Sac-Joaquin Section Championship matchups

[M.C. fan]

What a weekend of Football across Northern California! Grant looked solid against Oakdale. Patterson changed the lake view. Oak Ridge jailed the Raiders offence, looking stellar headed in to face Folsom. Folsom faced the Norcal Buzz team Inderkum and prevailed in a much tighter than expected outcome. Rocklin nested the Eagles of Del Oro and showed Thunder in the skies. St. Mary's will be a very tough matchup for the Thunder. St. Mary's wow what a game holding the star Manteca Buffaloe RB to 69 yards. Woodcreek showed they are not going away and await the Pacers parade. Casa Robles played Hilmar and took the stinger out and rammed it back to the Yellowjackets. Twelve Bridges Raggin Rhinos horned the Los Banos Tigers. They now face their toughest opponent of the year in Casa Roble. Bradshaw Christian Pride travels well and edged out the favorite Sonora Wildcats in Sonora. They now are the Favorites per CalPreps projections. Hughson showed who the toughest Huskie is by going on the road to Sutter. Escalon knocked off West Park of Roseville at home easily and now according to CalPreps is the underdog versus Patterson. The Cougars have played a much tougher schedule than the Tigers, but this is a throwback to the 80's when they played in the same league. Next Season Patterson Joins the VOL. Ripon Christian was down early at home versus Orestimba and the Knights regrouped winning big. Woodland Christian wiped the floor with Stone Ridge Christian and now the Cardinals will battle Ripon Chr. in an excellent matchup of small school powers.


D1 Folsom vs. Oak Ridge- I will give the respect for going on the road and winning big. Oak Ridge 31-26

D2 Rocklin vs. St. Mary's- Defense wins games and both squads have killer D. St. Mary's can taste that State Bowl. 38-33

D3 Grant vs. Woodcreek- The Pacers are really good, yet Woodcreek will give them problems. Grant 36-28

D4 Escalon vs. Patterson- The Tigers have shown they can play in big games. Escalon might be more than they anticipate. Cougars Defending Champions 48-37

D5 Twelve Bridges vs. Casa Roble- They might put up a Bridge closed sign after the Rams use the horns in a defense versus offensive battle. Casa Roble 23-22

D6 Hughson vs. Bradshaw Christian- The Pride will give the Huskies a tough game. The Huskies play in the TVL and are Defending Champions! Hughson 16-14

D7 Woodland Christian vs. Ripon Christian- This is a very interesting matchup for two small schools who are very good! The Cardinals already defeated Bradshaw Christian in week 1. RC played CVC well on the road. I will go with the Knights in an upset 28-27

Goodluck to all the Championship teams!! What a season you have had!!

 

[Santa Ball]

D2 Rocklin vs. St. Mary's

I expect this should be a really fun game. Rams should be favored, lots of truly impressive athletes. Two things i know for sure:

1. Rocklin does not have the speed to match St. Mary's.
2. Rocklin defense is not Manteca.

If Rocklin can keep the top on, and manage to score a few on offense, perhaps special teams they could win. Rocklin hasn't played a complete game yet, they will need to.

 

[larry legend33]

My 2 pennies on D1-D2.

1. OR vs Folsom- gap hasn’t been this narrow in decades. Currently I think only one thing separates the 2. No surprise it’s Lyons’s for Folsom. Limit his ability to make crazy plays out of nothing and I like OR chances. If he ends up going loose and makes a few big plays Folsom will prevail. OR needs to run the ball and grind out long drives. Just like they didn’t in 2nd and 3rd QTR of first meeting. OR has the best line in the section. I think it will be a 21-17 type game.
Will OR finally get the monkey off back? I think so.

2. Rocklin vs St marys- rocklin has played a great schedule and is playing excellent late. I think they will be stingy on defense and has underrated athletes. St Mary’s can score in bunches and if it’s a shootout then game over. Rams win. Rocklin keeps the game under 30 and they win. I like the Thunder in a mild upset.

 

[ThunderRam]

D2 Rocklin vs. St. Mary's

I expect this should be a really fun game. Rams should be favored, lots of truly impressive athletes. Two things i know for sure:

1. Rocklin does not have the speed to match St. Mary's.
2. Rocklin defense is not Manteca.

If Rocklin can keep the top on, and manage to score a few on offense, perhaps special teams they could win. Rocklin hasn't played a complete game yet, they will need to.

