Following the 2008 football season, the name Trent Davis was of little importance to opposing coaches. Now a junior, the Wright City running back missed all but one game during his sophomore season. A year later, his name is etched into record books. By the end of the Wildcats' breakthrough season, Davis had become the focal point of defensive scouting reports. He went from playing in just one game during the 2008 season to becoming the Wildcats' all-time leading rusher a year later. Davis finished his junior campaign with 2,497 rushing yards - more than any player in school history. "At the beginning of the season, I expected to come in and play my 1/11th," said Davis. "We had a lot of people lined up, but as the weather changed they kept handing it to me. We found out this power formation really works for us." Davis' mark is the 20th most rushing yards ever amassed by a Missouri player during a single season. And only four players have run for more yards in an 11-game season like Davis. Marionville's Lee Flood owns the top two single-season totals. He ran for 3,316 yards during the Comets state runner-up campaign in 2006. Coach James Weir says he didn't expect the team would have to rely so heavily on Davis prior to the season. "I didn't think he would have the opportunity to run for that many yards," said Weir. "We had planned on spreading the ball out, but weather played a big part in the change." Davis stayed atop metro area rushing charts for most of the season, until the Wildcats final loss to Blair Oaks during the regional playoffs. He also finished with 34 touchdowns, which places him among the state's top 15 in a single season. "He had consistently good games the whole way through," said Weir. "We always trusted him to run the ball." Davis says he never fathomed being able to make such an instant impact. He broke his right ankle during preseason drills prior to his sophomore season. Davis was able to return for the Wildcats' district opener at Centralia. Against one of the state's top defenses, Davis proved that he could be a game-changer. But fate sidelined Davis for the remainder of the season, as he reinjured his ankle. "I finally got healthy enough to get back on the field, and then I got reinjured," said Davis. "It was kind of a dream crusher. Before every game I would think about the fact that I could get hurt again." Weir says he never doubted Davis' ability to be franchise-type back. "We knew in practice last year that he would be a good running back," said Weir. In fact, Wright City completely shifted its offensive approach with Davis in the backfield. With the top two rushers from 2008 having graduated, the Wildcats needed a new statistical leader. Weir took into account that his offensive line was well-suited for a straight-ahead power running style of play. He saw Davis fitting into that equation perfectly. "He does a good job of getting to the hole fast and being patient," said Weir. "He's a quick kid laterally." There was nothing fancy about Wright City's approach -  a very conservative rushing attack that relied on the line to bully its way downfield. "During the game I tell my line thanks after every play," assured Davis. His first couple of games yielded modest rushing totals. He ran for 145 yards on 20 carries in an eye-opening win over Mexico. He followed up with another pair of 100-plus yard performances. When Davis gashed the Winfield defense for 238 yards, opponents began to take notice. His numbers escalated over the next month, as he went for 328 yards in a win at Van-Far. Davis topped that with a record-setting performance against Orchard Farm. His 466 yards on 42 carries is a school record and is also the third highest single-game total in state history. "I didn't realize what I had accomplished at first," said Davis. "But when I got home I started thinking that I had never heard of anyone having that many yards before."