Easter was no holiday for Steve DeLeon and his crew.

Working in tandem with the sun, the keepers of Security Service Field cleared all evidence of April’s second snowstorm, which left its mark at least 2 inches deep all over the stadium.

Players and team officials had left Sunday doubting a game would be possible Monday night.

They were awed when they arrived the next day to find a dry, green field.

As for DeLeon, he wasn’t convinced.

“Everyone else says it looks great,” he said. “But me, I’m down on the field all the time and I know it’s maybe 75 percent there.”

Despite having perhaps the greenest patch of grass in the city, DeLeon wanted more. It’s that drive for perfection that makes him the ideal man for perhaps the toughest job in sports – head groundskeeper at America’s highest ballpark.

DeLeon was not born into a love affair with dirt and grass.

In fact, he’s spent most of his professional life – 26 years – teaching special education and holds two master’s degrees in higher education.

Groundskeeper and special needs educator might seem like professions on opposite ends of any spectrum until you dissect the essential tools required for both.

In a sense, what DeLeon does is coax the best possible performance out of his field despite endless trials.

“He has the ability to nurture it, understand what it needs and give it what it needs at a time when other people wouldn’t be able to do it,” said Sky Sox general manager Tony Ensor, who spent five years as a groundskeeper for a Double-A club in Tennessee.

There’s no magic potion that turns grass green at a time when most lawns above 6,000 feet look like baled hay. The key is a multipronged attack.

When winter hits, the field is covered with a series of netted blankets that trap heat and moisture while also allowing moisture from the outside to seep through.

Then come the five waves of grass.

The first is a rye that is planted in the weeks before the season. Though rye lacks resiliency, it pops quickly and gives the field its initial green appearance.

After about four weeks, two strands of winter bluegrass appear. They can handle the harsh cold and carry the field into the summer months.

Finally, two strands of summer bluegrass take over. They can withstand the heat and glare from the sun.

Water and chemicals also factor into the equation – and it’s a process that is never as simple as it sounds and requires constant attention.

DeLeon learned his tricks as an assistant groundskeeper for 17 years under Mark Leasure, who had formal training in business and turf.

When Leasure left the Sky Sox five years ago, Ensor promoted DeLeon.

“Everything I know I learned from (Leasure),” DeLeon said. “He’s really knowledgeable and whenever I need something I pick his brain. We talk to each other at least about once a week.”

DeLeon receives input from a variety of sources.

When Eric Young Jr. took his spot in the infield for the first time this month, he was bothered by the lip in front of second base.

“It wasn’t too bad, but I mentioned it,” Young said.

The next day it was gone.

“He wants to know that sort of thing,” manager Tom Runnells said of DeLeon. “It’s just a special relationship that we have, and I’m very thankful for it. He really wants to know what we need. That’s what makes him good.”

DeLeon said he talks to Runnells every day, as well as to the opposing manager. True to form, he wants everything right.

He treats his hiring process the same way, always looking to build a crew willing to take ownership of the field.

And the job isn’t confined to the field of play. DeLeon is also the facilities manager.

“He’s not only phenomenal on the field, but he knows every square inch of the stadium,” Ensor said.

DeLeon has turned his work into a family affair. On Friday Fireworks nights, his wife, Lisa, prepares enchiladas for the crew and DeLeon takes his three young children for rides as they cut the grass and prepare the field for the next day.

The nights often stretch into morning. DeLeon doesn’t care.

He wants it perfect.

Head groundskeeper Steve Deleon smoothed the track during Thursday’s Sky Sox game against Reno at Security Service Field. Photo by MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE