SJS 2023
- Thread starter BigMann08
- Start date
We will definitely have some clear answers in the pre season. I think the SFL is in an awesome place this year. Some great talent on all teams. Folsom will always be the favorite and will be fun to see a new QB run that O. Here’s what we know. GB has the 2 division 1 backs and one of the best defensive players in the section(cusano). DO has what I consider the biggest game changer in the league in their QB. He is a nightmare to contain and can change a game at any moment. OR has a huge returning line and monster at TE. Combine that with some great LBs and they are set to be a force. Rocklin has ton of returners in the trenches and will have one of the best DL units in the league. They also will have a new QB that will offer them some new energy on offense. Whitney is always well coached and has multiple 3 star athletes on their squad. Could be one of their more talented teams. Can it be August 18th yet?
As a St. Mary’s homer, out of the SFL, Folsom concerns me the most. Why? If the Williams brothers transferred to St. Mary’s from Folsom (should the underlying reason be for more playing time), the Bulldogs must already have a very good WR corp awaiting their new Elite-11 QB. Keep in mind St. Mary’s already has a pretty good WR corp returning from last season, along with returning RBs who can catch the ball out of the backfield. Oak Ridge’s size on the line will indeed be formidable. But, can their secondary keep up with the speed Folsom or other SJS teams bring to the field at WR to make the stops, where Oak Ridge struggled vs Folsom late in the game last year? I give the nod to Folsom finishing on top in the SFL. Huge challenge awaits the new Folsom QB vs Serra and DLS. Both will be bringing pressure with their pass rush. Look for many screen plays to be called on early vs these 2 teams. It’s good Folsom has Monterey Trail to play first, but MT is no slouch. Indeed, much will be known early on in this upcoming season. Can’t wait!
I’m hoping the SJS has major parity this year.
The tricky thing with Folsom is you have to keep the qb under constant pressure and contain their receivers. It appears that Rocklin has had some success over the years but by and large, the Bulldogs passing game has wreaked havoc on the SFL/SJS.
The SFL schools plays great football but are not known for having stellar secondaries. As a matter of fact, most high school secondaries aren’t strong, and Folsom usually capitalizes on this very weakness.
From all accounts I’ve been hearing that their sophomore qb will be the next great one. It’s still early on in his HS career but I’m looking forward to seeing him in real time!
The tricky thing with Folsom is you have to keep the qb under constant pressure and contain their receivers. It appears that Rocklin has had some success over the years but by and large, the Bulldogs passing game has wreaked havoc on the SFL/SJS.
The SFL schools plays great football but are not known for having stellar secondaries. As a matter of fact, most high school secondaries aren’t strong, and Folsom usually capitalizes on this very weakness.
From all accounts I’ve been hearing that their sophomore qb will be the next great one. It’s still early on in his HS career but I’m looking forward to seeing him in real time!
I agree about the issue with most SFL schools being able to slow down Folsom (not that many teams have slowed them down). A Sacramento school that I thought played Folsom pretty tough was Pleasant Grove when Joe Cattolico was there and those teams were usually good in the secondary
I checked out Grants Blue and Gold
Good call! PG had good secondaries during that time period.
St. Mary’s secondary will be tested in their first game vs Clovis West which has 3 D1 WRs and pretty good QB of their own.
Agree 100%. Secondaries in the SFL have simply not been able to contain the WRs. As you said Rocklin has been the only team that seems to have had some success. Last 3 games Folsom had scored 7,23, and 14.
Agree 100%. Secondaries in the SFL have simply not been able to contain the WRs. As you said Rocklin has been the only team that seems to have had some success. Last 3 games vs Rocklin Folsom has scored 7,20, and 14. Maybe it is a schematic thing. Adding the lyons kid who is a great runner only adds to the nightmare of defending that folsom O.
Folsom’s advantage vs it’s SFL league mates has been its overall team speed. Hard to replicate that in practice.
