FERRIDAY — Although he is just a senior at Ferriday High School, Aaron Davis already knows all about overcoming adversity.

Davis was a three-sport athlete at Ferriday, playing football, basketball and running track, up until October of his senior year, when a horrific accident ended his career.

In October, Davis was working on his car and the jack gave way, causing the car to fall on his head. The impact caused serious damage to his skull, inner ear and nerves.

Davis was forced to leave school and quit playing sports while he was rehabilitating in three different hospitals.

“I (played) until homecoming,” Davis said.

“Homecoming was my last game before I had my accident, and you know, I missed out on it. I would have liked to play the rest of the year.”

Davis still uses a cane to help him walk, but he hopes to be better by the end of the school year, he said.

“It messed up a lot of stuff in my inner ear, dealing with my balance and it messed up a couple of nerves in there too,” Davis said.

“In two or three months, you know, by graduation, I should be up to par.”

Although Davis was forced to miss school, he still kept his grades up while he was recovering.

“(I have) all As and Bs,” said Davis, who sports a 3.14 GPA and made a 21 on his ACT.

Athletics were not the only thing driving Davis to do well in the classroom, he said.

“You have to have good academics, well not good academics, but average academics to play sports,” Davis said.

“But I’ve always liked to excel in the classroom and just keep my grades as high as possible. I always give 100 percent.”

Davis knew that his hard work would benefit him, he said.

“(It was important) knowing that (academics) will pay off in the long run in order to have a good transcript and something good for my resume.”

Well, Davis’ effort did pay off, and he was honored in a big way in February at the Miss-Lou Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

Davis was invited to chapter’s banquet and was awarded a $1000 scholarship.

“It was a bigger deal than I expected,” Davis said.

“I thought it was just going to be a few people there, but there was some pretty big names. You know coach (Larry) Fedora from Southern Miss and a few other big names and accomplished football players from this area.”

“I mean I can’t say I was too surprised to (get the scholarship), but it felt good. It was a very nice banquet and it’s a great achievement.”

Davis plans to use his scholarship money and continue his education at LSU next fall.

“(I’m) most likely (going to) LSU,” Davis said.

“I’ve applied and got accepted. But, I mean there’s a few other options out there but LSU is my main focus.”

There are a lot of things to like about LSU, Davis said.

“LSU is one of the premier schools in Louisiana, in the U.S. really. It is a good opportunity to meet a lot of people from around the world and they have a great curriculum.”

Davis plans to study civil engineering.

Although Davis’s football career was cut short by his injury he still takes a lot from his athletic experiences at Ferriday.

“I’ve grown a lot muscle wise, and I’ve built a lot of character,” Davis said.

“Playing sports in high school is something that most people should do. If you have the ability to play sports you should do it because it’s a good experience and you make lifetime friends.”

Davis said his mother, Dorothea Davis, was there to keep him motivated along the way.

“(Definitely) my mom (is one of my biggest influences). She’s encouraged me and is always staying on top of me and making sure I’m doing my work. She keeps up with me and helps me out.”

If Davis ever needed a few more reps in the gym or to take a few more jump shots during his athletic career, vice principal James Davis was there to lend a hand.

“Athletically, Coach Davis (helped me a lot). He would come to the gym and open the gym for me to get a couple of shots up or open the weight room to do some weights or go to the track (with me) and run around the track.”

Outside of school and sports Davis is an avid hunter and fisherman. He has not been able to hunt this season because his head is still sensitive to loud noises, he said.

“But, I’ve been fishing, I went fishing last weekend, caught a white perch. Next hunting season I should be ready to roll.”

Davis does not have much planned for his summer, after graduation, he said. Just working at Home Hardware in Ferriday, preparing for college and therapy.