One last game: Davis, Melton enjoy chance to showcase talents in 252 vs. 919 Showcase

Published 1:24 am Tuesday, January 7, 2025

By Jason O. Boyd

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GREENVILLE, N.C. — Last Saturday was a brutally cold day to be outside.

The wind was whipping in all directions. Not only could you see your breath, but sometimes chunks of it would fall to the ground. Penguins said “Nah, we’re good” when asked if they wanted to go outside.

However, it seemed like a perfect day for high school football.

Some of the best seniors in the sport from the 252 area code braved the brutal cold weather and squared off again for the fourth straight year against seniors from the 919 area code. The 252 vs. 919 Showcase was played at John Paul II Catholic School in Greenville and gave athletes the chance to play in an all-star-style format in front of college scouts from all over the state and region.

Two of those athletes were Washington High School seniors Gabe Davis and Keondrick Melton. The two joined their head coach during the 2024 season, Matt Taylor, on the 252 squad. Taylor was an assistant coach for the 252 team and got to work with Davis and Melton for the last time before taking a new job as an assistant coach at D.H. Conley, where he previously coached before taking the head coach job at Washington.

“You know, it’s just been a fantastic week,” Taylor said. “You know, every single one of these kids, it’s been so much fun seeing kids from different backgrounds, from different areas of the state, and different areas of the 252, and all coming together. It was really done top-notch.”

For Davis, a linebacker, and Melton, a running back, it was a chance to play one more game, learn some new things that would help them and then showcase those talents. While the object was to win the game, it was also to have fun and make new friends. Athletes on both teams did just that and, when it was all said and done, those friendships and good times warmed their hearts.

“Oh, it was a blast,” Davis said. “We’ve been out here since Thursday and Friday practicing, having two-a-days. I mean, we’ve been waking up at 6.30, and we’ve had to have stuff planned all day up until 10 p.m. that night.

“And I got thrown into long stepping because we didn’t have one, which I mean, I picked it up pretty easily. So I mean, it’s been a blast. It’s been awesome.”

Davis was recognized at the end of the football season as Washington’s top defensive player while Melton was named Eastern Plains Conference Player of the Year. Both were able to show off their skills to scouts and fans with some positive results. Davis saw a lot of playing time on defense, snapping the ball on punts and even playing on kickoff returns. Melton didn’t see as much time but made the most of his efforts rushing with the ball and also playing on kickoff returns.

“So once I got that down pat, it was easy for me,” Melton said about learning the offensive plays. “Yeah, definitely a new playbook. That was the hardest part for me.”

And when the offense scored two touchdowns and the defense one for the 252 in a 21-10 win over the 919 players, it was something to celebrate. Both Davis and Melton spent time on the sideline talking with their new teammates and were among the first to rush to the end zone to celebrate when someone from the 252 scored.

“You know, I love football,” Melton said. “So whenever we score, I don’t care where I’m at, I’m going to go celebrate with my boys. So I bonded with the guys for the past two days.”

Davis expressed the same feelings, including how great it was to be on the field with Melton and Taylor again.

“I mean, it was awesome being able to play with Keondrick again since it was like our last, technically, high school game,” Davis said. “And it was awesome having Coach Taylor coach us one more time since he coached me for the last two years. And it’s a really cool experience because I get to play with people I’ve played against all year.”

Davis and Melton have returned to the classroom to work on the academic part of their senior season. Hopefully, they’ll get a call from a school that liked what they saw in the game and want to know more or maybe even make a college offer.

“Hopefully some scout is out here seeing what I was able to do and, hopefully, I can get another offer,” Melton said.

“I hope it boosts me and skyrockets me forward,” Davis said. “So I hope I caught a couple of people’s attention. I’m a little undersized, so I hope I showed them what I could do.”

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