(Local photojournalist Rick Davis covered his son's team's championship victory Saturday. Photo by Jose Garcia aia365.com)

Saturday turned out to be a special day for Rick Davis and his son Russ.

Davis, a well-respected and well-liked veteran photojournalist with Channel 10, got to cover his son’s Division I state basketball championship game Saturday at Jobing.com Arena. Russ is a junior forward on Corona del Sol’s team.

The Davises are accustomed to winning titles. Rick won one with St. Mary’s in 1979, and his eldest son, Blake, a junior at Grand Canyon University, also won a title, in 2009, at St. Mary’s.

Russ was a junior varsity player last year but was with the varsity team when Corona del Sol made its championship run last season.

“It’s the best of both worlds,” said Rick while working and covering his son’s game Saturday.

It’s the first time this season that Rick has covered a game his son has played in.

Rick’s father, John, also got to see Rick play in his championship game with St. Mary’s. But three years after that game, John was killed in the line of duty while working with the Phoenix Police Department.

John was chasing a suspect in a bank robbery when he and his partner, Ignacio Conchos, were shot. Conchos also died.

Two schools in the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix are named after each fallen officer. John played basketball at a now defunct all-Black school in Phoenix, Carver, where John won a state title in basketball.

On Saturday, the Davises got to share yet another state title, as Corona del Sol rallied from a seven point deficit late in the fourth quarter to defeat Pinnacle 63-59. Rick likely wanted to hug his son as soon as the game was over, but he had a job to do.

(Rick Davis (right) captures Corona del Sol's state championship celebration. Photo by Jose Garcia/aia365.com)

When the game was over Rick ran to capture his son’s team’s celebration.

“This is really special,” Russ said. “Now I can say that I helped win another title for the family. It’s real cool and awesome that my dad could be here for this.”

Rick did get a chance to take a break to take a couple of photos with Russ after the game, but then he had to leave for his next assignment.

“It can’t get any better than this,” Rick said. “Well, maybe it can. Maybe next year we can win another one. I know somebody is looking down on my family, and I’m sure it’s my father.”

(Rick Davis (left) and his son Russ share a moment after Saturday's Division I final. Photo by Jose Garcia/aia365.com)