The Valley Oak and Trans-Valley leagues each have six teams still alive in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
The second round is this Friday, and of the four teams left with perfect records, three of them are playing local teams.
Coming off of first-round byes are VOL champion Manteca and first-time Western Athletic Conference titlist Lathrop. Manteca is a win away from a seventh consecutive semifinal appearance and hosts undefeated Rodriguez at its refurbished stadium in Division II. In Division V, Lathrop welcomes TVL titan Hilmar.
Three others are on the road after winning their openers. Among them are East Union and Sierra, two VOL squads that took long trips to knock off opponents from the Foothill Valley League last Friday in Division IV contests.
“I talked to (Sierra) coach (Jeff) Abrew about the disrespect the VOL got by sending the both of us on the road,” East Union coach Booie Daniels said after his Lancers’ 21-14 victory at Nevada Union. “We both agreed that we gotta come out and set the tempo, show them that the VOL is the real deal.
“The both of us going on long road trips and winning these games shows that the VOL is here to compete across the board. I’m very proud to represent the VOL. These were tough football teams we had to beat at their house.”
It so happens East Union will face another VOL team in the quarterfinals, as second-seeded Patterson awaits. Sierra is northbound once again after holding on to beat Yuba City. The Timberwolves are traveling to Placer County to square off with undefeated top seed Twelve Bridges of Lincoln.
Representing the TVL, Ripon Christian is headed for Sacramento to take on unbeaten Bradshaw Christian, the No. 1 seed in Division VI. It will be the first showdown between these small-school, parochial powers has met since the 2013 Division VI championship game.
The TVL is the only league in the section to have seven teams qualify for the postseason. Ripon was the only one to fall in the opening round.
Here’s a closer look at what area teams are up against in the quarterfinals:
DIVISION II
No. 5 Rodriguez (11-0) at No. 4 Manteca (9-1): These schools are meeting for the first time on the gridiron.
Rodriguez of Fairfield opened in 2002 with freshman and sophomore classes only and won a section championship in 2007. Last week, the Mustangs ended their drought of postseason wins by avoiding an upset against No. 12 Chavez 30-28 in overtime. Rodriguez’s last playoff victory came in 2008 when current coach Myles King was the quarterback.
The Mustangs clinched their first Monticello Empire League championship in Week 9 but lost standout QB Dylan Burke to injury in the 30-10 win over Will C. Wood. Their last league championship was as a member of the Solano County Athletic Conference in 2006.
Sophomore Mancianno Syess, a productive two-way athlete, has taken over behind center and is a big-time threat as a runner in Rodriguez’s spread offense. Leading rusher Keylen Highbaugh scored the tying touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion in the Mustangs’ overtime win.
Rodriguez has the section’s second-leading receiver in 6-foot-4 Jermaine Missouri, who has 1,119 yards and 19 touchdowns on 51 catches.
Strong safety Marsi Syess heads a stout Mustangs defense that has held opponents to 10.4 points per game, shutting out three of them.
DIVISION IV
No. 9 Sierra (6-5) at No. 1 Twelve Bridges (10-0): After escaping Yuba City with a 26-20 win, the Timberwolves are now pitted against the best of the FVL.
The Raging Rhinos are off and running in just their third varsity campaign. They’ve gone 10-0 two straight regular seasons and are on the warpath after their heartbreaking 23-22 loss to Casa Roble in the 2023 SJS Division V final.
Twelve Bridges has reloaded after losing much of its top talent from that team. Senior Braeden Ward is the leading scorer in the SJS with 186 points (29 touchdowns, 12 conversions). The 5-11, 185-pound running back is also the third-leading rusher in the section with 1,661 yards (9.1 per carry) and his team’s second most productive pass catcher with 573 yards on 32 receptions.
Twelve Bridges switches between its pistol and double-wing offenses with 6-3, 185-pound Connor Flaherty at the controls. He’s an efficient passer (73.8% completion percentage, 1,987 yards, 18 TDs, two INTs) and dangerous on the run (429 yards, 9.1 per carry, six TDs). His top target is Isaiah Rodriguez (836 yards, 11 TDs), who also has four interception on defense.