Indeed! That should be a good game. We don't hear much about Clovis West in these parts but it sounds like they have put together a great receiving core. I imagine that St. Mary’s will be up for the task and should definitely have home field advantage!
Also Clovis West didn’t have much of a rushing game last year, so it will be interesting to see if their offense is one dimensional.
Agree! Clovis West only averaged 82 yards per game and 11 rushing TDs. Likewise, their defense against the rush did not fair too well. But, they sure know how to put points on the board with their aerial game, averaging 244 ypg and 29 TDs via the passing game. St. Mary’s will come into this game with a balance offense having averaged 176 ypg last year and 43 TDs on the ground and 223 ypg and 25 TDs last year in the air. Achilles heal last year was their run defense (more so than pass defense) and dealing with a dual threat QB who can run the ball well. Heard the SM Dline is better but the LB corp still needs improvement especially in the middle but should be better than last year. The SM secondary will be alright, with Omari Gayles and others returning for their senior year. But, they will definitely be tested!
The question for CW is will they be able to “stop” the SM’s offense, especially on the ground. Both Asante Carter and Chris Maghoney return. Plus, like the WR position they will have more depth at the RB position with some new faces. Stay tuned!
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Schematic or perhaps natural defensive antibodies post Covid season. 🤔 lol
Check out Maxpreps Pre-season SJS TOP 25:
1. Folsom
2. Oak Ridge
3. St. Mary's
4. Granite Bay
5. Central Catholic
6. Rocklin
7. Grant
8. Manteca
9. Del Oro (Loomis)
10. Escalon
11. Monterey Trail
12. Turlock
13. Elk Grove
14. Capital Christian
15. Woodcreek
16. Casa Roble
17. Vanden
18. Christian Brothers
19. Vacaville
20. Jesuit
21. Antelope
22. Patterson
23. Downey
24. Sonora
25. Hughson
1. Folsom
2. Oak Ridge
3. St. Mary's
4. Granite Bay
5. Central Catholic
6. Rocklin
7. Grant
8. Manteca
9. Del Oro (Loomis)
10. Escalon
11. Monterey Trail
12. Turlock
13. Elk Grove
14. Capital Christian
15. Woodcreek
16. Casa Roble
17. Vanden
18. Christian Brothers
19. Vacaville
20. Jesuit
21. Antelope
22. Patterson
23. Downey
24. Sonora
25. Hughson
Last year after beating Rocklin in the first game Turlock went down to Clovis West and got trampled 48-0. And later in the year Turlock upset St. Mary's 51-50. So, can anything be concluded from this comparison? Probably not, especially on the high school level. St. Mary's offense should be very potent but will the game just be a horse race with whoever has the ball last winning ( as was the Turlock game where St. Mary's was driving to at least get a field goal at the end of the game before throwing an interception)? Turlock has Clovis West the following weekend at home and cannot get into a shoot-out as the Turlock offense this year could be 3-4 yards and a cloud of artificial turf.
Central hosted their annual scrimmage today with Turlock, Buhach Colony and Calaveras. Hard to get a total read on the teams (Turlock and Central) as they mixed their players, typical for a scrimmage, and I was not familiar with who was first string or not. I believe it was Turlock first string that scored two touchdowns against what I presume was Central's first string (again, I cannot be sure). On the flip side, Central did not score against Turlock. However, their quarterback Wentworth did not play. I'm not sure he even suited up. Central has a larger team in numbers this year, over 30, compared to 56 or so for Turlock. Central has some big players and quick backs and receivers. I do not know if the outstanding line transfer from Modesto Christian played as there was no number listed for him. I think I read that he has to sit out the first five games, not sure about that. As a Turlock fan I was generally pleased by what I saw. The new quarterback (he had some experience from last year) is not tall but is a definite running threat and Turlock runs a lot of option plays. I think the first game against Rocklin will be very physical, as it was last year. Running the gauntlet of Rocklin, Clovis West, Central Fresno, Folsom, and Clayton Valley will be tough.
