those boys are not participating in the game, one due to an injury, and the other declined for personal reasons, Riley said.

The AYF Football Bowl is June 22 and 23 in Baltimore.

Spring football was just an opportunity for the boys who wanted to play to do so, said Riley, who coached in the Toms River Raiders organization in the fall. The Raiders couldn’t field a spring team because they had sent their equipment out for repairs, he said, so he joined in with Manchester’s program.

Davis, who also participated in the fall Monmouth vs. Ocean all-star game, is playing for the Jersey Shore squad as a kicker and a safety, Riley said.

“Patrick is a great kid,” Riley said. “He’ll do anything you ask.”

As a kicker, Davis is a game-changer, Riley said.

“He’s a phenomenal kicker. He had several touchbacks (where the kicker boots the ball to the end zone on the kickoff, preventing the other team from being able to run the kickoff up the field).”

Davis also booted a 31-yard field goal in a win over Jackson.

“For the first time in my career, we kicked a field goal in a game,” Riley said. “That’s how much faith I have in his kicking ability.”