COLUMBUS — The Columbus Christian Academy track team, normally decked in their school colors of red and black, donned neon green accessories and outfits at the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 2A track and field championships at Madison-Ridgeland Academy last week.
The color was a show of solidarity and support for their coach, Marcus Davidson, who was diagnosed with Lymphoma just before the start of the season.
Beyond the outward show of support, the Rams also rewarded Owens by winning the boys MAIS 2A track and field championship.
“The color is a neon green, and MAIS allowed us to wear it that day,” he said. “It didn’t come close to looking like our normal uniforms, but they let us wear them. It was a flash all day long around the track. It’s been so warming to see the support, and it brought us even closer together than we were.”
Just as he chose to battle the disease and fight, they chose to fight for him.
“We knew we were going to have a chance at a good year, and shortly after we started practicing, I was diagnosed with cancer,” Davidson said. “That hit a nerve within us, and I started getting a lot of support from the kids, their families and the school to fight this thing out. I was going to treatment and still being there even when there were days I didn’t feel like it. It pushed them to fight more, and they pushed me to fight.”
The Rams came away with several pieces of hardware at the meet, with the boys winning the overall team championship.
Junior Matthew Benge won the 200-meter dash, Jordan McShane won the high jump, and the relay team completed a hat-trick with 4×100, 4×200 and 4×400 relay wins. The relay team nearly completed a clean sweep, finishing 2nd in the 4×800 race as well.
Other medalists include Gavin Cook, Eli Farlow, Hill Imonn, Tyler Phillips, Welton Davidson and David Easterling.
On the girls team, Cassie Carter, Star Easterwood, Carrie Kinard and Olivia Cantrell qualified, with Carter taking home bronze in the shot put finals.
Davidson is the athletic director, and this year he stepped in to help out with basketball and football as well as with the track team, which he has coached since his arrival two years ago. After his diagnosis, the school rallied around him along with other MAIS schools that competed. It was a lot for Davidson to take in, and he expressed his gratitude for the work the kids have put in, driving him to be his best for them as much as they wanted to do their best for him.
“We already have a tight-knit school, but seeing the support from our administration, the parents and kids, that my family has gotten, it’s been overwhelming,” he said of the support from CCA. “There were a lot of people praying and fighting this battle with us. When the kids found out, it gave them even more determination to work hard. The work they put in, preparing themselves, it not only won them a state title but also helped me through this situation. It was unbelievable.”
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