Oak Ridge scrimmage Sheldon yesterday in EDH.
It wa ugly. Sheldon couldn’t beat a good JV team and OR has a massive line that looks like they are power 5. I think it was 69-7 or something ridiculous. Hard to gauge how good OR is but my takeaways.
OR will be able to run just fine this year. They have a few crafty backs (orme, quan, Womack) who can grind out runs behind that huge line.
OR QB was Mercado from JV team last year. He was shaky at first but settled down. He has 2 of the best TE in norcal to throw too in Edwards and Molly so this will be their weapon of choice. Jadon Anderson gives them a deep threat with his track speed but I believe they will be more a dink and duck team.
Huge bright spot in up and coming soph Jason Womack. He’s 6”0 180 and plays safety and WR and will be the next big time utility d1 player from OR. He was brought up in playoffs as a frosh last year. Kid is special .
The Game had a pretty bad fight and marcus Hoffmann got tossed along with some others from both teams. He’s one of the best returning lineman in SFL. He may get suspended a game or 2 and OR has enough bad PR now.
Last takeaway. The RB who transferred from Sheldon to Grant made the right choice.
It wa ugly. Sheldon couldn’t beat a good JV team and OR has a massive line that looks like they are power 5. I think it was 69-7 or something ridiculous. Hard to gauge how good OR is but my takeaways.
OR will be able to run just fine this year. They have a few crafty backs (orme, quan, Womack) who can grind out runs behind that huge line.
OR QB was Mercado from JV team last year. He was shaky at first but settled down. He has 2 of the best TE in norcal to throw too in Edwards and Molly so this will be their weapon of choice. Jadon Anderson gives them a deep threat with his track speed but I believe they will be more a dink and duck team.
Huge bright spot in up and coming soph Jason Womack. He’s 6”0 180 and plays safety and WR and will be the next big time utility d1 player from OR. He was brought up in playoffs as a frosh last year. Kid is special .
The Game had a pretty bad fight and marcus Hoffmann got tossed along with some others from both teams. He’s one of the best returning lineman in SFL. He may get suspended a game or 2 and OR has enough bad PR now.
Last takeaway. The RB who transferred from Sheldon to Grant made the right choice.
I checked out Grant and Yuba City's scrimmage yesterday. The Pacers looked pretty good; although it's hard to gauge against the rebuilding YC Honkers. One thing is for certain, the Pacers have good size, decent speed, and solid depth. It appears that they will have another balanced attack on offense this season. The defense needs to be shored up!
Devin Green is the real deal! He will be fun to watch! I'm hoping that he gets cleared by the CIF as his transfer status is currently under investigation. It would be a travesty if this young man did not step on the field this year. It sounds like there was a mass exodus from Sheldon. Not sure what happened over there but the young man has found a welcoming home at Grant. He is an exciting player to watch and appears to be happy with his new surroundings! The CIF needs to let him play!
I can see why kids are flocking back to Grant! They have an incredible coaching staff that relates well to the kids. Anyone that attended last year's State Championship game, witnessed an electrifying "hometown" atmosphere with a stadium filled with loving and passionate fans. The cultural experience, football tradition, and platform are bar none.
I'm not saying that the "G" is back because they still have a lot of work to do around the SJS and beyond. But their rebuild is definitely off to an impressive start.
Devin Green is the real deal! He will be fun to watch! I'm hoping that he gets cleared by the CIF as his transfer status is currently under investigation. It would be a travesty if this young man did not step on the field this year. It sounds like there was a mass exodus from Sheldon. Not sure what happened over there but the young man has found a welcoming home at Grant. He is an exciting player to watch and appears to be happy with his new surroundings! The CIF needs to let him play!
