Prep football: Two familiar Sacramento-area coaches return to lead teams
Matt Costa was ready for a football return and Steve Smyte couldn’t stay away.
Those two familiar coaching leaders are back in their element, coaching football, and they come in booming of good cheer. They represent a boost for their schools and the regional game in general.
Costa left Pleasant Grove High School during this past season, on the brink of burnout as he stepped aside from a team he loved to tend to personal problems. Known for his spirit and jump-starting struggling programs, Costa accepted the post at Del Campo, located within walking distance of where he lives in the San Juan Unified School District which he grew up in.
Unlike when he turned Kennedy and Pleasant Grove from 0-10 teams to playoff programs, Del Campo has been formidable for years. His energy and pedigree makes Del Campo an immediate threat in a deep and talented Capital Athletic League that includes Capital Christian, Christian Brothers and Vista del Lago.
“So fired up to be back,” Costa said. “I appreciated the kids and everyone at Pleasant Grove, and everything is OK for me, and Del Campo feels so much like home.”
Smyte coached Davis High to a 10-2 showing in 2019 in winning the program’s first Delta League championship since 1994, when Dave Whitmire was closing out his storied career. Smyte, like so many coaches, felt fatigued as this can be a year-round grind, so he took a year off from the prep circuit to call plays for a new, small college in Oakland.
But he couldn’t stay away from the high school scene, and the Blue Devils need his infusion of knowledge, leadership and personality. Davis went 1-8 in the fall.
“It’s like the scene from ‘The Godfather’ when Michael Corleone says, ‘Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!’” Smyte said. “As (longtime college coach) Chris Petersen said to me, “Coaching isn’t a profession. It’s a disease.’ I’ll do my best to try and get Davis headed in the right direction.”
Placek plan
Kevin Placek, the jovial, hard-working longtime area assistant coach, is the new El Dorado coach, taking over a program steeped in tradition. This is his first head-coaching gig.
Placek is rooted in the region, having played in the trenches at Ponderosa in the late 1990s, including rivalry games against nearby El Dorado. His wife, her mother and her grandparents are all El Dorado graduates. Placek vows to stash his Ponderosa garb from his playing days and add to his new school gear.
Remembering Bob Bastian
Bob Bastian, an All-Metro lineman at Grant in 1950 and ‘51 who taught and coached for more than 30 years as a beloved leader, died this week. He was 88.
Bastian was a decades-long Rio Linda resident and advocate of the schools and region. He was longtime school-board trustee with the Twin Rivers Unified School District. Bastian played football at American River College and on the 1955 team at Sacramento State, the program’s second team.
When Grant High won the 2008 CIF State Open Division championship. Bastian attended the downtown parade to celebrate the Pacers, and he attended the Kings game in which players and coaches were recognized during a stoppage of play.
Said Bastian then, “I’m just proud to be a Pacer, proud to be part of this region.”