The rivalry has finally begun in Ripon, in the mind of Phil Grams.

The Ripon Christian coach led his school’s first football win over neighboring Ripon High on Friday, 30-6, in an important Trans-Valley League game with postseason implications for both squads.

“There was some talk from other TVL teams that we weren’t physical enough to play Ripon High, so I told our guys all week that the word on Maple Avenue is that you guys aren’t physical enough,” Grams said. “So, they took that personally. We won, and now it’s a rivalry.”

The visiting Indians (0-3 TVL, 2-5 overall) still own an overwhelming series lead after winning the first eight contests, each by comfortable margins. The two schools had not tangled on the gridiron since 2013, and the long-awaited reunion marked their first football meeting at Ripon Christian.

“It means a whole lot to us,” RC captain Josh Miller said. “Our coach has been telling us, ‘not too high, not too low,’ all week. We just came in here ready to fight, ready for a battle. It’s fun to play a cross-town rival, but this means a lot for us when it comes to playoffs. Now that we have that win, let’s keep that going.”

The versatile senior made big plays for the Knights (1-2, 4-3) in all phases of the game, finishing with three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdowns while contributing a sack on defense.

Lushen Sanders led their ground attack with 52 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Quarterback Mason Tameling completed 11 of 18 passes for 142 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Aaron Van Hofwegen paced the defense with 10 tackles and a pass deflection. He also capped the final score with a 36-yard field goal. Amos Cady, back from an ankle sprain, contributed an interception.

“They’re a good team,” Miller said. “We prepared really well. Some people have said they’re the more physical team, and I think we came out and showed we’re the more physical team tonight.”

For Ripon, it was another frustrating effort that capped off a tumultuous week that started with the sudden resignation of head coach Chris Musseman.

The same mistakes that have plagued the Indians all season reared their ugly head again on Friday. They committed eight penalties, some of them momentum changers.

“Ultimately, (comes down to) pride,” interim Ripon coach Cole Williams said. “Who they are as a team, we’re still trying to figure that out. I still firmly believe that we’re not reflecting who we are as a team. We just keep killing ourselves and keep putting ourselves in a spot that just isn’t tenable."

Ripon appeared to have answers at the outset.

Moving away from their Pistol Wing-T attack, the Indians committed to their jumbo package with quarterback J.J. Brawley lining up as a wide receiver and a running back taking direct snaps while flanked by a sixth lineman and a tight end.

Anden Ries (10 rushes, 89 yards) highlighted Ripon’s opening drive with a 52-yard run, and Eric Guevara scored on a 3-yard carry.

“We thought that was a strength for us — still do,” Williams said. “It’s simple for our guys up front, we can just play fast. I’m a big believer in just keeping it simple so that we can play fast and not think too much. It was working, and then we stopped executing.”

The Ripon defense followed with a three-and-out stop, but the special-teams unit committed a roughing-the-punter penalty to keep the Knights’ first drive alive.

“That was the momentum change,” Williams said. “That gave them life, and they started grinding it out and put together a heck of a drive. That sort of sapped us a little bit, put us on our heels, and we never seemed to quite recover.”

Ripon Christian took advantage, ending what turned out to be an impressive 8-minute, 10-second drive with a 12-yard touchdown strike from Tameling to Blake Stuit.

The Knights converted two fourth downs on the series, which included a 14-yard tight-window pass to Miller.

“I ran a route wrong the play before, and I was kind of down,” Miller said. “When coach (called) that play, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to run this one right.’ I ran it right, I was open and my QB got me the ball.

“Mason is an amazing quarterback. He put that right in there, and when we got that touchdown it really got the momentum going.”

The Indians did have an opportunity to recapture some of their early momentum after forcing a three-and-out to start the second half.

Trailing 14-6, they had the ball back on the Ripon Christian 38-yard-line. Nathan Curless had an 18-yard touchdown run called back by a blindside-block penalty, and the Indians wound up turning the ball over on downs.

It was all Ripon Christian from there, as the Knights responded with 6-plus-minute drive ending with Miller’s 32-yard touchdown reception.

Ripon Christian dominated time of possession and outgained Ripon 250-162 on offensive yardage.

The Indians still have a shot at making the playoffs but must win at least two of their final three games, all of them against tradition-rich powerhouses. First up is visiting Sonora (6-1) at home next week.

Meanwhile, Ripon Christian will look to get its first win against Escalon (2-5) on the road.

“We still feel like we can play with the rest of the TVL,” Grams said. “We’ve already battled with a couple of the big boys.”