What's the lowdown on the Hillman this year? See they're undefeated and racking up big scores. They're also ranked higher than many really good teams, like Del Oro, Central Catholic, Oak Ridge, Cardinal Newman, etc., at least by Norcalprep's rankings. Calpreps paints an entirely different picture. Confused.
Question about Placer
- Thread starter 1tunz1
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On our reasoning here at NCP:
Placer came into the year returning 18 starters from a NorCal title team. What separates them to me from a solid team (I don't think anyone would argue that fact) to a really good team is line play. They have the multiple runners and a proven system, but having two senior offensive linemen who have committed and a junior center who I think will follow suit brings them up to that level.
Based on their schedule and league, there is a lot of assumption that you don't have to take with some other teams, but I think based on what I've seen that they would compete and likely beat those above teams on a neutral field
Placer came into the year returning 18 starters from a NorCal title team. What separates them to me from a solid team (I don't think anyone would argue that fact) to a really good team is line play. They have the multiple runners and a proven system, but having two senior offensive linemen who have committed and a junior center who I think will follow suit brings them up to that level.
Based on their schedule and league, there is a lot of assumption that you don't have to take with some other teams, but I think based on what I've seen that they would compete and likely beat those above teams on a neutral field
Last year they had a great season and were a young team--lost the Division IV state title by just 3 points. This year 17 starters from that team are back, including the whole offensive line and two of those linemen have already committed to Div 1 colleges (Nevada and Oregon). Several more on the team have colleges interested as well. Their quarterback is a three year varsity starter. And this year's junior class, is also very good and went 10-0 as both freshmen (when they beat Jesuit and Del Oro) and as JV (even with several of them pulled up to varsity last year). So it's not really a surprise that the team is doing so well this year. They have lots of great players and lots of experience.
This year so far no team they've faced has been able to stop their offense. They run the Wing-T and are very good at it. The line gives them lots of time and they have many offensive weapons. They mostly run the ball but have a good passing game too. The defense is also playing great.
As for the rankings, Maxpreps has them below those teams you mentioned:
http://www.maxpreps.com/rankings/football/1/section/ca/sac-joaquin+section.htm
But they are near the top in the country in touchdowns scored, and number one in the state there. But that's a stat not a ranking.
http://www.maxpreps.com/leaders/football/offense,touchdowns/team-leaders.htm
Anyway, they are having a great season so far and it's very exciting for our little town of Auburn.
Thanks. Sounds like a state champ team this year. What sjs playoff division will they likely be in this year?
Rankings are just for fun; what a team does on the field is the only thing that counts, and it sounds like the Hillman are taking care of business. Good luck this year. Stay healthly.
Rankings are just for fun; what a team does on the field is the only thing that counts, and it sounds like the Hillman are taking care of business. Good luck this year. Stay healthly.
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Placer will be the #1 seed in the D3 playoff bracket unless they fail to win their league. In which case they will fall to D4. But not going to happen. They will be D3.
What happens after section championships they go to a different way. They take the games they think are the most competitive. Placer could be placed against a D1 or D2 team. An example Sutter undefeated had to travel to Oakdale. Oakdale close to double the size. Now I haven't seen Placer play this year. Watched their Section Championship game last year with my Placer buddy Champ. Last years team was very talented but a little raw young whatever you want to call it. With another year under a Coach like Montoya ( that I think is one of the SJS best young coaches) they can compete with anyone. But that's just my biased opinion
Have you guys ever played a Northern section or NCS team? Went back a couple years on calpreps and didn'tsee any. With a team like you've had the last couple years, it may have been a good time for coach to branch out....maybe a team like Marin Catholic, Cardinal Newman, Rancho Cotate, Sutter, Eureka, or even an East Bay team like McClymonds, Campolindo, or BOD. Those intersectional games are a lot of fun for players and fans. Of course, i guess in SJS, where calpreps ratings are used, a team needs to be careful about getting too high a rating, lest they be put into a playoff and regional bracket too hard. That happened to Cardinal Newman, when they got stuck in then 2AA bracket against Valley Christian and got beat up 31-6.
