If there’s a faculty superlative in the yearbook for “Best Bromance,” the two most likely to win it every year are the Jasons: Jason Davis and Jason Barnett. Both are math teachers, both are coaches, and both drive classic blue Jeeps. In fact, their “bromance” has been covered by Beat reporters in this 2021 article called “The Dynamic Duo.”
Barnett has been interviewed by the Beat before, most recently for this article about his “Be An Athlete” podcast, but now it is Davis’ turn.
Davis, who has been coaching for 31 years and teaching high school for 28 years, has guided many students in his time at FCHS. In the classroom, Davis teaches students important mathematical concepts, while on the field, he instructs them in sports such as soccer and tennis. He’s also a senior class sponsor and organizes many activities for the graduating class.
However, whether he’s taking a team to Regionals or a charter bus full of seniors to Baltimore, there’s one thing always on Davis’ mind: family.
“Honestly, the reason I became a soccer coach was my family. I was the tennis coach, but my wife and kids were over on the soccer pitch. It only made sense to make the switch. Now soccer is my favorite sport year-round,” said Davis.
Kristen Davis, Davis’ wife, says her earliest memory of him being involved in soccer was at her younger sister’s soccer game. Even though Davis had little information about soccer and the rules, he argued with the referee over the calls made. This resulted in the official stopping the game and asking Davis to be quiet or leave.
“Needless to say, when our kids expressed an interest in soccer, he made a conscious effort not to be the ignorant guy yelling from the sidelines,” said Kristen.
Being both a teacher and a soccer coach has become one of Davis’ favorite parts of his life, but seeing kids improve and work hard with his help is another.
“The best thing about teaching and coaching is getting to see young people rewarded for their hard work and effort. Seeing someone succeed and knowing that you were a small part of their journey is pretty awesome,” said Davis.
The couple has three kids: Emory, Lauren, and Will. All three graduated from FCHS and are in college. Emory graduates in May from Hampden Sydney College and is going to be commissioned as a second lieutenant logistics officer in the U.S. Army. Lauren is in her junior year as a marine science major at Coastal Carolina University, and looks forward to being a beach lifeguard again this summer. Will is in the middle of his freshman year at Averett University as a physical therapy major, and is also playing on the soccer team.
Kristen is the instructional technologist at FCHS and also works alongside the girls’ soccer team.
“It has been really amazing getting to coach soccer with my wife in the same area. We have different teams, of course, but the ability to see each other do something we both really enjoy is really rare and pretty awesome,” said Jason.
He said he spends his time outside school watching sports like college basketball and football, refereeing for soccer matches as a part-time job, and reading books by Stephen King. Davis also loves pro-wrestling and participated in a match between Coach Barnett and two wrestlers. Davis said he, sadly, didn’t win this match.
The upcoming soccer season will be Davis’ second year of being the head coach for the boys’ soccer team. He hopes to make a run at a spot at Regionals, but is mainly focusing on improving the team.
“I am hoping that we learn to play as a unit, and allow our skills to shine through our collective toughness,” he said.
