For Davis, South Bend Is the Place : Shrine Game: Banning High football star will attend Notre Dame because he wants to get away from home.

Travis Davis rushed for 1,760 yards and 18 touchdowns last season for Wilmington Banning High, but the real excitement came two months after he turned in his equipment.

A prized recruit, Davis got caught in a tug-of-war between coaches from Stanford and Notre Dame. USC, UCLA and Washington also sought him.

The problem started after Davis returned from a visit to South Bend, Ind., in mid-January. A Southland newspaper, quoting a Banning assistant coach, said Davis had made an unwritten commitment to the Irish.

Davis and his parents vehemently denied that such a commitment had been made. A week later, Stanford Coach Dennis Green was the guest speaker at the Banning football banquet.

The last-ditch effort by Green to sign Davis did not work, however, and he committed to Notre Dame the day after the banquet.

“I think silently I had decided after I got back from Notre Dame that that was where I wanted to go,” Davis said. “Stanford was a close second choice, though.

“To be honest, I really thought it was time to get away from home and do a little growing up. I was born and raised in Southern California, and I’m a little tired of it here. There are lots of problems and many people’s attitudes are very strange. I felt comfortable in South Bend.”

Davis, 18, said he is not worried about being lonely or adjusting to the change in climate at Notre Dame. He said he plans to be busy earning a spot on the team.

This week, Davis was busy preparing for tonight’s 40th Shrine North-South All-Star football game to benefit the Shriners’ Hospital for Crippled Children. Kickoff is at 6 at the Rose Bowl.

In a game featuring the best senior players in the state, Davis, 6-1, 190, will start at right cornerback for the South despite being one of the City’s leading rushers in 1990. He was a three-year starter at defensive back for the Pilots.

“I like running back, but you don’t get as banged up playing defensive back,” said Davis, who won the triple jump in the City track and field championships this year. “I think my future at Notre Dame is in the defensive backfield.”

Davis grew up near Carson High, Banning’s main rival. But his neighborhood is in the Banning district, so he became a Pilot instead of a Colt. By the fifth game of his sophomore season, he had worked his way into the starting lineup. Banning lost to Carson in the City 4-A Division title game.

His junior year was a disappointment because he spent most of the season on the bench because of a twisted ankle. Davis got hurt in the second game and played sparingly the rest of the season. The Pilots failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Last season was a different story. After losing its first two games, Banning won nine of its next 10 with Davis leading the way. But the Pilots lost to Carson, 37-16, in the City championship game.

“That loss still sticks out,” Davis said, “but the whole season was not a total loss. I’ve got a lot to look forward to.”

Shrine Game Notes

Each team is composed of 30 players, selected by prep reporters and coaches from throughout the state. The South is coached by Dick Barrett of Lompoc and Gary Meek of Anaheim Esperanza. George White of San Francisco Galileo and Mike Vogt of Visalia Mt. Whitney coach the North.