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This could happen. Say you have Folsom as D1 champ, Del Oro as D2 champ and Placer as D3 champ. It is conceivable that Placer is seeded above DO for the state games. Especially if Placer wins out and DO takes losses to Folsom and Oak Ridge in league.
Last yrs state runner up Placer was young and good,this yrs Placer is even better....trust me(wink).They will be @ Rio Linda tomorrow nite vs a good RL team with a great rb in Skabeeto and a very good qb.Placer is exciting to watch as a fan....especially this offense,that are darn near flawless in their execution of the Wing-t.Their O Line makes it happen,they are very good led by Joey Capra(Oregon)Baughman((Nevada).Whether tomorrow vs RL or Ponderosa or Lincoln come on out and enjoy some good old fashion run first offense...........they won’t disappoint........trust me.Go Placer
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Thanks! They are continuing to churn along. Last regular season home game is this Friday night against Ponderosa. The season has really sped by. Can't believe the 2018 regular season is almost over...
Go Hillmen! I'd take them over many teams this year!
Placer is a good team, but I would have Del Oro and maybe even top EBALteam and maybe one of the to other BVAL teams and possibly Clayton Valley. Placer schedule so far is tough to say if they are better than last season. Yes they return alot but you would think they ould in by more against some of the teams they play. Not to say they aren't good, but I would have them anywhere from 8-10. They won't be tested until playoffs. They very well could be 6 or higher but tough to say.
Last season they barely got out of a good Salinas High team in last minutes and then on in overtime. Played well against a decent but not great Crenshaw. They do have size on the line and some speed, but again not tested this year.
Last season they barely got out of a good Salinas High team in last minutes and then on in overtime. Played well against a decent but not great Crenshaw. They do have size on the line and some speed, but again not tested this year.
It'll be fun so see what happens during the post season. And keep in mind that the final scores are misleading. In every game (except Bishop Manogue) the vast majority of the opposing team's scoring occurred after the Placer first string was pulled. And that alone is unique this year for Placer. I haven't seen a Placer season where the starters were pulled every game and the backups got to see action every week. But this year, the starters have been done after the first series of the 2nd half, every game (or earlier) but one, and in that one, the starters were pulled in the 4th quarter so even then the backups still got playing time.
Placer is definitely better than last year. Are they better than the other schools you mentioned? Can't really say unless they end up playing them. But regardless, this is a special year for Placer so far, and Auburn has been having tons of fun watching their Hillmen and cheering them on.
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Here is recent SacBee rankings- looks like they have Placer at #4 - again probably schedule.
Sac Bee Top 20.
Sac Bee Top 20.
Funny, I just referenced you in the "Games you would like to see" thread started by SmashmouthRick regarding Placer football recent success in general.
Here is recent SacBee rankings- looks like they have Placer at #4 - again probably schedule.
Sac Bee Top 20.
There is nothing less accurate than Joe D's rankings. It is completely biased and there are many 'upsets' (higher ranked team losing to a lower ranked team'. This poll used to be the standard - when there were multiple reporters who voted on the Sac Bee rankings. But Joe D seems to base his rankings on his relationships with the head coaches. Read his Twitter and you will see what I mean.
Where was Inderkum ranked to begin the year? Where was Del Oro ranked? Most of us that actually watch film and see these teams expected them to be two of the best in the area. But instead Joe D listed Jesuit and Oak Ridge at or near the top. (And no, it it not an excuse to use prior year's results). They could always go back to having the area coaches submit ballots. That would have way more validity than Joe D's feelings.
Curious about Placer giving up 436 and 6 TD’s rushing to Bishop Manogues back Peyton Dixon. That’s a lot of production from one guy. What was the deal that game? If they run into another legit back on a better team will Placer be able to stop him?
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Dixon is amazing and many pundits expected Bishop Manogue to have no problem winning that game. (Including the pick'em here.) The Placer defense was able to contain him more than the score reflects, but when he was able to break away, he took off. It was really impressive to see. He's a special player no doubt.
