Blanchard runs with Braden Stringer and Stephen Davis

He came from Wichita, Kan., to Blanchard to visit his aunt and uncle that summer and never left after attending Blanchard's “Summer Pride” football camp.

“I was supposed to come down for two weeks,” Davis said. “‘I was never supposed to stay.”

Davis convinced his parents to allow him to live with his aunt and uncle so he could go to school in Blanchard and play football.

“My dad wasn't going to let me do it at first, but he had a change of heart,” Davis said.

Stringer is perhaps the best athlete on the team. He also plays baseball and was a state runner-up in wrestling last season. Stringer also is a state powerlifting champion.

Stringer's work ethic is infectious, Craig said

“He is just a kid with a tremendous drive to be highly successful,” Craig said. “He has such a tremendous work ethic that he has just infected our whole team.”

Stringer, who also plays safety on Blanchard's defense, had one of three Lion interceptions of Jones quarterback David Cornwell in the first game.