Hammerheads power Elk Grove football past Sheldon as line sets tone and tempo
There’s an old adage that forever rings true in football.
A championship quest starts in the trenches.
At Elk Grove High School, line play has been a staple of success for one of the storied programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Even the offensive line coach for the Thundering Herd — Moe Loller — looks the part of pile-driving bouncer, a gregarious, thick-bodied sort who relishes the chance to have his group unleash on a blocking sled in practice and then into opponents on game night.
Known affectionately as the “Hammerheads,” Elk Grove’s formidable front set the tone Friday in a Delta League clash against visiting Sheldon, keying a 55-0 rout with the promise of more ground, pound and score to come.
Elk Grove aims to reach the playoffs for the 35th time since 1984 behind its swift and elusive four-headed backfield and relentless line of Jacob Hudson, Kylan Fontes, Payton Maze, Jack Spithorst and Elijah Vallier.
“Love the line,” Loller said. “They’ve done a great job. They’re the real deal.”
So is Elk Grove (4-1) as an entire unit. The defense held a prolific Sheldon outfit in check with pressure on the pocket and two first-half interceptions.
In facing a coach who was an instrumental part of the Thundering Herd success in Chris Nixon, Elk Grove stormed to a 41-0 halftime lead by scoring on all six of its possessions.
Hunter Hall scored on the first play of the game, a dazzling 71-yard sprint, and he added touchdown runs of 16 and 37 yards. He finished with 142 yards in just over a half of action.
The X-factor the Herd’s triple-option attack is quarterback Carter Harris. He’s diminutive at 5-foot-6 and 155 rock-solid pounds, and he may be the quickest player in the region.
The senior scoring runs of 18 and 46 yards and he hit Sam Frizzi for a 28-yard touchdown. Harris rushed for 102 yards before the starting offense took to the bench late in the third quarter. Damian Allen rushed for 86 yards and Tre’Von Frazier 62 for the Herd.
Elk Grove is settling in under third-year coaches John Heffernan and James Pale, who used the triple-option rushing attack to key perennial playoff teams at Burbank.
“We’re getting there,” Heffernan said.
As for Harris, Heffernan raised his eyebrows and said, “He’s fantastic. Good luck catching him.”
Said Loller of Harris, “He’s the best player in the county. And Coach Hef is the real deal. He has open arms. The kids have responded to him. And Pale is the biggest, happiest guy anywhere.”
Elk Grove has lost only by two this season to unbeaten Inderkum. Sheldon (2-4) isn’t out of the playoff chase but knows it has to have more wins to remain in the race.
The Huskies will compete with Nixon, the offensive coordinator under head coach Dave Filan, and Nixon’s quarterback son Sean and star receiver Wonya Williams. Sean Nixon and Williams fought courageously against the Herd, refusing to quit, with short and long strikes.
Elk Grove coaching plan
The initial plan was for the Nixon’s to lead the charge in Elk Grove blue and gold.
Chris Nixon was the offensive coordinator for three Elk Grove powerhouse section championship teams from 1997-2001, and he was the program’s head coach for nine seasons, a run that included teams that went 12-1, 12-2, 12-3, 10-3, 13-1 and 11-2.
Sean, now a bearded and intensely focused junior, and younger brother Scott learned all about football on the Elk Grove fields as ball boys and as youth players.
Then it soured in a flash. Chris Nixon quit his post when given that option or facing termination following the 2016 season.
Administrators from the Elk Grove Unified School District put the squeeze on a lot of folks tied to a storage shed that was initially cleared by the district but later deemed not up to code. The fall out also included Elk Grove’s athletic director getting pushed out and a facilities manager within the district getting axed.
The day Nixon told his sons that his Elk Grove tenure was over, they picked him up with a line of, “Stay positive, Dad.”
Said coach Nixon before Friday’s game, “It’s odd going back to Elk Grove to say the least. I have a lot of great memories of great players and teams for 20 years there. I’ll have to remind myself where the visitor sidelines are.
“Sean and Scott grew up in that stadium. They have to hold the record for ball boy tenure for sure, almost a decade. I’m so proud of them both. Sean loves to compete, loves to lead. Among the best quarterbacks I’ve coached. Two reasons he makes me jealous: He’s the quarterback I never was and I can’t grow a beard like he can!”
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 9:57 PM.