Prep football: ‘The Mayor’ and Dixon’s unsung running game star in grind against Pioneer
The spirit of this team is dotted across the roster.
There are Dixon High School players who are undersized but play big. There is the undisputed star who is expected to excel and does. And there is a an inspirational, feel-good guy who goes by “The Mayor” on campus who puts it all in perspective.
That’s four seniors among a cast of many who had their moment on senior night on Thursday in Solano County. Add it all up and there may be a championship in the wings. At the moment, there is a gritty, cohesive bunch that bounds in to the regular-season’s final weeks at 7-1 with a league championship repeat in mind.
Relying on all hands, Dixon held off Pioneer 21-18 in a Golden Empire League showdown at Finney Field that was every bit as good as advertised. It felt like football on a fall night, finally, and it was played on real grass, with championship implications on the line.
“We play hard, we don’t give up, and trust and finish were our themes all week,” said Rams coach Wes Besseghini, an alum of the school directing his 11th playoff team. The coach told his team after they had rushed over as a group to ham it up with the student section that he was proud of their effort, that their best games are still ahead of them.
Braden Baumbach played the game of his life in exemplifying his team’s find-a-way mantra. He opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown plunge, and at his size and bulk, there are more plunges and rumbles than bursts and sprints. The 5-foot-5, 200-pound senior two-way grinder caught his team’s second touchdown and, for good measure, he accounted for Dixon’s final points on another 1-yard plunge. In between, he made tackles from his linebacking spot.
Baumbach competes as if every play might be his last, or that someone might take his spot in the starting lineup.
“He runs with anger, aggressiveness, passion,” Besseghini said. “He loves football, loves to run. He’s our bowling ball. It takes more than one to take him down.”
That’s the plan, Baumbach said. He has 10 rushing touchdowns this season, quite a few of them of the bullish variety.
“Football means everything to me,” he said, adding that a good many of the Rams grew up together. “I love to play, I love my line and my team. I run as hard as I can. I don’t ever want to be taken down on the field, especially by just one guy. People tell me I run like Mike Allstot.”
Who’s to argue that? Alstot is a retired NFL fullback best known for crashing into others for 1-yard gains at the goal line.
The Rams are mostly known on offense for the star power of Jett Harris, one of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s elite players the past two seasons. The senior quarterback entered the contest with 1,586 yards passing and 18 touchdowns with just two interceptions, and he beat Woodland 28-20 last week by accounting for all four of his team’s scores.
Against Pioneer, the 6-1, 180-pound Harris passed for 201 yards and hit Baumbach for a 19-yard touchdown off a swing pass to make it 14-3 with 12 seconds left in the third quarter. Jett’s primary target this season has been Luis Torres, who isn’t much taller than Baumbach but gets open and has great hands.
Torres set up Thursday’s scores with his receptions, and he’s had eight touchdowns this season. He also kicked three extra points and played on defense. Matthew Whitaker, another steady cog for the Rams, sealed it with an interception with 57 seconds left, and Harris took a knee to run out the clock.
‘The Mayor’ scores; Carner’s perspective
Before the game’s official first play, Besseghini dialed up the most meaningful play of the season, never mind that won’t be logged officially anywhere. The coach had team manager Jace Todd, a special needs student, suit up in jersey No. 42 to take a handoff as both teams lined up on the goal line. This was in agreement with Pioneer coach Matt Bryson.
Not only did Todd look the part in his jersey, shoulder pads, helmet and cleats, but he was the most excited player throughout the game and afterward. What a moment for “The Mayor.”
“It was senior night so we thought it’d be a great idea,” Besseghini said. “Jace is with our basketball team, our baseball team. He’s our hype guy. That’s what high school sports is all about, and this will be a memory for Jace forever.”
After the game, Pioneer star running back Jack Carner caught up to Dixon players, including Baumbach. A lot of these rivals have competed against or with each other since youth. They appreciate each other.
Carner came in averaging just over 200 yards rushing a game. He had 86 yards against the pesky Rams and scored Pioneer’s final touchdown, a 2-yard run with 1:59 left to play. That’s two years in a row Dixon handed Pioneer a tough loss, doing so in 2021 with a blocked field goal late that was returned for a touchdown.
“Hate to lose but it was a great game and it’s a great league,” Carner said. “Had to congratulate those guys. They played hard.”
Dixon (7-1 overall, 3-0 in the GEL) can repeat as GEL champions if it wins out over Mesa Verde and Casa Roble. The Casa game could be for the championship if the Rams of Orangevale beat Pioneer (6-2, 2-1) next week.
It’s also possible there’s a three-way tie for first between Casa Roble, Dixon and Pioneer.