FAIRVIEW, Ala. – The Fairview Lady Aggies put together great seasons on both the basketball court and softball field last year and in this interview, I talked to Allison Davis about some of her favorite memories from both seasons and what it was like playing alongside an amazing group of teammates.
“I feel like it did not start how we wanted it to because we lost two great players to injury, but we did not let that stop us. We had our ups and downs, but we pushed through it together as a team. Even though it didn’t end the way we wanted it to end, we are going to bounce back this upcoming season,” Davis said. “I learned that even when you’re going through a tough time, you need to stick together and push through. We faced a lot of adversity this past year, but I feel like we handled it good and pushed through, even if it was tough. We had a lot of injuries, so we had to adjust, and we had people step up when we needed them to. I loved playing with the girls because it’s a group that has your back, no matter what, and pushes you to be the best version of yourself.”
Senior Sadie Smith missed last season due to an injury, but she will be back this upcoming season and Allison can’t wait to share the court with her again. She has learned so much from head coach Justin Billings and took away so much from last year’s seniors, Jaycee Aleman and Emma Garcia.
“Getting Sadie back is great because she is a big part of the team, and she is a great leader. She’s a great teammate. She pushes you to get better every day and she picks you up when you get down. I learned that to not take being on the court for granted and I didn’t just learn from her on the court, but off the court as well. I’m ready to get back on the court with her,” Davis said. “Playing for coach Billings has been really great. He’s pushed me to become a better version of myself and he’s taught me to be confident when I play, and to have fun. I have learned a lot from him. He taught me to push myself and to never give up.”
She added,
“I loved playing with them. Emma pushed me and motivated me every time I stepped on the court. She was such a great leader and a great friend. Jaycee is one of my best friends. She has a great work ethic and is just a great player all-around. I learned to keep fighting and pushing, and never quit or give up. I learned that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. I’m really going to miss being on the court with them.”
Allison had surgery on her ankle not too long ago and will have help from her team and coaches to help her get back to 100%. She has some goals set for herself and for the team, plus she talked about what will make this team special to watch next season.
“I’m going to have to work hard for the upcoming season. I just recently had ankle surgery, so I’m going to have to get back in the groove once I get the okay to come back. It’s going to be hard to come back, but I have some great coaches and teammates that are going to be behind me, pushing me, and helping me get back on the court. I just have to have faith and trust in God,” she said. “My individual goals are to become a better leader, focus on my weaknesses this year, and to lay it all out on the court. Team goals are to win county, make it out of area, and to make it to the Final Four, but we got to do it before we can talk about it.”
She added,
“We’ll be special to watch because every one of us gives 110%; we fight and never give up. We stick together when things get tough and overcome it.”
Fairview had another solid season in softball and came just one game short of making it to Regionals. Allison saw a lot of good things and learned some things during that season, plus she was blessed to get to play alongside some great girls.
“I feel like we came together as a team, and we gave it our all every game. We always bounced back after a bad game. We had some ups and downs, but we came together at the end, and we didn’t let each other get down,” she said. “I learned that anything is possible if you have faith, play through God, and never give up. One of the main things I learned is to never let people get you down and never let their bad energy get to you. There are a lot of great young players, and I loved playing with all of them. We competed every day and pushed each other to be better than we were the day before.”
Allison soaked up as much as she could from her coaches last season and from Jaycee as well.
“Playing under coach Annie King and coach Ball was a great experience. Coach King gave me a chance and opportunity to show her what I got after not playing softball for five years. I learned a whole lot from them. They taught me that even when you feel like you’re doing bad, you’re down, and you want to give up, remember why we love the game and why we started in the first place. Coach King has pushed me the past three years and I’m always going to be grateful for that. Coach Ball helped me throughout the years she helped coach, and I won’t ever forget that,” she said. “Jaycee was a great leader and she stepped up and did what she needed to do for the team. I learned a lot from her, but one big thing I have learned is that when the team needs you, you have to step up and do what the team needs from you and do what’s best for the team.”
Allison has seen her game grow a lot from her freshman year, but she’ll continue to improve on some things to help get ready for next season. She talked about her goals and the team goals, plus what will make this team special to watch.
“It’s grown a lot since my freshman year,” she said. “I’m going to work on my hitting, get better at reading the pitch from the hip, and see the ball to the bat. I’m also going to work on improving my outfield skills. My individual goals are to be a leader, encourage and push the younger girls to get better every single day. I also want to have better at-bats this upcoming season. For the team goals, I want to win county and make it out of area.”
She added,
“When you are watching this team, everyone has their doubts because of what our record has been, but we stepped up, blocked out all the negativity, focused on us, and we got better. You can see how every girl puts their all out onto the field.”
Allison talked about a couple of role models that she looked up to, plus the best advice that she was ever given.
“I had a couple of role models: Deavan Fulmer and Kaitlyn Benson. They always gave it their all and they encouraged me. They were great leaders. I have had a lot of great advice, but I’ll always remember my grandma saying to always trust God, have faith, play through Him, be the best teammate I can be for my team, be the best player for God, and to always give all the glory to Him.”
Copyright 2023 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