I can see why kids are flocking back to Grant! They have an incredible coaching staff that relates well to the kids. Anyone that attended last year's State Championship game, witnessed an electrifying "hometown" atmosphere with a stadium filled with loving and passionate fans. The cultural experience, football tradition, and platform are bar none.
I'm not saying that the "G" is back because they still have a lot of work to do around the SJS and beyond. But their rebuild is definitely off to an impressive start.
Did anybody attend the Rocklin and Inderkum scrimmage? I read reports and saw highlights suggesting that Inderkum completely dominated the scrimmage. I know it is still early but that's great news for Inderkum. I know Coach Harris had been putting in work to get the kids to buy in.
Speaking of coach Harris, this was supposed to be his first true class of student-athletes that was not a carryover from the previous coaching staff. It sounds like he might not even get the opportunity to coach this group. Inderkum needs to work things out with him. He could turn that school into a Norcal/state powerhouse.
Speaking of coach Harris, this was supposed to be his first true class of student-athletes that was not a carryover from the previous coaching staff. It sounds like he might not even get the opportunity to coach this group. Inderkum needs to work things out with him. He could turn that school into a Norcal/state powerhouse.
Thx Big,
I was hoping to hear some feedback on their scrimmage yesterday. I tried to make it but got stuck at work finishing up paperwork.
I'm glad to hear they looked pretty good. They'll have a target on their backs this year so I hope they sure up that Defense.
I was at the Inderkum-Rocklin scrimmage, and inderkum definitely looked solid on offense. They ran at will between the tackles on rocklins D. I hate to sound homerish but It was hard to tell how well inderkum would fair, as I'm not familiar with who there starters are. Inderkums offense was playing Rocklin’s defensive back ups, the twos. Rocklin only played some offensive starters for 3 plays, a particular package they wanted to see, so it appeared.
Thanks for sharing! The footage that I saw made it sound like Inderkum just completely dominated. But it makes sense that it was against Rocklin’s back up defense.
Yes it was, can't say for sure if inderkum had all 1s going but they still dominated the 2nd unit for Rocklin.
On another observation I was a little dissapointed that Rocklin held out a few healthy starters the entire scrimmage but after houston going down in scrimmage last year, I totally get it. I was only able to see the starting offense on one 10 min drive at the beginning and 3 plays in a package at the end.
One really cool moment at the end was when a special need player for Rocklin got a carry for an allowed td. The entire Inderkum team and bench cleared to come celebrate in the end zone, super fun and super classy by inderkum.
Indeed! They definitely have some nice pieces! Looking forward to the start of the season!
I’m hoping that Devin and Wayshawn become eligible. Sounds like the EGUSD may be contesting their transfers.
Which is crazy because both schools have received big time transfers over the years: Lance Briggs rings a bell! Sheldon has been the recipient of countless transfers and now they are complaining smh go figure! Lol
Man, all this CCS and WCAL talk is nauseating! lol Give us a break!!!! 
( j/k). With all this CCS/WCAL banter, people will start thinking that the CCS and WCAL are NorCal's best section/conference! I think the SJS has something to say about that!
With that being said, there are some good games going on in SJS this week:
Monterey Trail vs Grant
Rocklin vs Granite Bay
Inderkum vs Roseville
Elk Grove vs Jesuit
West Park vs Placer
( j/k). With all this CCS/WCAL banter, people will start thinking that the CCS and WCAL are NorCal's best section/conference! I think the SJS has something to say about that! With that being said, there are some good games going on in SJS this week:
Monterey Trail vs Grant
Rocklin vs Granite Bay
Inderkum vs Roseville
Elk Grove vs Jesuit
West Park vs Placer
I don't know much about West Park. This West Park @ Placer game is on the Pick'em list. But I can't seem to get much information on either team - this is especially true for West Park.Man, all this CCS and WCAL talk is nauseating! lol Give us a break!!!!
