With a ‘Swiss army knife’ performance, Davis wins its first game of the spring season
It was a long time since Davis High School football players and coaches felt the euphoria of victory — 511 days to be exact.
That streak ended Friday night in Sacramento as the Blue Devils beat Sheldon 14-0.
They did it behind five turnovers, including an interception by the star of the night, Donovan Garvin, in the fourth quarter. Davis players laughed and smiled after the game. No one was giddier than coach Steve Smythe, who couldn’t completely hide his grin under his KN95 mask. Davis opened the season with close losses to Vacaville and Pleasant Grove. This was Sheldon’s first game.
“Everyone who is playing right now is a winner,” Smythe said. “They have had to endure 16 months of this. They’ve had to go through so much to get to this point. We measure success by our guys growing. This is all worth it. (Our guys) love being out here. It’s a great feeling to get a win but these guys won before they stepped on the field.”
The lone points of the first half came on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Trajan Clark to Garvin. On the ensuing drive, Clark went down with a head injury and was kept out of the game for precautionary reasons. He had 67 passing yards and 28 rushing yards.
“At halftime, we had to make up a whole new gameplan,” Smythe said. “I’ve never had a situation like that in the first quarter where we lost our quarterback and long snapper.”
Garvin stepped in at quarterback and made big plays when it mattered, including a 27-yard completion to Ryan Jaramillo on fourth and 22 with less than three minutes to play. That iced the game. Garvin’s older brother Brennen was a quarterback at Davis last season. He was in the stands cheering his brother on Friday.
“I’m pretty sure I heard (my brother) from the stands yelling,” Garvin said with a laugh. “I’m sure he was yelling at me for making a bad throw here or there.”
Garvin added, “No one can prepare to be thrown into a quarterback spot. Throughout the week (I get reps at quarterback). My defensive head coach has been making fun of me because I wear a red jersey at practice. Coach Smythe always told me to be prepared and know my reads just in case. Tonight was the case.”
The Blue Devils offensive line consisting of Jacob Allen, Zachary Brooks, Cooper Christiansen, Anthony Edson, Patton Miller, Josiah Roa and tight end Liam Sheehan opened big holes for running back Aaron Turner, who finished with 117 yards rushing. As a team, Davis had 316 yards of total offense.
“I cannot praise them enough for today,” Garvin said. “I know we have been struggling the last few weeks, but today they most definitely stepped up in a time of need.”
He added with a laugh, “I know (the offensive line) eats a lot. I know they love Mexican food, so maybe (I’ll reward them) with burritos. Maybe it will be on my tab.”
Davis led 6-0 with nine minutes remaining in the game when Sheehan scored on a fluke play. A Sheldon defender popped the ball out of Turner’s hands and it was recovered in the end zone by Sheehan. Garvin converted the 2-point conversion to make it 14-0.
“He’s our Swiss army knife,” Smythe said of Garvin. “He can do everything.”
It was a good day for the Nixon family at Sheldon. Chris Nixon made his head coaching debut at Sheldon after working as offensive coordinator during the 2019 season. His quarterback is son Sean, who passed for 158 yards. He threw two completions to his younger brother Scott for 20 yards. Sheldon running back Malcolm McGlothin ran for 103 yards and Isaiah McMillian caught seven passes for 91 yards.
The Huskies honored Manny Antwi, the 18-year-old Kennedy football player who died last month after a game, with a No. 77 sticker on their helmets, Antwi’s number. Chris Nixon said son Sean suggested the idea.
Both teams will play at home next week. Sheldon plays River City on Thursday and Davis plays Saturday against Cosumnes Oaks.
Friday’s games
Monterey Trail 57, Cosumnes Oaks 21
Folsom 40, Whitney 7
Rocklin 17, Granite Bay 14
Oak Ridge 35, Del Oro 14
Oakmont 16, Antelope 14
Inderkum 14, Woodcreek 13
Davis 14, Sheldon 0
Lincoln Zebras 48 Rio Linda 0
Vista del Lago 44, Ponderosa 7
Winters 37, Bradshaw Christian 30
Roseville 42, River Valley 21
Dixon 38, Florin 0
Yuba City 14, Peasant Valley 7
El Dorado 20, Union Mine 16
Christian Brothers 76, El Camino 14
De La Salle 42, Jesuit 7
Natomas 47, Valley 8
Woodland 18, River City 15
Turlock 44, Enochs 6
Pitman 26, Modesto 12
Stagg 34, Franklin-Stockton 0
Rodriguez 64, Vallejo 20
South Tahoe 20, Amador 18
Gustone 32, El Capitan 6
Waterford 46, Orestimba 37
Calaveras 20, Argonaut 14
This story was originally published April 3, 2021 at 5:42 AM.