The Skyhawks have tried to cram as much as possible into three weeks of spring football.

And, so far, their new head coach mostly is pleased with the progress.

John L. Smith and the Fort Lewis College football team will wrap spring practice with the annual spring game scrimmage at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, ending the first step in the process of turning an 0-10 team from 2012 into a more formidable squad for 2013.

And while there’s still plenty of work to be done come the fall, and some more room to add recruits before that time, Smith’s happy with the effort.

“I’m very pleased with our guys,” said Smith, who was hired in January after a year at Division I Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference to turn around Division II FLC in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. “First of all, the work ethic has been super. They get up every morning, and they come to work. And they don’t say anything; they just get up and get going.

“I just love their attitude. ... If we can continue that, we’re going to be OK.”

There’s plenty of room for improvement atop the hill, as last year’s record attests. Injuries, however, pressed several young players into service early on, giving FLC some unexpected experience to build on going forward.

Smith said the Skyhawks are adjusting well to his new schemes and style.

“Again, it’s a lot of new and a lot of adjusting,” he said. “The demands that are placed on them, the discipline, I think is a little bit different for them. They’re concentrating hard and getting better at it.”

As far as incoming help goes, 15 recruits have been announced so far, and five of them are transfers from either Division I programs or junior colleges. Thus far, most of them have or will come in having played on the defensive side of the ball, but it’s a pair of offensive linemen that have made two of the biggest impressions thus far of the new players in camp – Michigan State transfer Arthur Ray and Utah State transfer Chris Friesen.

“If you look at us offensively, I really liked how we’ve progressed on the offensive line,” Smith said. “Friesen coming in and Arthur Ray, those are two guys from D-I programs that No. 1 made us look like an offensive line ... and you incorporate a guy like Wags (senior offensive lineman Evan Wagstrom) in there who’s been a good player here for a number of years.”

Offensive line play will be key this season. FLC was last in the RMAC in rushing yards, averaging 85.4 per game last season.

The burden there also falls on who’s carrying the ball behind them. Smith said Eastern Arizona College transfer Ameer Deggs has been impressive in the backfield so far this spring.

“AD is kind of standing out and kind of pushed himself to the front of the list there,” Smith said.

The quarterback race will be a major area of focus with Tim Jenkins, one of the top passers in school history, having exhausted his eligibility. And that particular battle looks to extend long into fall camp.

“At quarterback, we’ve got a couple of new guys that are going to be showing up come the fall even though we’ve made a lot of progress there,” Smith said without revealing any secrets.

The trenches on the other side of the ball are a critical area for the Skyhawks, as well. FLC allowed 218.4 rushing yards per game last year, nearly 44 more per game than the next-worst team in the category, and the Skyhawks mustered just 11 sacks.

The lack of a pass rush and injuries and inexperience in the secondary allowed opponents to throw for 245.7 yards per game, an area the Skyhawks will look to improve, as well.

Smith said FLC isn’t done adding pieces, either, saying the Skyhawks are “probably a half-dozen kids away from where we would like to be in the fall, recruiting wise.” The head coach said he’d like to add pieces at wide receiver, tight end, running back, linebacker and defensive line.

As far as the players already in the fold, the new boss said he’s enjoying getting to know his new charges. Now, it’s time to wait and see if those relationships bloom into more wins for FLC.

“That’s why you’re in the game, and that’s why you do what you do ... because you love the kids, love interacting with them, and you love the fact that they take some of the things you say to heart, and it helps them,” he said.

rowens@durangoherald.com

FLC Football

2013 Skyhawks’ Recruiting Class

C.J. Anderson, defensive tackle, 6-3, 290, Chandler, Ariz. (Phoenix College)

Kyle Brown, running back, 5-11, 195, Meridian, Miss. (San Diego Mesa College)

Ameer Deggs, running back, 5-9, 170, Plaquemine, La., (Eastern Arizona College)

Chris Friesen, tackle, 6-5, 275, Mansfield, Texas (Utah State)

Brandarius Johnson, defensive end, 6-2, 255, Las Vegas, Nev. (Saddleback College)

Malcolm Manuel, cornerback/wide receiver, 5-10, 175, Carson, Calif. (Golden West College) Austin McMenimen, tight end, 6-5, 205, Bayfield High School

Branson Mitchell, linebacker, 6-0, 200, Mancos High SchoolKolt Muñoz, linebacker, 6-1, 230, Farmington (Piedra Vista High School)

Arthur Ray Jr., guard, 6-3, 300, Chicago, Ill. (Michigan State)

Ryan Ross, linebacker, 5-11, 220, Colorado Springs (Dodge City Community College; Doherty High School)

David Sweet, defensive end, 6-4, 225, Roswell, N.M.

Dylan Terry, defensive lineman, 6-1, 255, Farmington (Piedra Vista High School)

Devyn Vaatete-Reyes, defensive lineman, 5-11, 270, West Los Angeles, Calif. (Santa Monica College)

Dewaun Wesley, running back, 5-9, 185, L.A. (L.A. Harbor College)

Durango Herald