With that being said, there are some good games going on in SJS this week:
Monterey Trail vs Grant
Rocklin vs Granite Bay
Inderkum vs Roseville
Elk Grove vs Jesuit
West Park vs Placer
I have Grant as the favorite but pretty curious about their matchup with Monterey Trail (always a tough matchup).Man, all this CCS and WCAL talk is nauseating! lol Give us a break!!!!
With that being said, there are some good games going on in SJS this week:
Monterey Trail vs Grant
Rocklin vs Granite Bay
Inderkum vs Roseville
Elk Grove vs Jesuit
West Park vs Placer
Placer has taken on the old Del Oro trek of playing a tough non-league, take some losses along the way, but then peak toward the end of the season. Big test comes tonight against West Park
Is this game at Placer or West Park. I've heard the stadium (and athletic facilities in general) at West Park are unbelievable. Need to get out here for a game it seems
Indeed! It's been a tough matchup over the years. I anticipate a good game. However, Grant has the edge in talent. But that never seems to overwhelm Monterey Trail. Their scheme typically causes the Pacers problems. It will be interesting to see how they match up tonight.
Placer has beefed up their scheduling! I look forward to seeing the highlights from this game!
I believe the game is at Placer. But the facilities at West Park seem incredible via their website. Either Roseville Joint Union has lots of athletics money or private monies have boosted WP facilities.
I went to a game at West Park last season, against Placer, as a matter of fact.
Best on-campus HS football stadium I've ever seen, and it's not even close.
Best on-campus HS football stadium I've ever seen, and it's not even close.
Don't kill me for bringing it up - but it is a thing now (Girls Flag Football)
I see nothing but positives about Girls Flag Football. What’s the downside? To be honest, I’m surprised how may schools are fielding teams in Year 1. I hope it’s not a novelty and continues to expand in popularity.Don't kill me for bringing it up - but it is a thing now (Girls Flag Football)
I believe that this is the longest uninterrupted rivalry game in the state, with no years missed since the games started. Certainly some games for schools go back before 1920 but there were gaps in the years played.
Interesting fact! I wonder how it compares with others states.
I believe SI and SHC is the earliest rivalry west of the Mississippi but they do have gaps. St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral started their football rivalry back in 1893 but for a few years (late 90s-early 2000s) SHC did not field a football team. The current record is SI 54-49-11.
PS. A SF Gate article from 2004 suggests there might be an older rivalry in Pueblo, CO. After researching, I saw it was Central and Centennial (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Game). They started in 1892 but have a few gaps until 1921. Central leads the series 61–53–9
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This is actually the 125th game between Turlock and Modesto as for a number of years they played two games against each other. The second game was always on Thanksgiving and for Turlock fans the meal was timed to not interfere with the game. Many times the game attendance was roughly equal to the population of the whole time. This was before my time but my Dad always loved to tell stories of the "Paul Larson days" when Turlock was undefeated for three years a row in the late 40's led by Larson who was the California Player of the Year in 1949 (Calhisports) before going on to All-American status at Cal as a quarterback. The current record is Turlock 80 Modesto 40 with 4 ties. Turlock is leading 28-6 at halftime. The rivalry is not even remotely close to what it used to be as Modesto has had many lean years. Turlock's big rival is cross-town Pitman, alma mater of Colin Kaepernick. Pitman had good teams for the first 10 years but lately they have had a tough time. Turlock has won the last 10 games between them and it doesn't look like that will change in the near future. I don't know what has happened to Pitman, as they have good teams in other sports.
Huge game Friday in el dorado hills as Rocklin and OR battle for 2nd place in SFL. The winner will likely get #2 seed in d1 and d2. Loser could drop to #3 in their respective divisions.
Would a 9-1 Jesuit (delta league champs) move past rocklin if they lose? Not sure.
But if OR loses I could seee 8-2 central Catholic getting #2 in d1.
Would a 9-1 Jesuit (delta league champs) move past rocklin if they lose? Not sure.
But if OR loses I could seee 8-2 central Catholic getting #2 in d1.