Second-year junior linebacker Chase Wyhlidko leads the defense, and 6-4, 280-pound junior tackle Colton Hogge holds two NCAA Division I offers.
No. 10 East Union (6-5) at No. 2 Patterson (5-5): Trailing 43-15 in the final minute of the first half, East Union appeared to be on its way to an embarrassing homecoming loss to the talent-rich Tigers, who wound up escaping with a 53-50 win back on Sept. 27.
The Lancers’ wild comeback was halted when standout edge rusher Tresor Mulumba recovered an onside kick in the final minute of the game. Early turnovers, including a pick-six, and an earlier onside kick that was returned for a touchdown proved to be the difference in this VOL showcase between spread offenses.
East Union doesn’t have to wait until next year for the rematch, though this time they’ll tangle at Patterson Community Stadium. The last time the Lancers played there was in the first round of the 2017 Division III playoffs. Patterson rolled, 63-28.
East Union is a win away from advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 1992, but it will have to get past a well-rested opponent. The Tigers have not played since a 39-27 Week 9 loss to Manteca. They had their regular-season bye the next week, and that was backed by another break thanks to the top-four seed for the playoffs.
Even with the two-week hiatus, third-year junior QB Max Medina is the second-leading passer in the SJS with 2,679 yards, a 71.1% completion percentage, 28 TDs and nine interceptions.
DIVISION V
No. 6 Hilmar (5-6) at No. 3 Lathrop (9-1): After their historic, and dominant, march to the WAC championship, the Spartans have an opportunity to reach the semifinal round for the first time.
In the way is a seven-time SJS championship. Lathrop has previously faced Hilmar twice, losing both encounters in 2016 and 2017. The Yellowjackets last claimed a section title in 2018 when they also earned their Division VI-AA crown.
Hilmar finished sixth in the TVL mosh pit and battled through injuries to key players in the regular season. Star running back Caden Bailey was hampered by hamstring and ankle injuries, and he returned to action last week for Hilmar’s 14-7 win over former TVL foe Livingston. Bailey rushed for 116 yards and scored both touchdowns, but the game was not decided until JV call-up Cohen Felber intercepted a pass near Hilmar’s goal line in the final minute.
Livingston is now in the WAC, and Lathrop clinched its league title with a 28-10 road win against the Wolves.
Grace Davis is another common opponent. The Spartans from Modesto stunned Hilmar 19-14 in Week 0, but Bailey was held out of the season opener. Lathrop crushed Grace Davis 35-0 in conference play.
Dual-threat QB Merek Ellerd leads the Yellowjackets’ spread attack. John Labno, a 6-4, 215-pound receiver and edge rusher, RB/LB Tanner Westmoreland and sophomore receiver/cornerback Nathan Ayala are their top two-way contributors.
DIVISION VI
No. 8 Ripon Christian (5-6) at No. 1 Bradshaw Christian (10-0): With a 27-6 zero-week win over No. 2-seeded Woodland Christian, also the reigning Division V-A state champ, Bradshaw is a heavy favorite in this division.
The Pride went on to edge out higher-division opponents Vista del Lago and Sutter in its next two games, then dominated the Sierra Valley Conference with wins decided by an average margin of 48 points. Five of Bradshaw’s seven league games were shutouts.
In contrast, Ripon Christian has been tested weekly coming from the TVL while enduring its share of injuries. The Knights downed Pioneer Valley League runner-up Bear River last week, 21-6.
QB Ethan Rickert and RB Mateo Mojica power Bradshaw Christian’s unstoppable double-wing offense that has produced more than 3,000 rushing yards.
Devyn McDonald II is a big target in the passing game at 6-4, 215 pounds, and he is among section leaders with nine quarterback sacks. Inside linebackers Samuel Danilyuk and Mojica anchor the defense along with 6-4, 245-pound lineman Myles Damallie.
Ripon Christian is 1-3 all-time against the Pride, which won the last meeting 35-28 in the 2013 Division VI final.