The Thunder many not have the overall team speed that St. Mary’s does, but they have several players that are deceptively fast.

#23 Nate Martin for the Thunder might be as fast as anyone on the field. I don’t know his 40 time, but that kid just looks faster than most and gets up to speed quickly.

IMO, the Thunder are gonna have to do a few things well to win. They need to avoid some tendencies offensively.

First, they need to open it up a bit more on early downs rather than stubbornly trying to run between the tackles all the time.

Secondly, they need to target their 6-4 225 pound TE Gavin Correia a lot more, especially against the no deep safety looks they’ve been seeing the past couple weeks. And take a few more deep shots to Mavrik Collins and Nate Martin. They’ve got a good QB with 12 games of experience under his belt. Time to unleash him a bit and not play so conservatively. I know Jason Adams is a defensive-minded coach, but to take that next step against teams the caliber of St. Mary’s and Folsom — he’s gotta be more aggressive IMO.

Thirdly, I think Reeve Slone is gonna need to make some plays with his legs. The kid seems to be a pretty good athlete and has shown off his wheels a few times this season. He’ll likely need to convert some 3rd downs by extending plays.

Lastly, the Thunder defense is gonna have to remain their typical stingy selves. They‘re usually pretty good at limiting the big play TD’s and tightening up inside the red zone. Forcing a few turnovers won’t hurt, either.

 

[bulldogmgc]

D2 Rocklin vs. St. Mary's

I expect this should be a really fun game. Rams should be favored, lots of truly impressive athletes. Two things i know for sure:

1. Rocklin does not have the speed to match St. Mary's.
2. Rocklin defense is not Manteca.

If Rocklin can keep the top on, and manage to score a few on offense, perhaps special teams they could win. Rocklin hasn't played a complete game yet, they will need to.

1. Rocklin does not have the speed to match St. Mary's. <== I disagree!

Rocklin does have the speed, lots of it. On defense, their line also has much speed and they are very aggressive. Rams QB and their o-line are going to have to play their A game and not make mistakes. The Rams secondary will need to be careful and respect the speed of the Rocklin WRs/TE. Rocklin QB Slone likes to throw deep. Rams D will need to stuff the Thunder running game, especially Keeley, and put pressure on Slone and force the sophomore to make mistakes and throw a few picks like he did vs Granite Bay.

2. Rocklin defense is not Manteca. <== I agree!

Rocklin’s defense is much better than Manteca’s. IMHO, it will be the 2nd best defense the Rams will face this season, 2nd only to DLS. Let’s not forget that the Rams only scored 10 points vs DLS.

IMHO, and I think I’ve said this before, Rocklin is the younger version of St. Mary’s. They only lost one game (to Folsom) and that was due to mistake a young team will make. Again, the Rams will need to force the Thunder into making mistakes and avoid making mistakes themselves. Field postition will be very important in this game. Special teams will be huge, as well.

Rocklin vs St. Mary’s is truly a tossup, and IMHO, this game will be one of the best, if not the best, SJS section championship games happening this weekend. Just hoping the Rams don’t repeat the pattern by defeating Manteca big only to lose the next game against a much tougher competition (to DLS the last time the Rams beat the Buffaloes). GO RAMS!!!

 

[ThunderRam]

Rocklin vs St. Mary’s is truly a tossup, and IMHO, this game will be one of the best, if not the best, SJS section championship games happening this weekend.

For me, it’s Rocklin-St. Mary’s followed by Twelve Bridges-Casa Roble followed by Oak Ridge-Folsom.

 

[Santa Ball]

1. Rocklin does not have the speed to match St. Mary's. <== I disagree!

Rocklin does have the speed, lots of it. On defense, their line also has much speed and they are very aggressive. Rams QB and their o-line are going to have to play their A game and not make mistakes. The Rams secondary will need to be careful and respect the speed of the Rocklin WRs/TE. Rocklin QB Slone likes to throw deep. Rams D will need to stuff the Thunder running game, especially Keeley, and put pressure on Slone and force the sophomore to make mistakes and throw a few picks like he did vs Granite Bay.

