Prep football: Laguna Creek beats Pleasant Grove for the first time as program builds
Ryan Nill got into teaching and coaching because his father did it. So he followed in his footsteps and wound up on the same campus he once attended and played sports for in the Elk Grove Unified School District.
He coaches his Laguna Creek High School football players with equal parts enthusiasm, encouragement and iron fist. More lessons from his pop, Mark Nill, the one-time Cardinals head coach and now the assistant with an up-close view of the rise of the program.
Father and son stood near each other before the game and were not far apart afterward, only it was the son reminding the Laguna Creek players that the 41-14 nonleague triumph of Pleasant Grove on Friday night at Cosumnes River College is to be enjoyed, but improvement is needed or a reality check will be swift and unforgiving.
Translation: Monterey Trail comes for a visit Thursday in a Metropolitan Conference opener, and MT is exactly where Laguna Creek aspires to be: a perennial league and Sac-Joaquin Section championship contender.
That was the case 20 years ago when Mark Nill led the program before lean time set in. Football has been a happening at Laguna Creek in recent seasons, thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of Ryan Nill.
Friday’s backdrop was what any school wants: a raucous and creative student rooting section working in unison with as talented and spirited of a band as you’ll find in the region. The home side was full, and beating Pleasant Grove for the first time in eight all-time tries was something to celebrate. But this is now a program that can look beyond a victory.
“We can be better and we have to be better,” Coach Nill said. “It’s crazy how young we are, but it feels good to be 3-1.”
Nill is moved to have his father by his side.
“I grew up here, and I tell my dad that my job is to be better than you,” he said. “I had all these great role models as coaches here. Our hope is to get our program to the next level.”
To achieve that, the Cardinals need players, and they have three anchors on offense in sophomore quarterback Mitchell Labrado, senior receiver Malachi Bean-Seay and running back Titus Novak, who at 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds exemplifies his team’s grit and grind.
“Our quarterback makes things happen and Malachi is definitely a stud,” Coach Nill said.
Labrado had two touchdown passes and a touchdown run. Dominick Trouche also hit Bean-Seay for a scoring strike, and Labrado had a 6-yard scoring run to make it 27-7. Novak capped the game with touchdown runs of 5 and 1 yards.
Pleasant Grove sophomore quarterback Cole Davis on his team’s first play from scrimmage hit Milan Reilly for a 71-yard touchdown, and he hit Jalen Kennedy for a 39-yard score in showing no quit despite another frustrating loss that dropped the Eagles to 0-4. Pleasant Grove coach Josh Crabtree has coached and taught in the EGUSD for years, including a stint as head coach at Sheldon. He appreciates program-builders such as Laguna Creek.
“I respect what those guys are doing,” he said. “Rebuilding a high school program is a titanic job. You search for any positive to build on, and when you are trying to get the ball rolling, those positives can be hard to find. (Nill) and his staff are coming out the end of the same pipe we are in right now. I’m happy for those guys. They are doing it the right way. They aren’t bringing in 18 transfers. Good for them.”
As for his own bunch, Crabtree said, “I look out on the field for us and I see a kid like our quarterback Cole Davis fighting and competing, making big throws. The scoreboard hasn’t reflected the way we’ve improved. One day, it will turn. Wasn’t tonight. Hat’s off to Laguna.”
Laguna Creek coach Jon Ussery said of his football program, “We’re a sleeping giant.”
Labrado, the quarterback, agrees.
“I love what we have here,” he said. “I love the coaches. I love our school and the students and the band and the energy. We can do big things here.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 5:57 AM.