Emanuel and Tamika Saunders had a ton to cheer about on Friday night.
Roaring loud from the visiting stands, the Saunders braced the windy night in matching blue Eminence Warriors hoodies. Even though Eminence was defeated on the road by Kentucky Country Day 58-27, there was plenty to smile about postgame.
Subscribe: The Courier Journal launched a high school sports newsletter
Emanuel and Tamika's son, Davontaye, may not have won with the Warriors but he did single handily keep Eminence in the game. Saunders finished the night with 139 yards on 16 carries, six catches for 131 yards and all four of the Warriors' touchdowns.
It wasn't even his best game of the season or even his most exciting ... according to his parents.
"He broke the school record," Tamika said. "I think he scored seven touchdowns in one game. That was the most exciting for me."
Saunders broke the school record after rushing for 307 yards and seven total touchdowns (four rushing, three receiving) in the Warriors’ 50-48 win over Melcalfe County on Sept.10. Saunders had broke his six touchdown record-setting performance two weeks earlier.
Since he was four, Davontaye has found ways to out-do himself on the football field. Having the opportunity to coach his son in the fifth and sixth grade, Emanuel had the best seat in the house to his son's emergence as a player.
"He's been this way since pee-wee," Emanuel said. "I coached fifth and sixth grade and we went undefeated and the reason why was because of him. We actually beat them (Kentucky County Day) 36-6 when we came down here. So he's been doing this for a long time."
Now a senior at Eminence, Davontaye is much better than the pee-wee stud he was back in middle school. This season, Saunders has rushed for 1,477 yards and 22 touchdowns while also hauling in 30 catches for 643 yards and 13 touchdowns.
What makes Davontaye such a tough cover is his versatility. Not only is he the Warriors' best weapon on the ground, he's also a quick shifty receiver and a handful on defense. Saunders puts a lot of time into his game. Emanuel showed him the way, now he's just following the path.
"It's exciting for us because it's all him," Emanuel said. "It's all his doing. All we did was just give him guidance and be parents to him. He does the hard work. He gets up, goes to gym at 4:30 before school starts in the morning and works out, so he's been really dedicated."
"He even has a part-time job," Tamika added. "He makes it really easy."
Kentucky Country Day did its best to prepare for Saunders. KCD coach Matthew Jones remembered all too well the last time his team faced a member of the Saunders family.
"We didn't slow him down much," Jones said. "We tried but No.15 is a great player, the Saunders kid. We played against his brother two years ago and he was the same type of player."
It's not surprising with the type of talent Davontaye possess that it's genetic. His older brother Dakadrien Saunders is a walk-on at the University of Louisville playing defensive back, and while Davontaye acknowledges the talent that runs in his family, he emphasizes that he has his own ways of doing things.
"We run aggressive," Davontaye said. "He's more of a power runner, he uses his strength to run while I'm more of an agile runner. I'll use my speed to get outside because it runs in the family."
You might've thought Saunders' last name was Sanders by the way he ran the football on Friday. Every cut, spin and juke was pulled off with purpose and power. He showed patience and allowed blocks to open up, yet didn't hesitate to attack when an opportunity arrived.
On touchdown runs of 63 and 52 yards, Saunders wasn't tying the game up or really even putting a dent into KCD's lead, yet it was still hard to take your eyes off of him. The Warriors are 6-3 this season and a lot of that has to do with Saunders' ability to break open big runs effortlessly.
"Since I'm a senior leader I think once they're watching me make plays it give them a boost of confidence," Davontaye said. "When I step up and kind of get into the mix it helps everyone get their name out there too."
As the final weeks of Davontaye's high school football career begin to dwindle, the Eminence star already has multiple looks from colleges. He's already been offered by Campbellsville and has listed EKU, Lindsey Wilson and Thomas More as potential landing spots as well.
For Emanuel and Tamika, they're helping Davontaye through the process of college visits while also enjoying his final few games as a Warrior. It means the world to them to be able to support him and be the loudest in the section when he breaks off one of his many touchdowns.
"We're just blessed by God that we have two outstanding kids that love the game of football and stay out of trouble and just have fun," Emanuel said.
Follow Courier Journal reporter J.L. Kirven on Twitter @JL_Kirven for more updates on Louisville prep sports.