2. Rocklin defense is not Manteca. <== I agree!

Rocklin’s defense is much better than Manteca’s. IMHO, it will be the 2nd best defense the Rams will face this season, 2nd only to DLS. Let’s not forget that the Rams only scored 10 points vs DLS.

IMHO, and I think I’ve said this before, Rocklin is the younger version of St. Mary’s. They only lost one game (to Folsom) and that was due to mistake a young team will make. Again, the Rams will need to force the Thunder into making mistakes and avoid making mistakes themselves. Field postition will be very important in this game. Special teams will be huge, as well.

Rocklin vs St. Mary’s is truly a tossup, and IMHO, this game will be one of the best, if not the best, SJS section championship games happening this weekend. Just hoping the Rams don’t repeat the pattern by defeating Manteca big only to lose the next game against a much tougher competition (to DLS the last time the Rams beat the Buffaloes). GO RAMS!!!

Addressing the team speed, yes Rocklin has a few fast guys in Martin and Desario, but overall I think St. Mary's has more speed across the board. I guess the big one that sticks out for me is Rocklin doesn't have alot of speed at RB, although tough running for sure. Given how balanced Rocklin plays, a few deep shots a game is really the only time you see the quicks on display.

On defense Rocklin plays fast, but uses zone vs the spread "faster" offenses. St. Mary's will be the fastest team they face in my opinion and that ball comes out quick and accurate.

 

[Santa Ball]

The Thunder many not have the overall team speed that St. Mary’s does, but they have several players that are deceptively fast.

#23 Nate Martin for the Thunder might be as fast as anyone on the field. I don’t know his 40 time, but that kid just looks faster than most and gets up to speed quickly.

IMO, the Thunder are gonna have to do a few things well to win. They need to avoid some tendencies offensively.

First, they need to open it up a bit more on early downs rather than stubbornly trying to run between the tackles all the time.

Secondly, they need to target their 6-4 225 pound TE Gavin Correia a lot more, especially against the no deep safety looks they’ve been seeing the past couple weeks. And take a few more deep shots to Mavrik Collins and Nate Martin. They’ve got a good QB with 12 games of experience under his belt. Time to unleash him a bit and not play so conservatively. I know Jason Adams is a defensive-minded coach, but to take that next step against teams the caliber of St. Mary’s and Folsom — he’s gotta be more aggressive IMO.

Thirdly, I think Reeve Slone is gonna need to make some plays with his legs. The kid seems to be a pretty good athlete and has shown off his wheels a few times this season. He’ll likely need to convert some 3rd downs by extending plays.

Lastly, the Thunder defense is gonna have to remain their typical stingy selves. They‘re usually pretty good at limiting the big play TD’s and tightening up inside the red zone. Forcing a few turnovers won’t hurt, either.

I think your third point is a beauty. Time to take the saddle of Sloan and let him loose in the pasture. I think Reeve is best when the decision to run is decisive.

Also agree they have to take more shots downfield.

 

[larry legend33]

The question I have will I be making 2 trips to sac city this weekend! Looking likely. To me the d1 and d2 Games are as highly anticipated as possible. Weather looking chilly but dry. Bring your jacket and get ready for some great post Turkey day games.

 

[Santa Ball]

The question I have will I be making 2 trips to sac city this weekend! Looking likely. To me the d1 and d2 Games are as highly anticipated as possible. Weather looking chilly but dry. Bring your jacket and get ready for some great post Turkey day games.

Contemplating the same!

 

[WWHS44]

I'll be there, just maybe I'll get to see who is behind all these great posts!

 

[Streak One]

What a weekend of Football across Northern California! Grant looked solid against Oakdale. Patterson changed the lake view. Oak Ridge jailed the Raiders offence, looking stellar headed in to face Folsom. Folsom faced the Norcal Buzz team Inderkum and prevailed in a much tighter than expected outcome. Rocklin nested the Eagles of Del Oro and showed Thunder in the skies. St. Mary's will be a very tough matchup for the Thunder. St. Mary's wow what a game holding the star Manteca Buffaloe RB to 69 yards. Woodcreek showed they are not going away and await the Pacers parade. Casa Robles played Hilmar and took the stinger out and rammed it back to the Yellowjackets. Twelve Bridges Raggin Rhinos horned the Los Banos Tigers. They now face their toughest opponent of the year in Casa Roble. Bradshaw Christian Pride travels well and edged out the favorite Sonora Wildcats in Sonora. They now are the Favorites per CalPreps projections. Hughson showed who the toughest Huskie is by going on the road to Sutter. Escalon knocked off West Park of Roseville at home easily and now according to CalPreps is the underdog versus Patterson. The Cougars have played a much tougher schedule than the Tigers, but this is a throwback to the 80's when they played in the same league. Next Season Patterson Joins the VOL. Ripon Christian was down early at home versus Orestimba and the Knights regrouped winning big. Woodland Christian wiped the floor with Stone Ridge Christian and now the Cardinals will battle Ripon Chr. in an excellent matchup of small school powers.


D1 Folsom vs. Oak Ridge- I will give the respect for going on the road and winning big. Oak Ridge 31-26

D2 Rocklin vs. St. Mary's- Defense wins games and both squads have killer D. St. Mary's can taste that State Bowl. 38-33

D3 Grant vs. Woodcreek- The Pacers are really good, yet Woodcreek will give them problems. Grant 36-28

D4 Escalon vs. Patterson- The Tigers have shown they can play in big games. Escalon might be more than they anticipate. Cougars Defending Champions 48-37

D5 Twelve Bridges vs. Casa Roble- They might put up a Bridge closed sign after the Rams use the horns in a defense versus offensive battle. Casa Roble 23-22

D6 Hughson vs. Bradshaw Christian- The Pride will give the Huskies a tough game. The Huskies play in the TVL and are Defending Champions! Hughson 16-14

D7 Woodland Christian vs. Ripon Christian- This is a very interesting matchup for two small schools who are very good! The Cardinals already defeated Bradshaw Christian in week 1. RC played CVC well on the road. I will go with the Knights in an upset 28-27

Goodluck to all the Championship teams!! What a season you have had!!

D1: I don't think this is a great Folsom team, but hard to pick Oak Ridge until they do it against Folsom. I'll go Folsom wins 28-24

D2: This is the best matchup in the SJS. I'll go with Rocklin by a late field goal 24-21

D3: Woodcreek has been sneaky good but Grant is among the Top 5 teams in the section. Grant wins 28-14

D4: Patterson can be a team that plays above their weight, but I like this Escalon squad. Escalon wins 35-28

D5: Another good matchup. I like the balance of Twelve Bridges but I'll go with Casa Roble's receivers being too tough to cover. Casa wins 28-21

D6: Hughson coming in after playing in the TVL makes them hard to beat in D6. Hughson wins 21-14

D7: Don't know much about these teams, but I'll go with Phil Grams having a few tricks up his sleeve and gets a 29-28 win.

 

[ThunderRam]

D5: Another good matchup. I like the balance of Twelve Bridges but I'll go with Casa Roble's receivers being too tough to cover. Casa wins 28-21

CR also has some big boys on the lines. Not sure TB has seen size like that before.

 

[larry legend33]

D1: I don't think this is a great Folsom team, but hard to pick Oak Ridge until they do it against Folsom. I'll go Folsom wins 28-24

D2: This is the best matchup in the SJS. I'll go with Rocklin by a late field goal 24-21

D3: Woodcreek has been sneaky good but Grant is among the Top 5 teams in the section. Grant wins 28-14

D4: Patterson can be a team that plays above their weight, but I like this Escalon squad. Escalon wins 35-28

D5: Another good matchup. I like the balance of Twelve Bridges but I'll go with Casa Roble's receivers being too tough to cover. Casa wins 28-21

D6: Hughson coming in after playing in the TVL makes them hard to beat in D6. Hughson wins 21-14

D7: Don't know much about these teams, but I'll go with Phil Grams having a few tricks up his sleeve and gets a 29-28 win.

Really a great section schedule. I most likely say that each year but some of these games are really toss up. Should be a lot of fun rooting these kids on.

Have a good Turkey day fellas. Eat well and be thankful.

