NOTE: Davis finished with a 7-3 overall record last year and was second in Region 1 with a 5-1 record. It lost to Jordan 41-29 in 5A first round.
KAYSVILLE — They'll be competing in a new region, and they'll have a lot of new faces who'll be stepping into starting roles this season.
But when it comes down to Davis High School, they'll be the same old Darts — a proud, tradition-rich program which knows how to win year in and year out, is a perennial state playoff contender and is always in the hunt for the region championship.
Yep, despite their new league and a lack of returning starters, it'll still be business as usual at Davis High this year — the Darts will just keep doing what they've seemingly always done.
Indeed, as their team slogan proudly states: "Defend the Tradition."
And second-year head coach Tyler Gladwell feels like he's got enough talented players in the program to keep its proud winning tradition in tact.
"We've got a great group of kids," said Gladwell, who served as the school's interim head coach last year and, after guiding the Darts to a solid 7-3 season, had the "interim" tag removed from his title in January. "Our kids come here every day, work hard at practice, and they're very coachable.
"They've been working hard since January in the weight room and in their conditioning, trying to get stronger and faster, and ever since we started in the spring with our 7-on-7 stuff, it's been a competition at every position. And these kids have done everything we've asked of them and have continued to get better.
"And now that we're into the season, I'm excited for the kids that we have," he said. "There's still some competition going on at spots, but I'm very excited for the team and the type of kids that we have."
With only four returning starters on offense and three on defense, that might qualify as a rebuilding year at most schools. But Davis High isn't most schools, and Coach Gladwell has a promising blend of seniors and juniors who will join forces for another run at a region title.
"This is a year where we might have more underclassmen playing for us and more kids playing both ways than in the past," he said. "We have really good players in our senior group, but I don't know if we have as many as we've had in the past. Our numbers are a little lower than normal for our senior class, but our junior class is a bigger group than usual and is very talented."
Leading the way for the offense this year will be a trio of linemen — senior tackle Sam Van Wynen, junior guard Colton Jeffery and senior center Camden Hess — who started all or much of last season.
"That's a big plus," Gladwell said of having three starting O-linemen back again. "That doesn't normally happen. Because of our numbers, year in and year out, we don't get a ton of returning starters every year."
Van Wynen started every game last year at left tackle, Hess started several games and Jeffery earned a starting role as a sophomore in 2014.
Also back is senior wide receiver Griffin Hill, a returning starter who led the team in receiving last year.
The Darts' starting quarterback will be senior Kallin Fisher, who didn't see a ton of varsity playing time last year but is poised to step in and add a new dimension to the offense this year.
"Last year we had a pocket-type quarterback (Parker Christiansen), who was a big, tall basketball player that was very good at staying in the pocket," Gladwell said. "Kallin is just the opposite of that. He's athletic, he's strong, he's got kind of a running back build to him. He's got a very strong arm and is an athletic-type kid.
"He's not the pocket kid, even though he can throw from the pocket. He's got other skills to him, running being one of them. He's a strong, good-looking kid, a good runner, and not the prototypical just sit-in-the-pocket-and-throw-it type of kid.
"The thing about Kallin is he's a football player, and on Friday nights he's gonna go out and play football," the Darts' head coach said. "Whether he's making plays with his arm or his legs, he's what you call a gamer. He's a kid that you know will make plays for you and go out and he's gonna play hard. He's a very, very competitive kid, so I'm really excited to watch him play for us this year."
Fisher, who had 174 yards on 17 carries — an average of over 10 years a carry — and a touchdown last year and also threw a TD pass, will be backed up by junior QB Hayden Grange.
At running back, seniors Nick Roberts, Johnny Wilcox and Ben Dunford are available, along with junior Riley Smith, and Smith and Roberts "are the guys that will get the majority of the reps once the season starts," according to Gladwell.
Hill will again lead the Darts' receiving corps after catching 31 passes for 481 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
"We're excited about Griffin," Gladwell said. "He's a playmaker, has great hands, runs great routes and is very dynamic when he has the ball in his hands after a catch. He's a very good player and we're excited for him to be back and be our guy. It's nice to have him back."
Joining Hill at wide receiver is senior Braden Gapinski, who Gladwell says "is really a good player as well. To have both of those guys, I think they're going to complement each other really well. I think Braden has a lot of the same talents as Griffin, where he's kind of a bigger target, he's very good after the catch, he has good hands and I think he'll complement Griffin.
"If defenses want to play to Griffin's side, it opens things up for Braden and we're fine with that because Braden's a good player. Or if they want to play Braden's side, then Griffin opens up. So I think it's a really good combination with those kids on the outside. We're excited about both of them."
