Bee Best: No. 22 Sheldon High football ready for more success after rare winning run
The Sacramento Bee will unveil our Top 25 football rankings from No. 25 to No. 1, a team a day, right up to the Aug. 20 kickoff.
No. 22 Sheldon Huskies
City: Sacramento
School opened: 1997
League: Delta
Division: 1
Enrollment: 2,598
2021 spring record: 2-1-0
Coach: Chris Nixon
Outlook: When the spring season concluded, a campaign thrust from the traditional fall months into the spring due to the pandemic, Julian Amituanai did not stop celebrating.
The defensive end for Sheldon raced up to his coach, Chris Nixon, and said he will cherish this season because it was the first time he was a winning football team. In his life.
Sheldon went 2-1 in the shortened season and returns enough players to pursue another winner. Amituanai is among the returners. He goes by JuJu by family and friends, or he may go by “a pest” by opponents who try to keep them off their quarterback.
JuJu is joined on defense by fellow three-year starting linebacker Edgar Montes. The offense will usher in a new quarterback, with Bee two-time All-Metro leader Sean Nixon now graduated at playing at Sacramento City College. Jesiah Machado takes over at quarterback. The junior is the younger brother of one-time Elk Grove All-Metro passer Jayden.
Scott Nixon returns as an All-Metro receiver who also made plays on defense. He will take snaps at wildcat quarterback this season for his father, coach Nixon.
“We have a really good group,” coach Nixon said. “We have some skills guys, some size, some experience.”
How does one build a football winner at a program trying to regain the magic of its 9-3 season in 2017 and 10-2 showing in 2018?
“You get them to buy in, and the success builds on itself,” Nixon said. “You find those guys who will lead your program. Good teams can be led by coaches, but great teams are led by players. Our group last year got a taste of success.”
Sheldon opens the season at home against River Valley on Aug. 20 and plays at Nevada Union on Aug. 27 in a flashback game.
Nixon played for his coaching father at Nevada Union in the early 1980s, and he also coached against the Miners several times during his long coaching stint at Elk Grove.
The Delta League is stacked with Cosumnes Oaks, Davis, Elk Grove, Franklin, Jesuit and Pleasant Grove.
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 8:47 AM.