Joplin product Isaiah Davis makes return to southwest Missouri

Sep. 25—SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Down in the elevator lobby that connects with the press box at Missouri State's Plaster Stadium, Dantley Harbin gushed about the significance that one Isaiah Davis means to the community of Joplin and its football program.

"I want people to understand how inspirational Isaiah is to the younger generation," said Harbin, the step father of Zach Westmoreland and Davis' former youth coach. "Kids in Joplin youth football are fighting over who gets No. 20 and now No. 22."

Davis, who wore No. 20 during his standout career at Joplin, now sports No. 22 for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. The Joplin alum is one of the best running backs in Division I FCS, and he made his return to southwest Missouri on Saturday.

In a battle of top-five programs, Davis led the Jackrabbits' ground game with 83 yards on 20 carries as No. 2 SDSU came away with a 28-14 road victory over No. 4 Missouri State in Springfield.

Davis said earlier this week he anticipated 80-100 people from Joplin to make the trip for his homecoming. He hit the nail on the head.

"There's roughly 80-100 people here from Joplin," said Holden Ledford, who played with Davis on the Eagles' run to the state championship game in 2019.

Added Harbin, "There's every bit of it. There's over 100. You see people wearing Joplin Eagles gear all over the place. We are here to support him. We are so proud. He's putting us on the map."

The game lived up to its hype. The Jackrabbits grabbed an initial 14-0 lead after touchdown passes of 3 and 13 yards from All-American Mark Gronowski to Jadon Janke and Jaxon Janke.

MSU rallied behind a pair of third-quarter scoring drives to tie things up. But SDSU took over in the fourth quarter as a 21-yard pass from Gronowski to Zach Heins put the exclamation point on a 10-play drive that chewed up more than five minutes of clock and gave the visitors the lead once again.

Gronowski put the nail in the coffin with a 40-yard TD strike to Jadon Janke to account for the Jackrabbits' final scoring. SDSU improved to 3-1 and 1-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while MSU slipped to 2-2 and 0-1 in the Valley.

"I knew it was going to be a hyped game," Davis said. "It's two of the best teams in the nation. We took that into consideration, but we prepared the same way as we usually do. We knew it was going to be a big game. I think the offense and defense did a good job preparing for that. The big thing is how we prepared. I felt like we prepared the right way. We came out here today and balled."

Davis, increasing his rushing total to a team-high 319 yards in 74 carries, busted off a season-long 16-yard run in his team's second drive of the game. He proved to be a force for SDSU, particularly in short yardage situations on third down.

Jackrabbit head coach John Stiegelmeier praised his running back for sticking to his approach, even with many familiar faces in attendance.

"We knew that was going to happen. He knew that was going to happen," Stiegelmeier said. "Isaiah plays hard all the time, so I don't think he brought anything more to the game. But you can see how he (dragged) guys and he's such a strong runner. We are really excited he's a Jackrabbit."

Davis wasn't surprised about the support he received from the Joplin fanbase.

"You can tell the support is crazy from the Joplin fans," Davis said. "I love them. To all of them, I love you guys. I appreciate you guys coming. Continue the support. I'm going to continue to put on a show for you guys."

And you can bet the Eagle fanbase will stand behind No. 22 whether he's in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or Springfield, Missouri.

"It's special. He's a special player," Harbin said. "But he's an even better person. Every bit of success that Isaiah Davis is getting, there's not a more deserving person. I would bet every dime I have that Isaiah Davis wins in life."

"He's the product of doing the right thing when nobody's watching," Ledford added.

"That's it. It's doing the right thing when nobody's watching," Harbin added in the conversation. "That's Isaiah Davis."