Denton hopes to put on his dancing shoes

Need a reason to pull for Gavit this year? Well, here are two reasons why it’s not a bad thing to see the glad put back in the Gladiators this season. One, their head coach, Scott Oman, has been an assistant for Gavit since 1993 and finally gets a chance to be the head whistle blower. And two, more victories would mean some of Gavit’s core players must be making key contributions, including senior lineman Felix Denton. And that means you just might get to see the 5-10, 270-pound Denton go Jason Taylor after making a big play.

“Felix has this dance that he does when he gets a sack, or during the rare ocassion he’ll get a touchdown, called the ‘Fat Man Dance,’ ” said Gavit running back/safety Mitchell Tipton. “In our sophomore year he got an interception, and I still don’t know how. When he got into the end zone he made up a dance while he was there. Now he does it on sacks and things of that nature.”

“Felix has this dance that he does when he gets a sack, or during the rare ocassion he’ll get a touchdown, called the ‘Fat Man Dance,’ ” said Gavit running back/safety Mitchell Tipton. “In our sophomore year he got an interception, and I still don’t know how. When he got into the end zone he made up a dance while he was there. Now he does it on sacks and things of that nature.”

For Gavit to improve on its second straight 2-8 season, it needs upgrades across the board, not to mention more man power than the 25 players who originally showed up to training camp. But one thing Oman won’t have to worry about is the continued improvement of Denton (who, by the way, is an all-conference wrestler who can bench-press 330 pounds and leg-press 750, so call him “fat man” at your own risk).

For Gavit to improve on its second straight 2-8 season, it needs upgrades across the board, not to mention more man power than the 25 players who originally showed up to training camp. But one thing Oman won’t have to worry about is the continued improvement of Denton (who, by the way, is an all-conference wrestler who can bench-press 330 pounds and leg-press 750, so call him “fat man” at your own risk).

“I think I can contribute a lot to this team — I know I’ve gotten stronger, faster, and I’m just ready,” Denton said. “I know we have a really great chance of putting it to some of the teams on our schedule. We are really working hard and making tremendous strength gains so I’m really looking forward to this season.”

But what’s a beginning of a Gavit season without a little adversity? It’s been less than a month since Del Pittman was releases as head coach and athletic director of Gavit over an apparent teaching certificate snafu, almost a year to the day after Pittman replaced Shane Snyder as head coach. That makes Oman the third coach in three years for the Gladiators, which according to Denton will not be a problem.

“We haven’t had time to work with any one coach,” said Denton, whose Gavit squad has won only seven games in those three years. “At the same time I feel more comfortable now that we can just focus on going out there and doing what we have to do to win.”

And that includes having on of the team’s best players dance their way into the win column more often.

“Felix is very important to this football team because he’s one of the senior leaders and the best lineman on the team,” Tipton said. “Just as I have to lead the skill players this year, he has to lead the linemen.”

Coach

Scott Oman

Coach’s record

Overall: 0-0

Last season

Lost 52-0 to Knox in sectional opener

Key returnees

OL/DL Felix Denton nR

B/S Mitchell Tipton

Key losses

QB Royal Donald

DL/RB Eric White

Season outlook

Sometimes little things you really don’t notice make the difference between improvement and the same-old, same-old. Here’s why Gavit could receive more of the former than the latter: At a recent practice, there were six Gavit players sitting outside of Scott Oman’s office a full hour before practice was scheduled to begin. That’s dedication. And it goes all the way up to the head coach.

“I’m their third coach in three years and I’m hoping to bring stability to the program,” Oman said. “There is a little chaos here because our seniors have never had a set program. I want to be here a long time and I want these kids to know that I’m not going to leave Gavit.”

Consider all of the above a step in the right direction. Gavit hopes to improve, though it will come by baby steps.