Bee’s Best: No. 18 Del Oro football looks to rebound with influx of talent from JV team
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. 18 Del Oro Golden Eagles
City: Loomis
School opened: 1959
League: Sierra Foothill
Division: I/II
Enrollment: 1,809
2021 spring record: 0-5
Coach: Mike Maben
Outlook: Del Oro is proof that powerhouse programs can sustain decades of success despite a changeover of players, coaches and school administrators — and that they can have uncharacteristic offseasons.
The storied Golden Eagles went 0-5 during the shortened spring season, a program jolted by the COVID-19 mess of testing, canceled games and rescheduling. And Del Oro was undone by bruisers in the Sierra Foothill League, a league that includes Folsom, Rocklin, Oak Ridge and Granite Bay, all of which had good spring seasons.
Second-year Del Oro coach Mike Maben understands tradition, having played multiple sports at the school and teaching and coaching at his alma mater for years. It is his aim to get the Golden Eagles back on track. Maben has been impressed with the early practice efforts of his players, most of whom fully understand the legacy of the program.
Del Oro has fielded 29 playoff teams over the decades in stacking a resume as loaded as any in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The pedigree includes 15 playoff teams in the past 17 seasons, and reaching a section final 18 times since 1989, winning 11, six since 2005. There have also been five CIF State finals appearances and a state crown in 2015.
Del Oro’s junior varsity team went 6-0 in the spring, and a host of those players have injected a measure of optimism to go with returning varsity leaders, none more vital than three-year varsity quarterback marvel Ryan Lewis. He was sidelined most of the spring with injuries.
“He’s an electrifying athlete that can run and pass,” Maben said of his quarterback ace. “A great leader on and off the field, Puts up big numbers in the weight room and on the field.”
Lewis will look for senior receiver Aiden Parry, who led the Golden Eagles in touchdowns in the spring. Parry will also play in the secondary.
The lines are anchored by Akio Martinson, a junior two-way starter who at 6-foot-3 and 285 pounds, “moves fast enough to chase down running backs and is strong enough to block any D-lineman,” Maben said.
Freedom Brown and Jimmy Brear are senior tight end/defensive ends of note. The running backs are senior Gavin Guillen and junior Kainoa Acia, whom Maben said is, “Pound-for-pound the strongest player on the field.” Acia and Guillen also play linebacker.
The ingredients are there for a sudden turnaround.
Del Oro opens the season Aug. 20 at Lincoln, then plays at Del Campo on Aug. 27 before hosting Clayton Valley Charter of Concord in a home opener Sept. 3.