Abraham Davalos has been busy on and off the football field.
From carrying the ball on offense to making tackles on defense, the senior from Compass Academy has also been busy in the classroom, making the grades.
His work has earned him a first-team selection on the Texas High School Coaches Association Academic All-State team.
That means that Davalos excelled in the following categories: grade-point average, class rank and ACT/SAT score.
He’s one of a few football players from the Odessa-Midland area to earn first team recognition.
“It’s a real honor knowing that only a few of us out of Midland and Odessa made it,” Davalos said. “It was a real blessing that I had been recognized for that. It meant a lot to me.”
Davalos is the stepson of Cougars head football coach Floyd White.
“Just watching him grow from the little boy that I’ve known to the young man that he’s become, it’s just tremendous,” White said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the work that he puts in and how he works to get things done. It’s such a tough balance to be one of the top people in your class and to be a top-notch football player and student.”
Davalos moved to Compass Academy from Midland Legacy after White was hired as the program’s head coach in the Spring of 2022.
The Cougars’ first varsity season was in 2020.
This season, Davalos was a two-way starter with 67 carries for 470 yards and four touchdowns, along with 10 receptions for 98 yards and two scores.
Defensively, he had 101 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, four sacks, eight quarterback hurries, three fumbles caused and three fumble recoveries.
Davalos was named the District 3-3A Division II Defensive MVP, along with earning Academic All-District honors.
The Cougars finished the 2022 season 4-7 overall, 2-4 in district to reach the playoffs.
For Davalos, pushing himself on and off the field required an underlying passion.
“First and foremost, I can’t just tell myself to do this,” Davalos said. “The passion for me is what kept me going through football and academics is that in the end, I did it for the glory of God. That was my passion. That’s what got me through it.
” Secondly, it was my family that helped get me through it. They’ve always been there to get me to places and encourage me when I was down. Those two things are key to how I balanced things out.”
Davalos’ GPA sits at a perfect 4.0.
He hopes to attend the University of Texas in Austin in the fall and major in biology and pre-med, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Amber White.
“I’ve been raised around medicine,” Davalos said. “My mom’s a PA. I love the idea of giving back to the community and helping those who don’t have the resources to help themselves.
“I feel like it’s a calling for me to be that person that people can rely on when they’re lives are at stake. That’s why I want to go into pre-med.”
His mother also talked about how proud she is of him.
“We’re very proud of him and Christian, my second son who transferred to Compass this year,” Amber White said. “I’m proud of both of them.
I think Abraham has stepped up to the plate in every avenue. He’s just a young man that goes above and beyond for others and makes sure that he has his priorities.”
>> Follow Michael Bauer on Twitter at @OAmichaelba
