Davis is always set to meet a challenge

Sunny skies with temperatures in the 60s are forecast for Saturday’s CIF Division III state football championship bowl game at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

That’s OK with linebacker Dylan Davis of Ventura St. Bonaventure, but if he really had his way there would be blizzard conditions for the Seraphs’ game at noon against Santa Rosa Cardinal Newman.

The tougher the environment, the more he seems to thrive.

“He’s got incredible toughness,” Coach Todd Therrien said.

A year ago, Davis was a sophomore linebacker for the Seraphs playing against Modesto Central Catholic in the Division III game when he broke his foot at some point in the third quarter.

He didn’t tell anyone. “It just started to hurt,” he said. “I had an idea it was broken because I had broken it before, but I didn’t care. It was a big game.”

His head-on collision with running back Louis Bland on the first play of the fourth quarter, stopping him a yard short on fourth and two from St. Bonaventure’s 42-yard line, changed the game. Soon, the Seraphs got a 70-yard touchdown pass, breaking a 14-14 tie and going on to a 35-21 victory.

“When I hit the guy, the adrenaline was pumping,” Davis said. “I couldn’t feel anything.”

Davis limped off the field all smiles and his foot was put into a cast the next week. Such is the life of a linebacker who cherishes the sport.

Last week, in the Southern Section Northern Division final, Davis suffered a puncture to his hand caused by a tooth or a cleat. Again, he didn’t tell anyone, though this time he didn’t know himself until he removed his gloves at the end of St. Bonaventure’s 42-7 victory over Moorpark.

Wounded or not, Davis made two interceptions in the game. He went to a hospital the next morning, but it was too late for stitches. The doctor gave him a tetanus shot and left the wound open because it was infected.

“He definitely has a high tolerance for pain,” his mother, Kerry, said.

At 6 feet and 225 pounds, with quickness, mobility and instincts, Davis has established himself as one of the best linebacker prospects in the Southland.

He credits two older brothers for getting him ready for football.

“It was my brothers beating me up all these years that made me tough,” he said. “I thank them for that.”

Therrien doesn’t think there is a more versatile high school linebacker.

“He can run, he can hit, he can cover,” Therrien said. “He’s special.”

Teammates recognized Davis’ commitment by voting him a team captain as a junior. There had never been a junior captain since Therrien became a part of the St. Bonaventure program in 1993.

“He seems like a leader in the way he carries himself out there,” Moorpark Coach Tim Lins said.

St. Bonaventure (13-1) isn’t about to rest on the accomplishment of winning a Northern Division title. Stretching their season into a 15th week is something the players have wanted since practice began in August.

“For our seniors, this is what they live for,” Davis said.

The Seraphs have been tested, having fought Pac-5 Division champion Long Beach Poly to the end before losing, 12-7, this season.

“It gave us motivation to win the rest of our games and play at a high level,” Davis said.

Come Saturday, don’t expect to find a player more ready to play than Davis even though he’s hurting physically.

“I’m pretty banged up, but you do what you do,” he said.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com