Davis signs football scholarship days after lightning strike

The week of January 22 was all about two different “streaks” for Elba’s Ashton Davis – one type good, one type bad. 

Once the week was over, though, the teenager lucky to be alive ended up with a football scholarship to a prominent Division II school.

Just five days after a “streak” of lightning hit him at an Elba car wash Jan. 23, Davis was running “streak” routes for Delta State Statesmen coaches in Mississippi. And on Feb. 1, Davis officially signed to play for the Division II semifinalist, ending a bizarre chapter in his life. 

“I just fell in love with the campus, plus they have a very good nursing program,” Davis said of his decision to sign with Delta State.

Davis, though, knows the fact that he is alive, let alone about to play football at the collegiate level, is a miracle in itself. 

“I’m lucky to be here. God was with me that whole time,” he said. 

Davis works for the Elba Recreation Department, and on Jan. 23, he donated blood. His boss gave him a half-day off, so Davis decided to use part of it washing his truck at a local car wash. 

Storm clouds began to roll in, but Davis thought little of it. 

“I heard the lightning popping around me, but I had a little over two minutes left on the timer, so I thought I would finish up,” he said.

Then Davis remembers a bright flash in front of his face. Suddenly, he was thrown against a brick wall.

Davis became the one in 10,000 people who are struck by lightning in their lifetimes, according to the National Weather Service.

“That’s the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I couldn’t move my left leg or left arm,” he said, adding he suffered a concussion from hitting the wall. 

The next few minutes were all about trying to get some help, not football, not washing the truck or anything else.

“I crawled up to the truck and got the door open. I used the steering wheel to pull me up. I grabbed my phone and called 911,” he said. 

Emergency personnel transported Davis to Elba General Hospital, then to a Dothan hospital. It appeared his life was not in danger, but there were other concerns – especially about the left-side paralysis he continued to suffer. 

Davis, though, was concentrating on one thing: football. 

“All I was worried about was playing ball again. That’s all I kept asking doctors -- was if I was going to play ball again,” he said. 

Playing football had been a dream in the making for Davis (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) who won a state championship while playing at Pike Liberal Arts. 

Davis was set to sign a scholarship to Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., before graduating in 2011, but the NCAA declared one of his math classes was unacceptable. Davis attended Enterprise State Community College to become eligible. 

Despite the one-year layoff, Davis said small schools continued to recruit him, some as an outside linebacker and some as a wide receiver/tight end. In fact, he had scheduled a visit to Delta State on January 27 and 28. 

The teen healed quickly and was well enough to make that appointment. 

Davis said Delta State coaches had no idea he had been hit with lightning earlier that week when he started the tryout. 

Davis tried to push through the entire workout, which included running routes, but understandably stopped his effort only a few minutes into the process.   

“Every time my heart rate got up, my head started hurting (from the concussion),” he said. “I guess they saw enough.” 

When coaches heard later that Davis had been struck by lightning, they were a little perturbed he did not let them know of his bizarre week. 

“They told me I wouldn’t have had to work out,” Davis said. 

Even though Davis’ main concern was getting to the football field again immediately after the lightning strike, he said his priorities have shuffled in the few weeks since the event. 

“God, family, school then football. It was a real eye-opener,” he said. “There were a lot of people that showed me love through this time. You find out who your true friends are.” 

Davis is slated to play tight end for the Statesmen, a team that has won five of its last six conference titles. Delta State finished fourth in the final Division II poll.