I think the Placer defense learned a lot from that game and have improved quite a bit since then. Evidence of this is the Rio Linda game. Rio Linda's rushing game, which has been very dominant in the other games they played, wasn't a big factor against Placer. Their best back, Skattebo was held to 78 yards and no TDs when they played Placer. And for the season he's had 1582 rushing yards and 19 TDs, so being able to minimize his impact was a big accomplishment for Placer.
But it would be exciting to see how they do against even tougher opponents, so hopefully they'll get to play well into the playoffs.
That's whats up and what it's all about. With a back like that the defense needs to switch up the angles. Looks like they were going a route to cut off a Honda Accord while facing a Ferrari. Now that they know how fast a Ferrari can really go it will be easier to adjust to.
I just see the scores that the offense puts up and sometimes it's a mentality. Sorta Big 12 esque. Like no worries we can outscore them. I could be wrong and I'm not knocking it because the team I follow in Rancho Cotate played a similar style for years.
The other thing to think about is the fact that even though they gave up all those yards/TDs they still won that game by 29 points. If you want to beat Placer, you better score at least 50 and find a way to contain that offense.
However, it still doesn't matter if you're driving a Toyota.
It seems to me that the question mark I had about them last year hasn't been answered. Yes, they can clobber the likes of Vista del Lago or Rio Linda, but they're likely going to be facing another bigger school in the NorCals. They didn't really stop Salinas without numerous Cowboy penalties. They didn't really stop Crenshaw at all. Yes, their offense is very fluid, but you need stops.
Knowing that they were going to be pretty good this year, I was hoping to see them step up and play one of the perennial good teams at least in the SJS. They didn't do that. As a result, we don't really know exactly how good they are. Yet, with the press and rankings they're getting, they could end up in a NorCal regional higher than their true level.
Will be interesting to watch.
I'm sure great Big 12 teams say the same thing every year until they bump into an SEC team that runs the ball and plays lights out defense. Not saying Placer is Rancho Cotate but Rancho would have problems if it turned into a slug fest. If it was a fineness up and down game the odds of Rancho winning were good. I don't know. Just something to think about as they roll into the playoffs. Gotta be ready to switch the style up on a dime if the game calls for it.
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It will be interesting. But we do know that the whole team is playing better this year, including the defense. If they weren't Manogue would have matched them score for score, like Crenshaw did last year, but that wasn't the case. Placer stopped Dixon (Manogue running back) several times.
They did play a bigger school in the NorCals last year, and one could argue that one of the reasons Salinas had so many penalties was that they were frustrated by the Placer defense. Penalties don't happen in a vacuum.
From what I've seen, the defense does not have that attitude. They take a lot of pride in playing hard and stopping offenses.
Gotta get those Toyota's souped-up before they bump into another Ferrari!
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Salinas was up 21-0 when the penalties started, in earnest. They weren't personal foul calls. Hyperness maybe from the quick start, but it took the coach calling a time out to talk to his team to slow them down. Over 100 yards from yellow hankies in the first half? Salinas still had the lead at that point, too. That should say something and be a warning against getting too high on Placer until they really play someone.
Bishop Monague is 5-3, by the way. Not exactly elite.
Was looking at Dixon's 100M time this year he's ran 10.82 which is great for a high school football player on field and he was a jr. last year... looks good.
Well I am high on Placer, but I would be no matter what their record.
The Auburn community loves Placer football. No one is complacent though. Anything could happen even in these last two regular season league games. I do think it's clear they are better this year, but I get why you have reservations.
Well I am high on Placer, but I would be no matter what their record.
I do think it's clear they are better this year, but I get why you have reservations.
Placer's community support is pretty awesome. Best of luck to your team the rest of the way. A state championship for the Hillmen is a win for NorCal.
Just for kicks and giggles can you name a team from the CCS that would beat the Hillmen in the post season? The only team I see giving them a game in their division is Palo Alto. Thank you.
