Mike Alberghini is so close to a state bowl game he can taste it. The crumbs. The icing. The entire, diet-busting cake. If Grant High School defeats Burbank in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final – solidifying his undefeated Pacers' prospects for an unprecedented postseason matchup later this month in Carson – the longtime coach will probably jab his finger into the air and screech, "Eat your words!"

And to whom would he be speaking exactly?

That depends on the score, the latest blog, the latest quote, the latest perceived slight. There is the realignment issue, the bowl snub (2006) issue, the frequent reminders about last year's disappointing 7-4 record.

Alberghini admittedly thrives on controversy, on an over-the-top, us-against-the-world mentality that works for him, for his team, for his community, and even for his wife.

"Mike looks like a little pit bull out there on the sidelines," Mary Alberghini says, with a laugh, "but I rather enjoy it. He's really nothing like his persona."

Except for the part about being almost insanely competitive. Alberghini pursues the good fight. And while on the cusp of arguably the most important game of his storied 18-year career, he insists that neither a victory tonight nor a potential bowl bid will shut him up or slow him down. He isn't changing, either.

While a team normally reflects its coach, Alberghini, who has spent his entire career on the 1930s-era Del Paso Heights campus, is rooted in the soil; a coach who reflects the community: gritty, diverse, passionate, edgy. He is fire and ice, his immense personality tempered only by a welcome blast of humor.

His piercing blues eyes are an open book. Turn the page and there's a balding but trim 61-year-old who appears younger than his years, and who is a product of a local Italian/Irish family that melded life with sports.

Dinners were spent swapping one-liners. Friendly golf outings deteriorated into shouting matches. Card games lasted into the wee hours. Alberghini's late mother, Dolores, was a former dealer in Reno who routinely trounced her husband, Dick, at bowling. The youngest of the Alberghinis trumped everyone by running the Boston Marathon.

"My sister completed something that the rest of us might have been able to do in a car," the coach quips.

A few other things you might not know about the man who would chew glass if it guaranteed a win: As a teen, he took the bus to Woodland and picked fruit during summer breaks to earn spending money. He matured into a tireless worker who craves structure yet can be surprisingly spontaneous, and even romantic. Before she retired last year, for instance, Mary Alberghini often received flowers for no particular reason.

He is a devoted father of four. When the couple first met, says Mary, her future husband was divorced, with two children. Weekends were out.

"Mike told me right up front that he had the kids every weekend," she said, "and they were his priority. And he wasn't kidding."

Then there is the obsession with Grant football, with prep football in general, with his beloved Del Paso Heights. Alberghini spent part of a recent chat proposing ways to better equip troubled youngsters for productive lives, thereby reducing crime and the prison population. (He suggests establishing in-house programs that provide trade and vocational training on the Mather and McClellan bases).

On the topic of football, Alberghini remains consistent; there is no disguising his desire to punctuate his career and Grant's powerhouse status with another victory and bowl bid. Additionally, continued success bolsters the Pacers' plea for returning to Division I.

He recites stats and records, rattles off pertinent scores, sites and seasons. He clearly is preparing for another go-round with the California Interscholastic Federation. Yet when asked to provide one final tidbit of information – his wedding date – he is stumped.

"Uh, uh," he began, grinning sheepishly. "I know we have been together 34, 35 years … "

Mary Alberghini accepts her husband's lapse in stride.

"He told me about it," she said. "I said, 'That's real good, Mike. We bought a car to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. Last May 26th. Way to go.' "

With a laugh, she added, "I can't complain. He's too much fun to be around, though I can't imagine him hanging around the house. No way he's ready to retire from coaching. I told him the other day, 'You'll probably drop dead on the job.' I don't know anybody who loves what they do more than he does, and that's the way it should be."

Call The Bee's Ailene Voisin, (916) 321-1208.