Another senior, Mitch Nelson, will start at slot receiver.
"He's a shifty little kid, a feisty kid, and he'll catch the ball in traffic," Gladwell said. "He's that prototypical little shifty slot receiver."
Backing them up is senior McGyver Clark, "the utility guy who can play all three spots," his coach says. "He can play outside for us, he can play inside for us. He's a great kid to have there because of his versatility with playing all the receiver spots for us. He's a good leader for us, too."
At tight end, junior Luke Norton "is a big, tall kid (6-feet-4) who's a big target and is also real physical in the run game," Gladwell said. "He does a great job with our run-blocking stuff, and he also gives Kallin a big target to throw to. He's got really good, strong hands and is very physical after catching the ball. He's a physical runner, and he'll be a good asset for us at that tight end position."
Connor Taylor, a senior returning starter at linebacker, "gives us another weapon at tight end," Gladwell said. "He gives us another chance to go two tight ends or to bring in another tight end to help out our offense.
"At the skill positions, we've got some good playmakers and some kids we can rely on," he added. "If one kid is being double-covered, we've got other kids that can exploit that. Defenses are going to have to stay balanced on us. They're not going to be able to just choose one kid to stop."
On the offensive line, Hess is the returning starter at center and is backed up by junior Matt Merback.
Jeffery, who will see plenty of playing time on defense this year, returns at guard, where he's joined by junior Cline Chatterton and senior Matt Jensen.
And at offensive tackle, Van Wynen is the returning starter, while juniors Spencer Last and Avery Brown are battling it out for the other starting tackle spot.
"We're just trying to find the best five," Gladwell said of his starting O-line prospects. "Whatever combination it is, and we're still trying to work that out."
Moving over to the defensive line, Jeffery is a returning starter and can play both the tackle and end positions, as can senior returning starter Luke Buttars, who had 45 tackles and 3.5 sacks last season. Those two will definitely start on the D-line this time around, with junior defensive tackle Cesar Calvillo, senior defensive end Jordan Ryan, senior defensive end/tackle Jarin Koelliker and junior defensive tackle Matt Chytraus all vying for playing time.
Taylor is not only a returning starter at middle linebacker, but he was also the team's top tackler last year on his way to earning All-State honors. He piled up 105 total tackles with two sacks and an interception as a junior in 2014.
"He's a good player and team leader for us," Gladwell said of Taylor. "He'll play a little bit of tight end as well. With Connor, whether it's in the weight room, if it's at practice, and definitely in a game, our kids look at him to be our guy. And we're definitely expecting some big things from him this year. He's a great kid."
Senior Matt Beecher can play inside or outside linebacker, while seniors Dillon Atkinson and Thomas Hazeldine can also man the outside backer spots along with juniors Jake Hadley and Hayden Garlock, and junior Eli Beard provides depth in the middle.
At safety, senior Jacob Moffett and junior Riley Stringham will be the starters, with seniors Peter Gardiner and Mason McCleary backing them up. And at cornerback, seniors Parker Elkins and Jarrett Gardner will start, with junior Hayden Lawson and senior Kyle Peters providing depth.
Moving to a new Region 2 alignment this year, Davis is the preseason favorite in a league which includes traditional Davis County rivals Syracuse, Layton and Viewmont, along with Salt Lake City-area schools Hunter, Granger and West.
"It's a good league," Gladwell said. "Take the four of us that are up north — us, Layton, Syracuse and Viewmont — and it's always been very competitive with those four schools anyway, and that'll continue. We all know each other really well; we know what they do on 'O' and 'D,' they know what we do on 'O' and 'D,' so that'll be very competitive and nothing will change there.
"The last couple of years, we've played Hunter in the preseason, so we feel like we've gotten familiar with them and got to know what they're about. It'll be West and Granger that will be kinda new to us and what they do if it's scheme or the type of kids they have or the type of coaching that they provide. I do know that with all three of those schools, they're run-heavy teams with good athletic-type runner kids. It's just smash-mouth football — they're big, strong and run-it-down-your-throat type of teams."
Coach Gladwell looks at his neighboring Davis County school, Layton High, as the likely team to beat when the Region 2 season starts heating up in October.
"Layton should win our region," he said. "They've got a lot of returners. They've got the kid (Julian Blackmon) that just signed with the University of Utah, and they've got the quarterback (Tayler Katoa) that's getting all these Pac-12 offers from Oregon State and from BYU, Utah and Utah State. He tore us up last year as a sophomore. They're very talented.
"I think Layton will be very good. I think they've got a really good team as far as athletically skilled players, they have lot of returners from last year and are always well-coached by Jim Batchelor.
