The end of the high school sports year has officially arrived. The seniors will graduate on Friday and are on to their next adventures. It is time to look back at how the Davis High teams fared playing in the powerful Sierra Foothill League (SFL) for the first time.
The Blue Devil football team made the most news with its well-publicized forfeit against national power Folsom High. This will not be an issue in the future because the Blue Devils football squad will be competing as an independent for the next few years. Football aside, many teams had great success in the new league.
There were first-place finishes in Boys' and Girls' swim and dive, boys' and girls' water polo, and boys' soccer. There were also second-place finishes in boys' and girls' track, boys' and girls' tennis, and boys' cross country.
Davis High topped off the year with more additions to its record number of Sac-Joaquin Section Championships. The section champs include Boys Cross Country, Girls Badminton, Boys Swim & Dive, and Girls Swim & Dive. The Competitive Cheer team also won the JAMZ national championship in January, and Field Hockey took the Northern Section title.
Blue Devil Athletic Director Mark McGreevy said of the program, "The 2024–25 school year was our first competing in the Sierra Foothill League, the most competitive league in the Sac-Joaquin Section and one of the strongest in California. Across the board, our teams consistently placed in the league's top half. With over 1,500 student-athletes competing in the largest athletic program in the section, our athletes represented our school and community with sportsmanship, tenacity, teamwork, intelligence, grit, and our signature Blue Devil Pride. I wish our graduating senior athletes all the best and look forward to what the 2025-26 school year will bring!"
The strength of the SFL is so absurd in some sports that even the teams at the bottom of the league made the playoffs. The DHS volleyball team finished the league with a 1-13 record, yet they made the playoffs by going 11-1 in all their other matches.
However, when it comes to being dominant in a sport, the SFL softball teams were historically good. There are over 1,200 softball teams in California. If you look at the Max Prep California State rankings, you will see that #1 Del Oro, #2 Oak Ridge, #7 Whitney, and #8 Rocklin are all from the SFL. The Davis High softball squad had solid non-league success, going 10-2, but they would struggle to get wins against SFL opponents. They ended the league schedule 1-11-2. But like the volleyball team, they were ranked high enough to make the playoffs, along with six other SFL teams. All seven SFL playoff softball teams would win their opening playoff games. Oak Ridge and Del Oro would steamroll through the playoffs, eventually meeting in the Section and Nor-Cal finals and ending up the top two-ranked teams in California.
The good news for the Davis squad is that they are young. They only graduate one senior. The returners are led by Second-Team All-League performers Sophomore Kaytlin Lebar-Triepke and Freshman Gracie Martinez (Martinez was also selected to the second-team All-Sac-Joaquin Section).
When the Delta League became all Elk Grove Schools for financial reasons, the Davis High Athletic program had limited options. The move to the SFL has had bumps, but the Blue Devils have fared well overall. The extra drive times are the biggest complaint. For those who want to experience the most significant positive, come out for the golf team. The drive is worth playing on some of the best country club courses in the state. The girls play in the Fall and will start the 2025-26 season soon.