Home of the Delta Kings

STOCKTON - Moments after Stagg High capped a perfect nonleague schedule with a 40-16 drubbing of Millbrae's Mills High on Saturday, the Delta Kings doused head coach Don Norton with a bucket of ice water.

Unfazed, Norton encouraged his team to enjoy its 5-0 record over the weekend before preparing for a strong schedule of Tri-City Athletic League games.

"It gets a lot tougher in league, and we really have our hands full," Norton said. "But we have some very explosive guys on offense and we're a big-play team."

Stagg's Theo Wofford (four rushes, 76 yards) accounted for three touchdowns, including a 48-yard catch and a 75-yard run. Teammate Ty Minkin added a 29-yard touchdown run and a 73-yard catch from quarterback Aaron Raya (5 of 12, 137 yards) against the Vikings (1-4), who fielded just 24 players.

Things didn't start out easy for Stagg, which was playing at Chavez High. Mills running back Tevita Lataimua took the first play from scrimmage 38 yards for a touchdown and, after Minkin's touchdown run tied the game, broke multiple tackles on a 25-yard run to set up a first-and-goal at the 8-yard line.

But that run proved costly as Lataimua twisted his knee on the play and had to be carted off the field. A 28-yard field goal by Nathan Day reclaimed the lead, but the Vikings were never the same. Of their next 36 rushes, 22 went for negative yards.

"If we've lost him for the season, it'll hurt us a lot," Mills coach Pakey Moss said. "We knew we were in for a good fight today. (Stagg) has lots of speed, a lot of speed."

With the Vikings suddenly struggling, the Delta Kings' offense came to life. Raya hit Minkin on a 73-yard pass on Stagg's next possession to take a 14-10 lead it would never relinquish. Following Ryan Wood's interception, the Delta Kings struck for another long play when Wofford busted up the middle, breaking three tackles on his way to a 75-yard score.

"After I shook one dude off, I paused for a minute and got loose," Wofford said. "I thought, 'I'm free,' and started running like a dog was chasing me."

By the time the half was over, Stagg led 34-10 and the game was out of reach.

"To me, it was simple," Minkin said. "We went to practice and worked hard. The linemen opened a lot of holes and we got it done."

Mills running back Jared Puamau ran 86 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play, giving the Vikings 215 total yards. The Delta Kings had 288 total yards, including 248 through the air. Stagg opens its TCAL schedule Friday against Tokay High at the Grape Bowl.

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