Benner Helps Hold the Line for Stanford

Phil Zacharias watched as an exhausted, exhilarated Sam Benner accepted congratulations from waves of well-wishers Saturday at the Coliseum.

“It seemed like half of Ventura was there for him,” said Zacharias, Benner’s position coach at Stanford.

Benner, a defensive end from St. Bonaventure High, turned in another low-key, highly effective performance in Stanford’s 35-31 victory over USC.

Time after time, Benner tied up Trojan tackles and tight ends, freeing Cardinal linebackers Mark Stockbauer and Sharcus Steen to make tackles.

Benner made only one tackle and his name was hardly mentioned by the public-address announcer. It took the likes of Zacharias and Benner’s friends and family to appreciate his contribution.

“Sam is the kind of guy who won’t get headlines,” Zacharias said. “He is a blue-collar worker, a solid football player.

“In the team concept, everyone has to fill a role. Sam is an anchor, a run defender.”

Benner, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound junior, has only nine tackles this season, including one against USC. He has one sack--against Arizona--but normally he plays when the opponent is expected to run.

But Benner handles double-team blocks and causes such havoc with offensive linemen that he can turn in a stellar effort without bringing down a ballcarrier.

Stanford has been stellar enough in reeling off five consecutive Pac-10 victories that Benner might get a return trip to Southern California to play in the Rose Bowl.

That would give his fans from Ventura another chance to watch him do his down-and-dirty work. On Saturday, Zacharias was filled with pride watching an elated Benner accept hugs from his hometown contingent.

“His father passed away before he came to training camp as a freshman,” Zacharias said. “I’ve seen him mature so much. What Sam has done would make his dad proud.

“I was standing there watching him and saying to myself, ‘He is the type of person his father would have wanted his son to become.’ ”

Benner is already a role model. He is the godfather of Justin Mack, three-month-old son of Jon Mack, St. Bonaventure’s coach.

“We talk all the time,” Mack said. “We are the best of friends.”

*

Playing behind Benner is Matt Leonard, a redshirt freshman from Palmdale. Leonard has 12 tackles and the unwavering support of Zacharias.

“Matt has a lot to learn, but he is gifted with tremendous natural ability,” Zacharias said. “We feel he can become a dominant player.”

*

Pepe Villasenor, another of Mack’s St. Bonaventure products, is so small he would fit under Benner’s armpit.

But the 5-6, 145-pound receiver continues to reach great heights.

Villasenor, who set a Southern Section record with 111 catches for St. Bonaventure in 1996, is the leading receiver at Ohio Wesleyan for the third year in a row.

A junior pre-med major, Villasenor gets his hands on the ball any way he can. He set a school record this season with 29 punt returns.

Ohio Wesleyan (7-1), a Division II school in Delaware, Ohio, employs a wing-T offense and seldom passes. But Villasenor has 18 catches for 229 yards and one touchdown this season. He has 82 catches in his career.

Villasenor attended Ohio Wesleyan because the school, which does not offer athletic scholarships, gave him a financial aid package.

“He likes the school and the guys on the team,” Mack said. “But he comes back homesick every Christmas and summer. I don’t think he’ll live in Ohio the rest of his life.”