CHEBOYGAN – When you come from a soccer family, you’re destined to play the sport, right?
That wasn’t exactly the case for Cheboygan’s Morgan Davis as a youngster. At eight years old, she was fine with dancing being her focus, while she “absolutely hated” soccer.
But during those early days, there was a change of heart for Davis, who credited a key person for getting her to fall in love with the sport.
It was her dad, Ryan – Cheboygan’s current varsity boys soccer coach – who was there working with his senior daughter on her shooting for about an hour following a recent practice.
“He’s my biggest encourager,” Morgan said. “He’s always giving me feedback and helping.”
With the help of dad, family, teammates and coaches, Davis has progressed into a highly energetic, versatile and cerebral player for the Chiefs. Facing Kalkaska on Monday, April 27, the Cheboygan senior forward netted her first-career hat trick as the Chiefs rolled to an 8-0 home victory.
What you saw from Davis was a player with boatloads of confidence, something she admitted she didn’t quite have during the opening stages of her high school career.
“Just seeing all the better players kind of discouraged me, but it was the summer of my sophomore year that I realized I could be good if I put in the work,” Davis said. “My dad helped me out a lot with that.”
As Davis built confidence in her craft, her play only elevated as she earned an all-Northern Shores Conference honorable mention nod as a junior last spring. But even with the breakthrough campaign she had, she knew more work was necessary to deliver a huge curtain call as a senior. Keeping her word, Davis trained rigorously and built her endurance throughout the winter.
Her dedication and skill was on full display against the Blazers, who struggled to slow down the speedy and dangerous Davis on a windy day. With each goal she scored, the senior captain celebrated like someone who looked far away from the person who doubted herself just a few years ago.
“My high school experience has been very educational, very uplifting,” Davis said. “I’m so glad that I decided to play. I would have regretted (not playing) so much, and I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to know the team and the coaches. They’ve been so supportive, so I’m very grateful for everything.”
Not only has Davis inspired her teammates, but especially Cheboygan coach Tom Markham, who lauded his star’s dedication and hunger to improve.
“She’s been working awfully hard,” Markham said. “It was obvious when she came to open gyms this winter, that she’d been working on her touch. She’s always been fast, but her touch is getting better, and her competitiveness is totally there, and she wants to work hard. She’s a good captain.”
While her high school career ends this spring, the soccer journey isn’t close to over for Davis, who recently committed to Alpena Community College. For Davis, saying goodbye to the Cheboygan soccer experience won’t be easy, but she’s trying her best to finish strong.
“I love getting a chance to be a captain – that’s what I’ve been working towards my whole high school career,” Davis said. “Being voted a captain really meant a lot to me, and I’m trying to prove to the girls that I can lead them well. I’m hoping I’m doing a good job at that, but there’s always more to learn.”
Cheboygan plays a 5 p.m. matchup at Charlevoix on Thursday, April 30.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Inspired by family, Alpena CC-bound Morgan Davis makes it big with Cheboygan soccer
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
