On this week’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells a story of a junior football player at Sto-Rox, Zay Davis, who is running his own clothing brand and has ambitions at a better path in life.
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Sto-Rox junior sewing together his ‘way out’
When Sto-Rox junior Zay Davis gets up in the morning, he's motivated.
That's evident with one look at the wide receiver and defensive back's Twitter account where he talks about invitations to multiple Division I college games and prospect camps, as well as his 3.7 GPA.
“Drive to make plays, drive to do your homework, drive to get up in the morning, get to school,” is what Davis says he thinks each morning.
And you’ll also see multiple tweets that simply say “1 Way Out.”
“It gets me up in the morning,” he said. “I always got in the back of my head that I got to do something productive. I've always got to do something good.”
That's what Zay says is the ‘1 Way Out’ mentality.
One Way Out is a clothing line that Zay's brother, Taiwan Larue, started a few years ago. It didn't take long for Zay to get involved and for others to take notice.
“It's big in our community,” Davis said. "It's not just a clothing brand no more. It's a movement.”
A movement and a message to the kids of Sto-Rox about success after high school, and how choices today can impact tomorrow.
“I see people that I'm in high school with that's still in the same streets, and I'm not trying to be in the same streets as them,” he added. “I'm trying to go and live life. I'm trying to see more.”
And that's resonated deeply with Zay's teammates.
The Vikings are off to a 5-0 start this season, with multiple players already collecting college offers.
It’s a roster full of kids with drive to be better, which is more important than the scoreboard for head coach LaRoi Johnson.
“I want my kids to see the brighter side of life, no matter what they're going through,” Johnson said. “There will always be a brighter day if we just keep our head to the sky and keep pushing forward.”
For now, you'll see 1 Way Out t-shirts in the stands at Sto-Rox games, but Zay hopes you'll soon see it on NFL sidelines. But, for him, that's just the start.
“I want to go to college. I want to have my own business,” he said. “I want to run with 1 Way Out with me and my brother, but I want to go and have my own business, so I can have my own stuff.”
“He's a special kid who just understands where he wants to be in life,” Johnson added. “He's a kid who always wants to know. Any kid that's always looking for knowledge that's how you know a kid is truly going to be successful.”
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