By Greg Gielczyk  
LocalSportsJournal.com  

SCOTTVILLE — After an eight-year stint as the football coach at Ravenna, his alma mater, Dave Smith moved over to Hesperia for a one-year gig there before taking a break.  

Now that he’s sufficiently “recharged his battery,” as he puts it, Smith is ready to grab the reins again. And, for the second time in his career, he’s replacing a longtime man at Mason County Central in Scott Briggs.  

Briggs guided the Spartans for the past 27 years, but last took them to the playoffs in 2015 and has grandchildren that need his attention.

It’s familiar ground for the 45-year-old, who followed Dusty Fairfield, who won four state titles (1994, 1995, 1997 and 2003) and compiled a 29-10 post-season record with a state runner-up finish in 1996.  

He’s used to stepping into a pressure cooker, although he’s looking more at the kind from within himself rather than any outside noise.  

“(Coaching at Ravenna) was more pressure, I think, because I was from there,” Smith said. “I played there, and people expected a lot out of me. I think there was more pressure there than it is here. Nobody has higher expectations of me than me. I’m up five o’clock this morning, can’t sleep, watching the alarm clock waiting for it to go off.  

“I’ve just got thoughts in my head. It’s what I do. It’s not a pressure. It’s more like an excitement, a standard I want to get to. The pressure is what I put there.”

Newly hired Mason County Central Spartans head football coach Dave Smith (Photo/Greg Gielczyk)

Smith admits he took the middle school physical education teaching position at MCC last fall with the intent to take over the football program.  

Last season, he served as the Spartans’ offensive coordinator and also worked with the defensive backs, establishing a close rapport with the players he hopes pays dividends now that he’s head man.  

“I run a Pro I, Power I, so I’m old school with the fullback and tailback,” said Smith. “Really concentrate on the line of scrimmage.  

“The same with defense. I like an attacking defense, usually some form of an odd front with a nose guard. As an assistant coach, I could kind of get back to feel like you’re coaching more technique and honed in on a certain position.  

“I had a good time. Coaches were great, and the kids were great. Scott’s a good guy. Talked to him on the phone last night. He’s very supportive.”  

As the offensive coordinator Smith actually started implementing the offense he ran at Ravenna last fall. It was an entirely new offense for the Spartans.  

He plans on tweaking it this year and hit the ground running when the Spartans hit the field for the season opener Aug. 25 against Godwin Heights.  

“I’m more concerned with blocking and tackling, than plays and schemes,” added Smith. “I think we’re going in the right direction, but time will tell.”  

Smith and his wife, Rhonda, have two boys, Elijah, who’ll be a sophomore and Mason is entering the seventh grade.