Davis High football fans, pay close attention …

Spring practice has started for the Blue Devils. Numbers of players are up, the coach is pleased with the condition of his troops and more not-so-little Devils will be coming from the junior highs after graduation.

“The guys have really gotten after it,” second-year head DHS coach Steve Smyte explained after a workout Thursday. “We seem to be faster as a team. Our offseason conditioning really helped. I think, also, we have more depth; more guys that can come in and play.”

In the past three seasons, Davis has been rung up on the gridiron — a 5-25 record. Not since Steven Hoffart, Alex Bell and Scott Malinoff roamed old Halden Field in 2007 have the Blue Devils had a winning record (7-4 and a playoff appearance).

Smyte — a former UC Davis and Boise State assistant coach — is doing his darnedest to change the recent image.

About those numbers being up: Twenty-seven players were at practice Thursday. Four or five others were involved in “other sports or commitments,” according to Smyte. By the end of spring practice (next Thursday), a couple of junior varsity candidates could be bumped up.

Once the Sierra College camp begins on June 21, those once-ninth-graders will be getting their first taste of varsity.

That could push the roster close to 40. When last year’s 1-9 season ended, Smyte and Company had 23 healthy players. When DHS went to the postseason in ’07, it had 51 varsity performers.

“We’re going to be young,” Smyte explains, smiling at the prospect. “We have more juniors than seniors, which speaks (well) to the depth of the program. If we can get five or six of those sophomores playing with us …”

Smyte is happy that the program is headed in the right direction.

Davis Junior Blue Devil youth tackle football expanded to eight teams (from four) in 2010. The idea is to introduce players to the sport without high impact, according to Junior Blue Devil official Al Inouye, while providing some teams with experienced or solidly prepared athletes.

Many of those program graduates will play freshman ball for DHS next fall. Others could be coming from junior varsity. With the year-round conditioning in place at the school (zero period has afforded weightlifting at 6:15 a.m. for players since January), it’s understandable that Smyte is encouraged by the hand he’s holding.

Davis will play only nine games this year. Week 5, going into Delta Valley Conference play, is a bye and Smyte decided to leave it that way.

The Devils could have had a game before their opener at Armijo in September or filled the bye week.

“It gives us a leg up on game planning going into league and lets our guys heal for a week. We went into (DVC) really banged up last year,” Smyte added.

In 2012, Smyte promises that the Blue Devils will be back to a 10-game slate, but he likes the idea of keeping the week before conference open.

DHS, which gets veteran coach Randy Malmgren (Laney and Sierra colleges) back as defensive coordinator, has some strong boys and will play a four-man front with Jacob Schroeder, Bray Harwood and Nick Denton already drawing kudos from the coaches.

“It’s gonna be a while for Cookie Monster (Schroeder),” Smyte says as the soon-to-be senior is playing himself into shape after missing last season with a knee injury. “He made it through two practices. He has good feet for a big guy (6-2, 260) and we’re counting on him to play his way back into shape.

“And there’s Nick (just coming off his track and field season as a shot put standout). He’s a beast. He played a little with us last year … he’s such a strong guy. Harwood gives us a little speed up there … and we’re working in two or three others. Those guys should get some double teams, which will let (linebacker) Corey Nelson be the ballhawk that he is. He’s one of the best defensive players in the area.”

Then Smyte’s smile gets even bigger …

While it’s way too early to begin the talk of who plays where on offense — defenses are normally ahead of the game at this point — there’s one guarantee for the 2011 Blue Devils: quarterback Shayne Reagan is going be their GPS.

Smyte’s opening up the offense because there won’t be a burner like Courtney Williams in the backfield. That means lots of all-DVC first-teamer Reagan.

“He’s the guy and he’s looking very sharp,” Smyte says. “His arm’s as good as anybody’s.”

Washington State, Nevada, Fresno, Sacramento and San Jose states and UC Davis are just a few of the scouts who Smyte said have dropped by for a look-see regarding the angular senior.

“We just seem so much further ahead this year,” Smyte added.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or (530) 747-8047.

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DHS football coach Steve Smyte address his players at a Thursday meeting as part of the Blue Devils’ ongoing spring practice. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

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