Davis football building muscle and character

By Grace Calhoun

HUB  Staff Writer–

Countless hours, says Steve Smyte, head coach of DHS’ varsity football team.
A simple answer to a simple question: How many hours did the football team train this
summer?
Countless may be an exaggeration, but not by much. All throughout the 2011 to
2012 school year and the following summer, the DHS football team has worked tirelessly
on improving their speed, skillset and stamina for the current fall season.
From zero periods four days a week, to intense 6-week long conditioning camps,
the DHS football players are aiming for a winning season. Senior Adam Inouye believes
that like any team, the Blue Devils are working hard to achieve success, “Most
everybody shows up early [to practice] and leaves late to get in extra lifts or work,”
Inouye said.
According to Inouye, an average football practice can be an expected 5 hours
long, depending on how good the practice is.
Brian Stabenfelt, a varsity player since his sophomore year, spent his summer
conditioning for football. “When it gets to summer we lift and run in the heat everyday
but Friday,” he said, “and then during the last two weeks of summer we do two-a-days.”
That is roughly eight hours, per day.
Bray Harwood, another senior player, also acknowledges that DHS football can
be a serious commitment, “for football you sacrifice your mornings, afternoons, nights,
definitely your summer. [There are] long nights [of] watching film and preparing for the
game,” he said.
But for Harwood, these sacrifices are just part of the “agreement you make when
you join the team.”
Besides building muscle, Smyte makes sure his players are also building
character on and off the field. Atop their training during the summer, the Blue Devils
found time to volunteer for three days at a free youth football camp.
Despite their recent loss to Yuba City, the DHS football team is no less motivated
to win. But despite their hard work and effort, winning is not the end-all-be-all for the
team. According to Stabenfelt, “to the guys that come out every year to play it’s not about
wins and losses, it’s about the experience we get playing high school football.”