Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Ecstatic. That was how Denair High football coach Ted Howze described his players’ reaction after a dominating 54-8 victory over Riverbank on Friday night.

It was the Coyotes’ first varsity win since the 2012 season and it helped to take the sting out of a 32-6 home loss to Summerville in the first game.

Howze said Denair’s players were “shell shocked” early in the Summerville game by a couple of big plays, but improved as the night went on. He said his coaching staff “built on the positives” as they prepared for Riverbank.

“We went through the film and corrected simple mistakes,” said Howze, the Coyotes’ first-year coach.

The result? A thorough annihilation of the Bruins. Denair led 13-0 before Riverbank touched the ball, 26-0 after the first quarter and 40-8 at halftime.

The Coyotes’ power running game overwhelmed Riverbank, piling up more than 300 yards in the first two quarters and 497 for the game. Senior fullback Austin Hughes led the way with 140 yards and a touchdown, senior running back Alex Valle gained 120 and scored three times, and senior quarterback Dominyc Silva ran for two touchdowns and returned a fumble recovery on defense for a third.

Denair frequently ran behind right tackle Ryan Galahno, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior who mauled Riverbank’s defense. Continue reading “DHS Dominates Riverbank 54-8” »

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

They are small in numbers, but mighty in spirit. Energized by a new coach with an innovative offensive approach, the Denair High football team can’t wait for the 2014 season to start.

The Coyotes open at home Friday against Summerville. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.

The 21 members of the varsity and 23 boys on the junior varsity have been practicing for two weeks, but the seeds to a revamped program were planted in early April when Ted Howze was selected to be the varsity coach.

It is Howze’s first foray into the high school ranks after many years as a successful coach with the Cen-Cal Junior Football program in Turlock. He is a veterinarian by training and owns a large-animal practice in Turlock. He also is a former Turlock city council member (2006-10).

Howze has a strong connection to Denair High. His oldest son graduated in the spring and his two youngest sons still attend the school. His late wife, Sharon, was an assistant track coach for the Coyotes.

He takes over a program that was 2-17 the past two seasons.  Howze knows he must change the culture for Denair to again become competitive in the Southern League.

“One of our primary goals is to create an atmosphere where students and parents want to be at Denair High — athletically and academically,” he said. “It’s going to set a tone for other sports as well.”

Howze is passionate about football.

“I’ve wanted to be a high school football coach since I was 15 years old,” said Howze, who played guard and linebacker at Hanford High School before earning degrees in exercise physiology and veterinary medicine at the University of California at Davis. “I knew football was something that influenced my life and built character.” Continue reading “Denair High School Pumped Up for First Football Game” »