"Syracuse is good every single year, they've got got good kids and good coaching every year," Gladwell said in sizing up the rest of the league. "Viewmont's got a lot of kids back from their team last year, and I think they have some dynamic players they'll be able to get the ball to, so they'll be really good. And then hopefully we'll be there, too, competing with all of 'em. It'll be a tough, physical region. We'll beat each other up, that's for sure."
And when it's all said and done, the Darts will do their absolute best to "Defend the Tradition" because, let's face facts — that's what Davis High always does.
Davis Darts at a glance
Head coach: Tyler Gladwell enters his second year as Davis High's head coach. He went 7-3 last season and is 10-10 overall as a high school head coach. He is a graduate of Bonneville High School and Weber State University.
Offense (4 returning starters; Spread formation)
Offensive coordinator: Tyler Gladwell (7 years as an assistant at the school, 2nd year as head coach)
Returning offensive starters
Griffin Hill (WR)
Sam Van Wynen (OT)
Colton Jeffery (OG)
Camden Hess (C)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Kallin Fisher (QB)
Nick Roberts (RB)
Riley Smith (RB)
Braden Gapinski (WR)
Mitch Nelson (Slot)
McGyver Clark (WR/Slot)
Luke Norton (TE)
Cline Chatterton (OG)
Matt Jensen (OG)
Defense (3 returning starters; 4-3 formation)
Defensive coordinator: Preston Parrish (8 years as assistant)
Returning defensive starters
Connor Taylor (LB)
Colton Jeffery (DL)
Luke Buttars (DL)
Defensive newcomers to watch
Cesar Calvillo (DT)
Jordan Ryan (DE)
Jarin Koelliker (DL)
Matt Chytraus (DT)
Matt Beecher (LB)
Dillon Atkinson (LB)
Thomas Hazeldine (LB)
Jacob Moffett (S)
Riley Stringham (S)
Parker Elkins (CB)
Jarett Gardner (CB)
Coaches preseason Region 2 straw poll: First
Deseret News Region 2 prediction: First
Bottom line: Second-year head coach Tyler Gladwell has only a handful of returning starters from last year's state playoff team, but they include the team's leading receiver, Griffin Hill, three offensive linemen — Sam Van Wynen, Colton Jeffery and Camden Hess — the team's leading tackler, Connor Taylor, and defensive linemen Jeffery and Luke Buttars. That gives them a solid nucleus to build around. Senior QB Kallin Fisher, running backs Nick Roberts and Riley Smith, receivers Braden Gapinski, Mitch Nelson and McGyver Clark and tight end Luke Norton are promising playmakers who will also help fuel the Darts' offensive attack. With eight new starters on defense, it might seem like a daunting task to replace them, but the Davis coaching staff feels like all the pieces are in place to "Defend the Tradition" — and at Davis High, that means plenty of winning for this proud program. After a difficult stretch of three straight region road games at West, Syracuse and Granger, the Darts can likely determine their fate in their final two home games against Hunter and Layton.
Last 5
2014 — 7-3 (5-1 in Region 1 – 5A First round)
2013 — 9-1 (6-0 in Region 1 – 5A First round)
2012 — 7-5 (2-3 in Region 1 – 5A Quarterfinals)
2011 — 5-4 (3-2 in Region 1 – 5A First round)
2010 — 8-2 (7-1 in Region 1 – 5A First Round)
Davis coaching history
2014-current — Tyler Gladwell (7-3)
2001-2013 — Ryan Bishop (80-53-1)
1984-2000 — Jim Dickson (108-77)
1979-83 — Ward Sawley (43-12)
1969-78 — Jay Cullimore (74-36-1)
1959-68 — Gerald Purdy (67-33-4)
1947-58 — Lee Liston (64-36-6)
1941-46 — Howard "Tuff" Linford (34-17-7)
1937-40 — "Deb" Young (21-10-2)
1934-36 — Floyd Millet (12-6)
1931-33 — Ray Forsburg (11-8-1)
1926-30 — Jack Croft (18-15-2)
1923-25 — James Anderson (2-19)
1921-22 — Floyd Anderson (5-8-1)
1920 — Wilf Romney (6-2)
1919 — Homer Warner (1-6)
1915-1917 — Lorin Briggs (6-10)
Deseret News MVPs the past 10 years
2009 — Tanner Hinds, RB
Deseret News First Team All-Staters the past 10 years
2014 — Ty Hinds, DB
2012 — Chance Parker, DB
2012 — Jackson Peacock, LB
2011 — Troy Hinds, DL
2008 — Tanner Hinds, RB
2008 — James Cowser, DL
2006 — Austin Taylor, DL
2006 — Nick Martineau, DB
2006 — Chaz Walker, DB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com