DANVILLE — Danville High School will have a new head football coach next season.
Matthew Blum, the team’s offensive coordinator for the last two years, was approved by the school board Jan. 10 to be the program’s next head coach. Cam Smith, who took over for legendary play-caller Ed Honabarger in 2020, stepped down from the position in December after two years at the helm.
Smith told Knox Pages he is planning on pursuing other coaching opportunities, although he will continue to teach history at Danville High School through at least the end of the school year. He said he was grateful for his time with the program, having led Danville to a 10-10 record over the last two seasons.
“I’m extremely grateful for my opportunity here at Danville and I’m busy looking for my next steps,” Smith said. “Getting a chance that young is something I’m very appreciative of. The decision is still just pretty fresh and I’m looking at other opportunities.”
Smith took over for Honabarger, who led Danville to 12 playoff appearances, seven regional final appearances and four state semifinal appearances in his 16 seasons at the helm. Danville went 132-60 under Honabarger, going 14-3 against arch-rival East Knox and establishing itself as one of Ohio’s premier small-school programs.
Honabarger retired following the 2019 season, and Danville hired Smith to be his replacement. Smith, a 2019 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, had served one year as an assistant on Honabarger’s staff before making the jump. He was 23 years old at the time, and he led Danville to a 6-3 season in 2020, placing third in the Knox-Morrow Athletic Conference.
The Blue Devils finished 4-7 last fall, finishing sixth in the KMAC. They fell to Newark Catholic, the eventual Division VII state runner-up, in the first round of the playoffs.
Danville athletic director Robert Miller praised Smith for his work with the program over the last two years.
“We really appreciate all the time and effort Cam has put into our program,” Miller said. “He worked hard, and he had some very big shoes to fill, but I think he did a good job.”
NEW BLOOD: Blum works alongside Smith in Danville High School’s history department, teaching American history and economics.
He is a 2016 graduate of Canal Winchester High School, having played three years at left guard before missing his senior season due to injuries. He began coaching during his sophomore year at Ohio University, returning home to assist the Indians’ freshman, JV and varsity teams.
Blum graduated from Ohio University in the spring of 2020, having already coached three years for his alma mater. He was hired at Danville to teach history alongside Smith that fall. Joining his coaching staff was the logical next step, Blum recalled.
“I was obviously interested in coaching football as well,” he said, “so (Superintendent Jason Snively) got us connected and we were able to get on the staff with each other.”
Blum served as Danville’s offensive coordinator during the last two seasons, directing an offense that averaged 21 points per game in 2020 and 23 points per game in 2021.
Blum said Smith told him in mid-December that he was planning on stepping down. Later that week, school administrators approached Blum about filling the role.
“I was obviously interested,” he said.
Snively and Miller then went to the school board with their recommendation. By the second week of January, the hire was made official.
“It was really a fast process,” Blum recalled. “Cam decided to resign – he’s gonna pursue some other opportunities – and the administration approached me about whether or not I was interested in the job.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, it’s been a dream of mine, and I went full-fledged for it. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Miller said he did not need to look externally for candidates once Smith resigned. He felt confident they had the right man for the job in-house.
“There was overwhelming support from the community, staff, players, parents, and other coaches (to hire Blum),” Miller said. “So it was really just a very easy decision to make, (moving) him into the head coaching position.”
Blum, 23, will take over a Danville program that has had three head coaches in the last five years. The Blue Devils have not won a conference title since 2017, when they shared the inaugural KMAC championship with Highland.
But he said accepting the offer was a no-brainer, given the program’s rich tradition of success and support from the community.
“There were a lot of things that excited me (about the position). Definitely the community and the kids, and the administration we have,” said Blum, who will also serve as Danville’s head track and field coach this spring.
“This community and administration is very supportive of the football program, and they’re willing to do what it takes to get us back on top again, competing for conference championships and making deep playoff runs.
“We just (are) blessed with really good kids that are willing to put in the work.”
Miller believes Blum will bring new life to one of north central Ohio’s most accomplished programs. He praised Blum for his energy and enthusiasm, and said he is mature beyond his years, demanding the respect of other players and coaches within the program.
“He brings a whole nother level of energy to not only the football field, but he brings it to the classroom here as well,” Miller said.
“He brings it to the weight room, and the kids gravitate towards him. He is able to lead them at the same time, demanding that level of respect that you generally see in veteran coaches. He is able to achieve that and display that (kind of leadership). He carries himself very maturely. It’s impressive, it really is.
“He’s good with X’s and O’s; he knows the game. He came from Canal Winchester, so he has that experience, even with a bigger school. And he’s just the type of guy – he has the type of personality (where) kids want to work hard for him, and he’s able to motivate everyone on the staff. It was a pretty easy decision to make.”
Smith echoed this sentiment.
“Matt Blum is a great teacher and coach, and he cares about the kids a ton,” he said. “I wish him and the Blue Devils nothing but success.”
LOOKING AHEAD: The goal moving forward, Blum said, will be to re-establish Danville as a conference title contender. And the Blue Devils aren’t far away. They lost to Northmor (third place in the KMAC) and Centerburg (fourth place in the KMAC) by 7 points apiece last fall, and hung tough with conference champion East Knox until late in the second half.
“We were able to be in a lot of close games last year,” Blum said.
The Blue Devils will aim to close that gap next fall. Blum believes the key will be building mental toughness.
“Our motto for this year is, ‘Find a way. No excuses,'” Blum said. “We don’t have time to make excuses. We only have time to find a way to get better. We have to find a way to get bigger, stronger and more mentally tough than our opponents.”
Danville is the smallest school in the KMAC by student enrollment, and it will likely remain that way in 2022. This contributed to Danville’s struggles in recent years, Blum said, as opponents took advantage of its lack of depth late in games.
“We’ve had some of the top talent over the last two years in our conference, and we just (haven’t had) the depth behind it to compete for four quarters,” Blum said.
The first-year head coach is optimistic about his team’s ability to compete late in games next fall, however. The program had a small senior class last year – just three players graduated – and 12 freshmen are expected to join the team in 2022.
“We’re anticipating a roster of over 40 (players) for the first time in five years. …” Blum said. “I think having a roster of over or around 40 kids is really gonna help us compete with some of those top teams in our conference.”
Because Danville made its hire in-house, Blum said he has had extra time to fill out his staff and implement his off-season weightlifting program. The early results are promising, he said. Twenty-five players (not including incoming freshmen or winter athletes) have regularly participated in lifting sessions over the last two weeks.
“The kids are buying in,” Blum said. “They know what it takes to change some of the issues we’ve had over the last few years and get the ball rolling again.”
Blum said he is committed to Danville long-term, and is looking forward to the challenge of building a conference contender in his first head coaching role.
“I’m just really excited to get to work,” he said. “I’m very blessed that our school district gave me this opportunity, and I’m really ready to work with our kids and staff to be the best team in the KMAC. That’s gonna be our goal; that’s what we’re going to strive to be.”
