Home Cookin': Tradition is strong in section

One thing about the Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs: Tradition counts.

And it carries a lot of weight, if for momentum and annually drawing large rosters. Oh, and don't forget the pregame coaching mantra of, "Men, don't let your school down and those who played before you!"

Grant, Elk Grove and Del Oro are among the winningest playoff teams in section history with 36, 29 and 27 postseason victories, respectively. It's testament to the longevity of sustained excellence if one factors in how the game has changed, parity, realignment and the impact of many new schools that dip into the talent pool. Also, each stands as a favorite to win more this time around, too.

Grant has reached the playoffs a section-leading 17 consecutive seasons. In other words, Mike Alberghini has had daylight-saving practices since he became the Pacers' head coach in 1991. Grant leads all section teams in all-time playoff appearances, with 54, and it rates second only to small-school wonder Central Catholic with wins by one. Don't think for a moment Alberghini and his "us against the world" theme won't remind the troops of this fact when the Pacers prepare for Ponderosa in an opener tonight. Since 1992, the Pacers have won 28 playoff games and five section titles – four in Division I and last fall in Division II. Grant is in the postseason for the 25th time in 28 years, including seasons when Bob Vukajlovich was the head coach and Alberghini was his defensive coordinator.

Elk Grove lost many first-round playoff games in the early 1980s before becoming one of the region's great Cinderella teams in 1984 under coach Steve DaPrato. The Herd placed third in the Delta League, then toppled four conference champions in the postseason to claim its first D-I title. Elk Grove won it again in 1991 behind the dazzling runs of James Kidd, then piled on three more banners from 1997 to 2001 in compiling a 15-2 postseason record with conditioning and coach Dave Hoskins' line play the constants.

Del Oro has reached the D-II finals nine times since 1989, winning six. Co-coaches Bob Christiansen and John Fletcher claimed four titles, Larry Wyatt one and Casey Taylor another. The coaches changed, but the winning didn't.

More playoff factoids

With the help of John Williams, the section assistant commissioner, we unearthed some tidy tidbits on the playoffs over the years. Sacramento High School is in the postseason for only the second time, amazing, considering the talent the Dragons fielded in the 1960s and '70s, including Leland Glass, Ralph DeLoach, Jim Breech, Jerry Royster, Lou Harris, Artimus Parker and Mike Lippi. But the section playoffs didn't start until 1976. Sac High last made it in 1992 under coach Tom Rutten and All-City runner Norman Miller.

Vacaville reached the section finals in 1985 under coach Tom Zunino, losing to Cordova. It entered last year's D-I postseason with nine consecutive playoff losses before peeling off a 4-0 run to win the title for the first time. Vanden won D-III section crowns in 1975, '84 and '95 but has gone 1-8 in its last nine playoff outings. Colfax has been to the playoffs 11 consecutive years under coaches Tony Martello and Mondo Alonzo with five small-school section title appearances. Foothill has used the belly-option offense for decades but has managed just a 2-14 playoff record, leaving a former Mustangs coach to mutter more than once, "we went belly-up."

More Mo-Jo

It's been a heck of a fall for Lamon Muldrow. The Sierra College freshman tailback was named the California Community College Athletic Association Male Athlete of the Month after he had the most dominating stretch of any skill player in the state for October. In three games, Muldrow rushed for 753 yards and six touchdowns, including a state-best 286 yards and four scores in a win over Delta. For the season, he has a state-leading 1,430 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Muldrow this week was also named the Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, joining fellow Wolverines first-teamers Kevin Will (QB), Carl Moore and Ryan Hedberg (WRs), Clint Lenard and David Peterson (OL), linebackers Julian Smith and Bryson Littlejohn (LBs), Christian Martinez and Chris Crank (DL) and Scottie Enos (kicker).

Sierra coach Jeff Tisdel was named Coach of the Year after leading the Wolverines to a 9-1 regular season, the No. 2 ranking in Northern California and the No. 7 ranking nationally, with each ranking representing a first in school history.

Beavers roll on

American River College claimed the Northern California women's water polo championship, downing Santa Rosa 12-10 to earn a berth in the state community college water polo championships this weekend in Fresno as the No. 1 North seed. ARC is led by All-Americans Ali Pierce, Brittney Grimmett, Michele Kaplan, Rochelle Yomogida and Anne Scott.

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• Call The Bee's Joe Davidson, (916) 321-1280.