Call it a dazzling debut.
Daivon Douglas, a senior, was still a known commodity to his new East Aurora football teammates. They had watched him play basketball last year for the Tomcats during the second semester.
A transfer from crosstown rival West Aurora, Douglas became athletically eligible after sitting out first semester. It prevented him from a football connection, but he’s making up for lost time.
What have they learned about the 6-foot, 170-pound Douglas? Well, he’s a very good athlete.
“I played football at West my first two years, mainly running back,” Douglas said. “There’s no doubt I’d come out for football at any school I went to. I just happened to miss out on football last year.
“I was a little nervous leading up to the game, then I just got out there and did what I had to do.”
Indeed, while East Aurora dropped a 59-36 decision in the season opener Friday night at Plainfield Central, Douglas ended up making an impression by putting up 270 all-purpose yards.
During the winter, Douglas played point guard as a junior for J’Son Saunders, his stepfather who was East Aurora’s interim coach. For football coach Nick Kukuc, Douglas plays all over the field.
Or so it seems.
He ran the ball five times for 114 yards and a touchdown, caught five passes for 156 yards and two TDs, then made a handful of tackles and forced a fumble leading to a turnover on defense.
“He can go anywhere,” Kukuc said of Douglas. “He took quarterback snaps, running back snaps, plays receiver, and he can play defense at cornerback or safety.
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“He’s our Wildcat guy, taking direct snaps from center, and he’s also the punter.”
Kukuc was impressed by the grit his outnumbered team showed in hanging tough for three-plus quarters.
“We have a pretty small team this year,” he said. “We rolled up to Plainfield Central with about 22 kids. They were roughly 48 and we couldn’t keep the clock running. That game was very long.
“Toward the end, it kind of fell apart a little bit, but the first three quarters we were explosive and doing some great things.””
Senior quarterback Joseph Becker completed 16 of 32 passes for 290 yards with four TDs.
“It was only 50% but we had five drops,” Kukuc said. “Becker played very well.”
Senior receiver Alexander Carter added three catches for 79 yards and two TDs.
“All our receivers had multiple targets,” Kukuc said. “It’s unique to be in a position to have the offense we do because if you take one of our skill guys away, there’s a couple more who can get that ball in their hands.
“It can be exciting as long as we can stay healthy, absolutely.”
Becker pointed out that he and Douglas have come a long way in a short time.
“I didn’t know anything other than watching him play basketball,” Becker said. “We came into the summer, and when you have an athlete like Daivon, you can click with him just like that.
“Honestly, maybe a week of practice and a person like that, he’ll adjust to you on the fly. It’s as simple as that with somebody that good. All of a sudden, now we have a great connection.”
The Tomcats (0-1) return to action with a 7 p.m. Friday home opener at Roy E. Davis Field against Fenton (1-0) in an Upstate Eight Conference crossover.
Between the sophomore and varsity games, school officials will unveil the stadium’s new scoreboard, complete with video, funded by the East Aurora Education Foundation and local supporters.
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Douglas, Backer and the Tomcats’ offense will look to provide the fireworks.
“I love it, actually,” said Douglas, who also runs track. “Being able to go on the field and play for my team is what drives me.”
“One thing about Daivon,” Becker said. “He makes plays and gets something out of what looks like nothing. He’s truly smart. He had limited time learning the playbook and got it down, running multiple positions.”