It usually doesn't happen this quickly and usually not in small towns like Leechburg.

But Damian Davies, a 1991 graduate of Freeport High School, carved out his own niche in high school basketball by coaching the Blue Devils boys team to the WPIALClass A championship March 2 in only his third season at the helm.

It was a daunting feat, considering Leechburg is the third-smallest team in the WPIAL and has only 16 boys in the senior class.

The ride came to an end March 9 when the Blue Devils lost to DuBois Central Catholic, 74-62, in the first round of the PIAAplayoffs, but that WPIAL title is just the kind of event that can lift an entire town.

"The community and everyone was so enthusiastic," said Davies, 34. "The parents, teachers and community embraced the idea of enjoying every moment."

Leechburg and Duquesne each finished with an 8-2 record in Section 4-A, and the Blue Devils had a 12-10 overall mark entering the playoffs.

"We had so many challenges this year with some players getting sick," said Davies. "We had to get that chemistry back. Everyone was doing something to elevate the whole team."

The Blue Devils defeated Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 84-68 in the first round, then downed Western Beaver 49-44 and Serra Catholic 56-55 before pulling out another one-point victory, this time in the championship final, 60-59, over California.

"We beat OLSH, who was ranked fifth the whole time and beat them easily," said Davies. "Then Western Beaver. That was such a big win in the quarterfinals. Serra Catholic was No. 1 in the state and we felt the odds were against us.

"When we won that game, everyone started thinking 'We're going to the Big Show.' What a great chance to go to the Palumbo Center.

"Then, we pulled that out against Cal,"Davies added.

"The whole family is around here and we were able to get to the games," said Davies' father, Garrie, who coached at Freeport for 22 years. "It was great fun to be around and getting to know the kids.

"I'm excited for them and the ambiance of it all. It's exciting for the whole town," he added.

Davies played under his father for three years at Freeport, attended Grove City College for two years, then transferred to Indiana (Pa.), where he graduated. He later earned a master's degree in education curriculum from Gannon.

Davies helped coach Freeport's ninth-grade team while in college and also officiated basketball.

He spent four years as an assistant at Burrell High School and four to five years at Freeport before accepting a teaching position in the Leechburg School District, where he teaches 11th grade world cultures, an honors course and eighth-grade civics.

"I've been coaching so long and been in the gym so long," said Davies. "I can still taste the gym in Punxsutawney (where his father had coached)."

In his first year at Leechburg, the Blue Devils upset WPIALNo. 1-ranked Duquesne and St. Joseph.

This season, Leechburg wasn't gaining much attention, but with games against Knoch, Valley, Canevin and Apollo-Ridge, to name a few, the Blue Devils were playing a tough out-of-section schedule.

"Not that great a record, but we played some good teams," said Davies. "The fans were kind of upset, even the coaches, but we played well."

When the team edged Duquesne 60-58 on Feb. 2, things began to fall into place.

"When we beat them at home, the players used that date and said that was the starting point," said Davies. "We had some 3-pointers to come back and we won the rest of our (section) games to win the section.

"The players did everything they could to be successful," he added.