Bob Lee cringes at playoff scheduling of seasons past.
When the Delta High School coach led the Saints as part of the North Section, it generally meant lengthy playoff trips for the Clarksburg team. Six-hour treks to places such as Fall River and Alturas – anyplace where tire chains were required to manage the roads this time of year.
"The travel was ungodly," Lee said.
Delta is back in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, where the Saints were a small-school power in the mid-1970s with storied teams headed by eventual NFL talents Bo and Tony Eason and Dan McQuaid.
Lee's next trip keeps him closer to home, including Saturday's visit to Stockton for a Division VI semifinal against Brookside Christian, which beat the Saints 22-14 on Oct. 2.
Delta (8-2) is located west of the Sacramento River, about six miles west of Elk Grove. Lee said it has the feel of a school from the past.
School enrollment continues to decline – 255 students – and it could not field a junior varsity team this fall because of low numbers.
Everything else seems as it was 30 years ago. The overflow crowds, the dim field lights, the rustic stadium feel, the players' ambition.
The Saints feature three 1,000-yard backs in quarterback Austin Blair (1,088 passing yards, 13 touchdowns) and runners Raul Hernandez (1,336 yards, 18 TDs) and Travis Reynolds (1,046 and 13).
Benzel-Lincoln connection – It seems fitting, and ironic, that Greg Benzel and Lincoln High are sporting 11-0 records. Benzel is the Rocklin coach whose D-II Thunder meets Atwater tonight.
Benzel is a Lincoln graduate. His older brother, Fred, played fullback for Lincoln when the Zebras last went 10-0, in 1975. Lincoln is 11-0 now, under coach Ken Lowe, and the top seed in D-IV behind senior leaders in quarterback Alex Stewart and lineman Jacob Tryon.
"It's been great for both programs," Benzel said. "I'm really happy for Lincoln and what coach Lowe has done."
Fearing Fairfield? – Fairfield plays at Grant in what could be a high-scoring D-II game. Then again, Grant doesn't surrender points often, unlike Fairfield, which beat Monterey Trail in its season opener 32-28 and lost to Benicia 62-42 and Vacaville 55-20.
Grant has eight shutouts, thanks mostly to defensive terrors in Puka Lopa, who leads the section with 17 sacks, Vei Moala (12 sacks) and Ronald Fields (six interceptions).
Fairfield relies heavily on quarterback Tra'mayne Bondurant (2,474 passing yards, 951 rushing yards and 46 total touchdowns).
New kid on the block – Sophomore Mark Jenkins of Pleasant Grove has gone from junior varsity runner to varsity starter with promise. The tailback rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns in an opening 28-7 D-I win over Franklin. He provides balance to go with quarterback Taylor Congdon and wide receiver Jalen Saunders. Next is Vacaville, with only a loss to Granite Bay. The Bulldogs have rushed for 4,561 yards and 61 touchdowns.
• Del Campo (10-1) has two players to gear up for in its D-III game against Rio Linda: tailback Cameron Mikell (200 rushing yards in the second half to beat Bella Vista last week) and James Gwin (three sacks).
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