By KEVIN SHANNAHAN
NSU’s football program, led by new coach Blaine McCorkle, acquired some local flavor with the addition of two players from Natchitoches Central at a signing ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the Chiefs’ athletic fieldhouse.
The new Demons, Braden Woods and Camryn Davis, bring experience from both sides of the ball with Davis at wide receiver and Woods on the edge of defensive line. Both young men were multi-sport athletes in high school, displaying a high level of athleticism and a fierce work ethic. They were
each first-team All-District 1-5A football selections as seniors.
Davis, an honorable mention All-State selection last fall, had an incredible 2023 season with the Chiefs. He caught 67 passes for 1,004 yards and scored 15 touchdowns, a feat all the more impressive considering he suffered a season-ending ankle injury early in the ninth of 10 games. In the words of
NCHS coach Jess Curtis: “He was electric. He was leading the state in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.”
Davis, who has also been a standout on the Chiefs’ highly-ranked basketball team, will be majoring in business management at NSU. He has a 3.3 grade point average and has been on the A and B honor rolls at NCHS.
“It’s our home team. The (new) coaches are building relationships, and I felt like I could fit in quick,” Davis told KTBS TV. “Talking to Mom, it was about the scholarship, what they could do to help me, and what I could do to help the program.”
On the defensive side, Woods brings an equally impressive resume to the Demon squad and looks the part of a college defensive lineman standing 6-4 and weighing 220 pounds. A four-year letterman and two-year all-district selection, Woods has also been a baseball letterman.
Coach Curtis was effusive in his praise, stating, “He was a rock for us. He was our T.J. Watt. He brought high energy and physicality to our program.”
He plans to major in secondary education and go into coaching.
Both young men chose Northwestern State over competing offers from other colleges, choosing to play for their hometown university.
