The whirlwind starts now.

It took only 90 minutes to make an assessment …

The 2011 Davis High Blue Devil football team has a completely different feel to what we saw in coach Steve Smyte’s first season.

Despite its best intentions, DHS was hamstrung from the beginning. Smyte was hired late (appointed in May, for Pete’s sake) and scrambled to put together a conditioning program that would have benefited from another six months.

The Blue Devils couldn’t get in a passing league, had late registration for the Sierra College football camp, then readied for the rugged season by greeting fewer than 30 healthy bodies — many of whom had never played football.

After a fool’s gold victory (31-6 over a woeful Armijo) in the opener, Davis High had nothing but bad luck.

With one of the top running backs in the region — Courtney Williams — Smyte built his offensive world around the stylish senior. That plan came crashing down early in the second game when Williams suffered a deep thigh bruise. It would sideline him for several games. When he came back, he was at 60 percent efficiency.

Smyte admitted that “most of our offense — most of our team — was designed around Courtney.” The Blue Devils shifted gears.

Luckily, junior quarterback Shayne Reagan emerged. So capable was this 6-foot-2 rambling man that Davis went from ground game to aerial attack with little preparation.

The unfortunate part was that Reagan’s two favorite targets — Dillon Brown and Peter Smith — nursed injuries, missing time and leaving Reagan with an inexperienced staff that learned on the job.

Nonetheless, Reagan turned heads. While the Devils continued to lose, they never quit. In the process, Reagan tied or set four DHS passing records and drew the attention of major colleges.

Reagan was the top Delta Valley Conference QB and comes back to a 2011 Davis team surrounded by football players.

With a full year of conditioning, a great showing in the Del Oro passing league and a handful of new faces with real football résumés, DHS — 5-25 over the past three seasons — could be one of the region’s best-kept secrets (unless people like me keep writing about them).

Football isn’t cheap and requires a lot of advance planning. And when a program — along with feeder ranks like the Junior Blue Devils youth teams — faces tough times, it takes a while to recover.

Once again, the stars aligned.

Smyte is the right guy, at the right time — and folks like the Davis Blue Devil Football Backers and the Blue & White Foundation are quick to help wherever possible. Hats off, too, to Al Inouye, who helped bring those Junior Devils back to championship status, even adding four teams.

Smyte, who is steeped in next-level football after years assisting at UC Davis and Boise State, knows what it takes to put together a strong program. He teaches his guys to respect the game, their teammates and hard work.

With six home games, plan on spending your Friday nights at Ron & Mary Brown Stadium. There won’t be a better night’s entertainment, especially within walking distance!

While I Have You Here: It was standing-room-only in the South Gym as the new Blue Devil girls volleyball coach greeted more than 60 hopeful netters on Monday.

Julie Crawford, once the junior varsity coach, moved up to the top spot this fall, replacing longtime leader Leigh Whitmire. Crawford — who also took over the boys’ program last spring — was happy with the turnout and her new coaching staff.

“This is great. I’m excited having a young, enthusiastic coaching staff, too,” Crawford said, smiling as her collection of players included veterans, girls up from her JV squad and a promising transfer.

Lyndsay Cantrell moves from frosh to JV coach and two UC Davis students — club player Naveen Hattis and his lifelong friend Eddie Dudoit (both of St. Madonna High in Santa Cruz) — join Crawford’s fold.

In the gym Monday, Crawford gave props to players such as Lindsay Chambers (“came out looking real strong”), Beth Vidmar (“blew everybody out of the water on the conditioning”), Angelina Leigh (“she’s looking sharp, too”) and veteran Nikki Persinger (“she’s expected to be a leader”).

As the week moves along, new DHS girls golf coach Amanda Ryan greets her team Tuesday afternoon, Sandie Marotti-Huckis takes over field hockey chores from Katy Loge (their first practice is Wednesday) and Sally Hosley is back for her second fall with the girls tennis team, which meets for the first time Wednesday night.

The other four fall sports — boys soccer, cross country, girls and boys water polo — officially get going next week.

— Bruce Gallaudet is a staff writer for The Davis Enterprise. Reach him at [email protected] or (530) 747-8047.

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DHS girls volleyball coach Julie Crawford, middle, talks to some of the nearly 60 players who came out to tryouts on Monday hoping to make the 2011 Blue Devils squad. Crawford, who took over last season as the DHS boys’ head coach, moved up from JV girls to take over the varsity program this fall. Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo

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