CHAMPAIGN — Kellen Davis spent a lot of time in the Rouse household growing up through middle school.
He got “very close” with good friend George Rouse and his family, and the two of them would always find a way to mess with Rouse’s younger brother, Tommy. Davis remembers a day years ago when he dumped milk all over Tommy’s head.
“George is wilder than me,” Davis said with a laugh, “so I think it was his idea.”
That’s just one of the many memories Davis and George Rouse shared during their childhood. While there were plenty in that house, most of them came on the football field, and that’s where they’ll create another memory Friday night.
The juniors are currently the starting quarterbacks for their respective high schools, Davis at Centennial and Rouse at Champaign Central, and next on the schedule is each other. This matchup between the Chargers (3-0) and Maroons (1-2) will kickoff at Tommy Stewart Field, the shared home field of the Chargers and Maroons.
Although it is a rivalry game, there haven’t been any hints of bad blood between the teams and certainly not between the quarterbacks this week.
“I’ve played a lot of football with him, so it’s cool to be able to go out there and watch your old teammate and just be the quarterback of the other team,” Rouse said. “I know a lot of people think we don’t like each other, like ‘The quarterback for Central and quarterback for Centennial obviously don’t get along.’ … I’ve got a lot of respect for his game and a lot of respect for him. He’s a good guy to be around.”
Rouse and Davis started playing football together in fifth grade. That year, Davis was the quarterback, and Rouse was the one snapping him the ball from center. The next season, Rouse took over at quarterback, and Davis moved a couple steps behind him at running back. They developed an on-field chemistry that made them “dominant” in the middle-school scene.
That relationship carried over into other sports, as they were also on the same AAU basketball team, where they spent even more time together.
“There were a lot of sleepovers on the weekends, a lot of nights in hotels spent just hanging out,” Rouse said of his early friendship with Davis. “That’s my guy.”
Rouse and Davis aren’t tied to each other’s hips today like they once were, but Davis said they’ve gotten better because of it, being able to grow individually into their own unique quarterback.
They still work out together during the summer and hang out with their shared friend group now and then, but these days, especially this week, it’s been all business. Rouse texted Davis “Good luck” on Wednesday, but other than that, they’ve been focused on preparing for Friday night.
“We feel like we both play at a very high level, so it’s going to be entertaining for the crowd to see what we both do,” Davis said. “I’m always going to be supporting him. That’s my guy. Right now, it’s rivalry week, so we’re coming at their heads.”
That’s one aspect the coaches have actually tried to limit this week: their players getting overly excited for this one game. Both Central coach Tim Turner and Centennial coach Kyle Jackson know their players don’t need any extra motivation beyond who they’re playing on Friday night, and they’ve tried to stress that this is just another game.
“I certainly have noticed a heightened sense of focus and drive, but it’s a double-edged sword,” Turner said. “Yes, this is rivalry week, and any time we play Centennial, records go out the window, but we have another game next week. These guys have got to be ready for six more games, not just one.”
“It ain’t the Super Bowl,” Jackson echoed. “It is for the Twin City Championship, but we’ve got nine teams to play, and we don’t want to overhype any one of them. … There’s a game to play, and what we’ve stressed all week is focusing on winning that game, not talking about winning that game.”
When Jackson played for Centennial, there was a Central lineman he would always line up against, and because they were rival schools, “we thought we hated each other.”
Their senior year, they became teammates for an all-star game and soon realized “this guy ain’t that bad,” Jackson said. “
At the end of the day, Jackson added, “we’re all from Champaign.”
Friends and even family members will on opposite sides of Tommy Stewart Field on Friday night. No matter the result, the coaches are expecting plenty of smiles, hugs and pictures shared after the game. One of those postgame meetings is bound to happen between Davis and Rouse, putting a cap on their latest memory together.
“That’s really what it’s all about, giving these kids opportunities to create memories,” Turner said. “This is certainly a memory that’ll be created for both of these young men that they’ll hopefully hold on to for a lifetime. Any time you get to face a friend, it’s something special, but when you’re both the starting quarterbacks, there’s certainly a little more light shined on the situation.”
As for those quarterbacks, they’re ready.
Davis is coming in having thrown 10 touchdowns and rushed for another three through the Chargers’ undefeated start.
Rouse didn’t have to throw the ball much in the Maroons’ first win last Friday night against Springfield Lanphier with how well the running game went, but he emphasized that he’s good to go.
Davis said he and Rouse are becoming two of the best quarterbacks in the area.
They’re friends now, but just wait until kickoff Friday night.
“I don’t like that guy for about three hours,” Rouse said with a smirk, “out of the 365 days of the year.”
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