BLUFF CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – It was a busy afternoon at Watson’s Marine and Tackle on Saturday, as customers stopped in to shop the store’s 2023 Open House weekend deals, as well as meet a few Tennessee Vols.
Sullivan East graduate and current Big Orange offensive lineman, Dayne Davis, returned to his hometown this weekend. He and two teammates – OL Jackson Lampley and OL Jeremiah Crawford – snapped some photos and spoke with Tennessee fans into the early afternoon.
“It feels great – anytime I get the chance to come back, talk to the community, hang out,” Davis said. “Just show some respect to my community to come back and kind of give back to the kids in this area is always a great time.”
The store also played the Tennessee-Alabama football matchup from back in October – a game won 52-49 by the Vols in dramatic fashion. All three players, as well as a few fans, stopped to watch the final minutes together.
“I’m on the field goal team, so playing there and being on the field for that last play,” he said. “It’s such a fun memory, I have such vivid images that I can just close my eyes and think back on, you know … I’ll remember that game for the rest of my life.”
It’s one of many memories Davis will cherish from an exciting and validating 2022 campaign.
“Makes the years that we struggled – you know, my first two years going what we did,” he said. “Three-win seasons. This season really makes it sweet for the guys that stayed and worked – put the work in.”
“This season was a great time, even though we know we fell short of what we could have been. We can’t look back on that, we’ve just got to learn the lesson and move on to next year and move forward. But, this year is one to remember – games that we won’t forget for our lives.”
Davis said after taking a few weeks off following their Orange Bowl victory, the team is back in the weight room preparing for spring practice in March.
