California Life has agreed with two former Hahnville Tiger football stars.
For Timothy Roberts of Fullerton College and Ricky Davis of Fresno City College, the respective first seasons of the two friends and former teammates showed great promise.
Roberts, a safety, already has made school history at Fullerton, tying the school record for interceptions in a game with three, a feat he nailed down against Grossmont on Oct. 25 of 2014, helping spur Fullerton to a 40-22 victory.
“My coach gave me a heads up that their quarterback was overthrowing, so stay deep,” Roberts recalled. “He was overthrowing it every time, so I made the adjustment … I’ve never done that at any level. It’s pretty uncommon. It took me awhile to realize I did it since I was in the heat of the moment.”
Roberts finished his freshman season with five interceptions, an impressive figure especially considering he was converting to safety for the first time in his career, after playing as a linebacker at Hahnville. That mark led Fullerton’s conference, the National Southern Conference of the California Community College Athletic Association.
“It hasn’t been easy,” Roberts admitted. “In high school, I never had to cover the slot receiver. That’s a tough assignment because they’re quick and very shifty. I had to learn how to cover over my first summer there. The more I did it, the better I got.”
He also said the tackling aspects of his job change a little.
“Playing close to the line at linebacker, you’re just exploding into the running back,” he said. “At safety, you end up one on one with him and he’s got so much more room to roam. We do a drill, a sprint-and-gather, we call it, and I put in a lot of work on those.”
Roberts has also gotten it done in the classroom, maintaining a 3.4 GPA.
Davis, meanwhile, has transferred from Contra Costa College to Fresno City College, where he has been rehabbing a torn ACL suffered last season.
The injury derailed a strong initial season. As a freshman, Davis led Contra Costa in sacks.
Now, he looks forward to a return to the field in 2016, after sitting out this year and redshirting.
“It’s been really good,” Davis said. “I should be 100 percent recovered when it’s time to hit the field again.”
The defensive end said he changed schools because Fresno City College plays in a higher classification as a Division I junior college. Contra Costa played in Division II.
“You have more opportunities to be seen in the higher division and it’ll give Division I schools a chance to recruit me,” he said.
The biggest adjustment to the college game, he said, is its fast pace—not to mention the expectations to perform at that pace.
“A lot more is expected of you, there’s no doubt about that,” Davis said. “They’re (the coaches) not going to hold your hand. You’re expected to know what to do and then you carry it out on the next play.”
Davis has stayed at defensive end, just as he played on the prep level, and he said that position suits him just fine.
“You get the first chance to make the play,” Davis said. “You’re not reliant on another position. You can push the issue.”
Roberts said he and Davis speak regularly.
“He drove out here for spring break and saw my first game,” Roberts said. “I talk to him all the time.
“He’s four hours away, but you’re still close enough to see one another from time to time. It’s good to have him out here.”
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