I wouldn't know since I don't know in which division Placer will play. Aptos, Wilcox, Valley Christian, Serra, Palo Alto, and Salinas are all viable possibilities. St. Francis would definitely be in a higher division. Really depends on how much the CIF considers rankings vs the SJS division in which they play.
Any one of them against the Hillmen would be interesting. I have Placer as my #8 SJS team. Again, I think it's a shame they didn't schedule someone like Inderkum or Central Catholic. Would have been really interesting to see where they really stack up. The only team I see challenging them in the playoffs is Capital Christian. I'm not really buying Merced as a viable challenger.
That could be a good game. There's more competition in D-IV than D-III in the SJS, in my opinion. We'll see where they end up.
The Placer Hillmen are very well coached,Montoya and DC Eric Rodarte are very good friends and these 2 along with rest of staff are....fabulous to say the least.They get their kids ready to play every yr best they can and we as a community and many former alumni with kids now playing and some even grandkids at fresh level.......not only love our boys but many of us have been in the Hillmen shoes having played for the legendary Bill Miller(look up how good Coach Millers Placer teams were in mid to late 70’s and early 80’s...I think many of you will enjoy it) who happens to be present coach Joey Montoya’s grandfather,lol.Now I can totally understand the thoughts and questions as to just how good are these high ranking Hillmen,well let me tell you......as far as WE here in Auburn are concerned they are very good.Now Placer rarely gets transfers all these kids are home grown right here in the Foothills and their athleticism is not quite on same level as other schools their size especially those schools who can and some do recruit.Here,how can I say this,I came from Bay Area...Oakland really,I attended St Benedict’s Elementary and then fresh soph at Bishop O’Dowd and arriving in Auburn for jr and sr yr’s I could tell right away the difference in sports and athletic ability,it wasn’t even close.So for lil ole Placer with these home grown kids from friends we grew up with and the noise they pretty much make yr end and yr out is outstanding if you think about it,and then as i’ve said every 3-4 yrs a group comes around that have been playing together since diapers(lol) and get the rankings as they are this yr is great for SJS,,it’s great for us in Auburn and our community...we love it therefore we don’t question how really good are they and who have they played so we can gauge them....WE in Auburn don’t care well maybe a little,lol....we know they are good we see them every fri nite.But I understand it I get it.....I know what some of you question simply because of who they scheduled in PS.........but even if Placer isn’t seen as being on a certain team or teams level hey don’t underestimate these kids from the hills,they have been known to surprise a team or two,lol....especially when they are forcing some of you to ask those questions and have opinions on just how good are they.We will find out soon........for lil ole Auburn our lil strawchewers are good and we have a great nite out with family and friends watching them even those that are in the Golden Hillmen Band or Cheerleading,lol.Come on up and enjoy the coziness of LeFevre Stadium,the trees the whole dang Mayberry RFD experience....it’s great.And then watch a very good Hillmen team by our Hillmen standards as we compare them to other Hillmen teams of the past......the bk and forth amongst former players,coaches in the stands is hilarious.....trust me.Come on up,take your shoes off,stay awhile and enjoy yourselves.........and watch what WE think is a very good Hillmen team.GO Placer
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The local love for the program is definitely cause for envy.
One thing to keep in mind for me is that many Placer fans had a lot of concern about being asked to play such large schools in the NorCal and state games. Well, if they continue to get this recognition, they could fall within a wide range of division, some way below their level and some perhaps above.
My suggest was that if they had played someone like an Inderkum, that would help the voters place them in the most appropriate spot. Without that, it will be interesting where they go, should they qualify... they still have to get past Capital Christian if they're both in the SJS D-IV bracket.
I hear you in regards to scheduling up but I'm with Champ. Let's sit back and watch the Hillmen do what they do. Win games. Sometimes we can be too critical on the scheduling and lose sight on the fact that the Hillmen were one game away from being State champs a year ago.
Not being critical. I'm just mindful of what happened to Cardinal Newman a couple years ago. Good year for a lower-level program, but got put up against the CCS #1 team in the NorCal D-2A regional due to ranking and got stomped.
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