Every so often, someone taps Sean Nill on the shoulder pads and offers a quick finger to the lips, as if to say, "Hush."

Nill is Laguna Creek High School's terrorizing lineman, a teenager with a thirst to block and tackle. And to go musical. Football is in his blood – his dad, Mark, is the Cardinals' coach – and theater, dance and the sounds of song are in his heart.

"And as soon as he gets far enough away so no one can hear him, you know he's singing again," Laguna defensive coordinator Winston Young said. "He can't stop."

And no wonder. The Cardinals, with father Nill and player Nill at the forefront, are humming to a fresh new tune this season. It has been a season of milestone achievement for Laguna Creek as it barrels into Friday's City Championship against another playoff upstart in Pleasant Grove.

And in a real first, it's a City Championship with true meaning. The Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal pits two Elk Grove Unified School District teams for the first time, putting at stake regional and community pride, all rolled into a powerful showdown.

Laguna Creek opened in 1994, and was cast in the considerable football shadow of Elk Grove High from the start. While the Thundering Herd reached six City Championships since 1997 – winning four – the Cardinals were formidable but hardly exceptional.

They have shown glimpses of being exceptional this season. Laguna hammered Elk Grove 37-7, the first time the senior class had toppled the Thundering Herd in their careers, and then later downed Nevada Union 13-7 for the first win over the Miners in eight meetings. That allowed the Cardinals to clinch their first Delta Valley Conference title.

With quarterback Chris Jackson accounting for six touchdowns, the Cardinals beat Monterey Trail 48-25 for the program's first playoff win. And behind another dominating defensive effort – the team trademark this fall – Laguna crushed defending Division I champion Napa 33-13 last Friday as further proof of arrival.

"It's been a season of making history here," coach Nill said. "It's a unique team."

And it's an experienced athletic group headed by a unique father-son combo. Coach Nill is not a football coach who doubles as a physical education instructor and feeds on athletics 24/7. He is an on-campus English teacher. His room has a white board full of "Hamlet" references, surrounded by football photos and Pacific-10 Conference team pennants. The coach craves literature and competition.

It was in the fifth grade Sean Nill discovered the joys of theater. He had already found football. He performs each spring in the River City Theatre Company.

His father jokes with his son, asking, "Would you rather win a Heisman in football or a Tony award?" The truth? Player Nill will take a section title ring and the Tony, thanks.

"I love theater," Sean Nill said. "That and football have always been in my life. Gives me good balance."

Nill has been considered by area coaches and media sorts as the most dominant defensive lineman in this region since Tedy Bruschi of Roseville High in 1991 (Bruschi has been a stalwart with the New England Patriots this decade). Nill is a 5-foot-10, 225-pound package of fast and furious. He had 15 tackles and forced two fumbles against Napa.

One player told his coach earlier this season while facing Nill, "Coach, get me help. I can't block this dude."

"I'd agree Sean Nill is the best thing since Bruschi, because he's that good," said Jim Dimino, the El Camino coach from the 1980s who has provided television color commentary for prep games for 15 years. "People can't handle Nill, can't block him. Incredible talent."

Nill's friends tease him that while he has Division I college talent and drive he has been cursed with his dad's height. Still the honor student could wind up an Ivy Leaguer. Despite all that, the captain prefers to talk about his teammates.

The supporting cast is impressive. Tyler Rogers is the team's unsung MVP, the center, punter and kicker. Linebacker D.J. Hill and tailback Keenen Williams have also had fine seasons. But the anchor is the kid who can't stop humming a tune.

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