 

[FBAddict]

Of the 7 SJS section games coming up this weekend, I am most intrigued by three.

The Rocklin vs St. Mary's game has my attention. This is a game that determines a lot for the California Regional Bowl (RBG) seeding. It also is a nice battle between the Sac area and Stockton area teams. I am leaning toward a SM win although anything can happen in this game. This game also has the Public vs Private school battle that adds a special touch for a public school win.

The second most intriguing matchup, for me, is in the D7 division where one private Christian (an odd descriptive between Protestant vs Catholic but both being Christian) school is taking on another private Christian school. (Bradshaw Christian is one division up in D6 and competing against Hughson. That game is a bit less intriguing for me.) Woodland Christian represents the smaller private schools of the northwest region of Sacramento while Ripon Christian represents the Modesto Central Valley for small private schools.

The Grant vs Woodcreek game also has my attention. Woodcreek kind of took me by surprise probably because there was so much attention placed on Grant. I usually follow rankings on several different venues including here on NorCalPreps. It was only very recently I realized I had overlooked the high ranking of Woodcreek on other platforms. They have only one loss to Inderkum by a relatively close margin. Although I think Grant will win with their current upward momentum, I'm guessing Woodcreek will be the game most of the way.

Of course, Folsom vs Oakridge has a bit of an underdog tone to it. And I like the fact that Twelve Bridges is in the finals. Who can overlook the Escalon vs Patterson classic or another private vs public showdown with Hughson vs Bradshaw Christian. All the SJS finals are interesting for most HSFB fans.

 

[Streak One]

Really a great section schedule. I most likely say that each year but some of these games are really toss up. Should be a lot of fun rooting these kids on.

Have a good Turkey day fellas. Eat well and be thankful.

Agreed. Feels like there have been less seeding upsets this year so we are getting some loaded section finals schedule. Happy Early Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[WWHS44]

Does anyone know if these games will be broadcast on NFHS?

 

[Streak One]

Does anyone know if these games will be broadcast on NFHS?

I think they should all be on there. They usually contract them out to non school broadcasts.

 

[bella123]

Folsom

Rocklin

Grant

Escalon

Casa

BC

Ripon Xian

 

[ThunderRam]

Does anyone know if these games will be broadcast on NFHS?

I think they should all be on there. They usually contract them out to non school broadcasts.

I just checked and they are there. Just search the school and it appears below as an upcoming event.

 

[bulldogmgc]

Regarding SJS D2, a lot of attention is on what Rocklin has to do to win the game vs St. Mary’s. What does St. Mary’s have to do to win the game? As always, the Rams blueprint to winning games is score score score and dare the other team to catch them. For this contest, this is still very much true. However, the Rocklin stingy defense may force the Rams to find another way to win. And as much focus might be on Rocklin’s D having the challenge to slow down and make stops against the St. Mary’s offense, not much talk on St. Mary’s defense vs the Rocklin offense. IMHO, the Rams defense is very much underrated because of all their weapons on offense. The Rams D has come a long way in improving their run defense and more so their pass defense, compared to early season woes vs CW and CC. Their secondary has much improved with the addition of transfer student, Adam Taylor. Also, their senior safety, Omari Gayles, has returned from injury. So the Rams secondary will be ready. I have a feeling it will be the Rams D that is going to surprise many and we will be witnessing a close game with lower scoring, unless the Rams can find a way to score at ease, which is where I humbly have some doubt. Rocklin’s D like I said will be one of the best the Rams will be facing. But, I do strongly believe the Rams offense and defense is much better than Granite Bay’s which took the Thunder to 3 OT’s. I still think this game is a tossup. But, I like the Rams chances more than the Thunders, plus it’s a revenge game for them for 2021 loss at Rocklin in the semifinals. Rams win by 1 TD.

Interestingly, should Oak Ridge upset Folsom, does the SJS D2 champs surpass Oak Ridge in the NorCal regional seedings (if not seeded to play OR in the regional itself). IMHO, an OR win has more of factor in a questionable regional seeding than the outcome of the SJS D2 result. I’m picking Folsom to beat OR for SJS D1 and moving forward with higher regional seeding than the SJS D2 section champion.