The last time a teenager wearing jersey No. 12 for the Del Oro Golden Eagles who attacked with his feet, his cannon arm and his considerable ability to read and shred a defense was 1994-96.

His name was Randy Fasani, the nation’s top prep prospect as a senior when he led championship Del Oro teams. He went on to start two seasons at Stanford with a stint in the NFL.

That jersey still carries special significance in Placer County and on the road, such as in Orangevale on Friday night. Caden Pinnick is that star-power player now, a senior quarterback who has the remarkable ability to extend plays, who can rifle deep balls on the money or fire short and mid-range passes. In other words: a defensive nightmare to deal with.

Pinnick led the charge for No. 5 Del Oro in a 31-13 triumph over No. 6 Casa Roble in a nonleague contest that was overflowing with fans with all the trappings of a carnival.

The lead act for Del Oro the last two seasons has been Pinnick, a 6-foot, 180-pound dynamo who burns to achieve and lead. He was the MVP of the Sierra Foothill League last season and has upped his game even more now. He passed for 324 yards on 19-of-24 passing and accounted for two scores while setting up two others. Tommy Poe caught eight passes for 122 yards while Marcel Urquhart rushed for two scores and caught one for his own stellar night for the Golden Eagles (5-0).

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If people haven’t caught the Pinnick Show, there’s plenty of season left. Said Del Oro coach Mike Maben: “They’re missing a lot of magic. He knows how to make plays. He improves every day. It’s hard to find anyone who works harder in everything he does, including in the classroom.”

Del Oro is hardly a one-man show, but having Pinnick leading the way is a thunderbolt boost. The Golden Eagles play tough defense, or they face the wrath of fiery and bearded defensive coordinator Josh Parry, who passionately urged his team to continue to elevate their game.

Casa Roble led 7-3 at the break on Connor Campbell’s 28-yard touchdown to Logan March with 44.4 seconds left in the second quarter, and with Pinnick, it’s only a matter of time before he affects a game. His 15-yard touchdown to Urquhart capped the opening drive of the third quarter for a 10-7 lead.

Pinnick punched it in from the 1-yard line with a sneak to make it 17-7. This happened a moment after Casa Roble stopped the Golden Eagles on downs, only to fumble it away on the next play. In a game of inches, Casa Roble could ill afford mistakes, though the Rams more than held their own in a hard-hitting affair.

Pinnick’s 40-yard aerial strike to midfield to Poe set up Urquhart’s 38-yard touchdown sprint for a 24-7 lead with 21.8 seconds left in the third. Another long pass play to the 1 set up Urquhart’s second score to make it 31-13 with 7:05 left to play.

Urquhart’s ability to balance the offense with his legs makes Del Oro a team to look for, as always, in the rugged Sierra Foothill League, which includes Bee No. 1 Folsom (3-1), No. 2 Oak Ridge (5-0), No. 3 Rocklin (4-0) and No. 8 Granite Bay (3-2).

“I like my role,” Urquhart said. “Caden’s been great. There’s nothing he can’t do. He can do anything. He’s special for us.”

Pinnick a three-sport scholar

Pinnick knows the legend of Fasani, who went on to coach Ripon Christian High in recent years, but his football idol is in-house. It’s his cousin, Stone Smartt, who quarterbacked Del Oro to two CIF state championship finals, winning one in 2015. Smartt is now on the Los Angeles Chargers roster as a tight end.

Pinnick is a 3.8 student and a three-sport star, a guard in basketball and an outfielder in baseball. He is a rising recruit in football, including a scholarship offer from Sacramento State and some interest from Fresno State. Smartt was also a multi-sport scholar.

“Stone tells me to stay focused and have fun,” Pinnick said. “Be in the moment. My mom (Heidi) helps me, too, with support. I take my role seriously, especially after last year when we had a great team that lost in the playoffs. We think we can have a great season. From last year to now, it’s gone by quick. I try to take it all in.”

Rams were ram tough

Casa Roble (3-1) kept battling because that’s what the Rams do. The right-now favorite to win the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship in November, the Rams embraced a chance to take on the storied Golden Eagles, a serious contender again in D-II.

This was the first meeting between the programs since a 2002 section playoff game at Casa Roble, won by the Golden Eagles on a last-play field goal.

This game came about when Rams coach Chris Horner noticed Del Oro had an opening in the schedule. He reached out to Maben and they agreed on a two-year deal.

“Why the heck not, right?” Horner said earlier in the week.

Horner watched Del Oro live last week as Pinnick did Pinnick things. The coach said the Rams had their hands full.

“The things he is able to do with his feet and arm are ridiculous,” Horner said on Thursday. “He is as dynamic as can be. They don’t know it, but I am petitioning the section to allow us to play with 15 defensive players to slow him down.”

Horner said Friday that he was impressed by his team’s grit. Maben said Casa Roble “will run the table from here. A ton of respect for Casa Roble.”

“I was so impressed with those guys,” Horner said of Del Oro. “We just ran out of bodies. Very physical game.”