ROCKLIN — Friday night’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal tilt between No. 1 Rocklin and visiting fourth-seeded Manteca saw tough sledding for both teams early with a scoreless first quarter and one touchdown apiece in the second period.
Then the Thunder exploded for 23 unanswered second-half points to run away with a 30-7 win in the driving non-stop rain at Thunder Stadium.
“They are the No. 1 seed for a reason,” Buffaloes coach Mark Varnum said. “They are a phenomenal team and we have a lot of young guys. When the lights get big like this and you are playing in the D-II semifinals, it is a shock to some guys. We settled down a little bit, but we have to do better than that.
“I am super proud of the way our defense played in the first half. Offensively, we had chances, but we just didn’t make it happen. When you play a team like that, you can’t miss opportunities, you can’t turn the ball over and you can’t make mistakes.”
Early in the second period, Rocklin (10-2) got on the board with a 32-yard scoring pass from Reeve Sloan (11 of 21 passing, 214 yards, four touchdowns, interception) to Mavrik Collins (three receptions, 57 yards, three touchdowns) for a 7-0 lead.
With 4:58 left in the half, Joshua Mellion forced and recovered a fumble for Manteca (10-2) deep in Thunder territory. Two plays later, Ruben Moreno bulled in a score from the 2-yard line to tie the score at 7-7.
“My teammates made a play on the running back,” Mellion said. “I caught him on the way to the ground I ripped the ball out and tried to take it in.”
The second half belonged to the Thunder. Sloan threw three more touchdown passes and Jacob Winter kicked a 23-yard field goal.
“This was just high-school football,” Rocklin coach Jason Adams said. “Sometimes, the kids are playing well and sometimes they’re not.
“Manteca is one tough organization. They develop tough football players and quality young men down there, and any time you get a chance to match up with them it’s great. We’ve done that in November and also in September. We always get better playing those guys, and I hope they feel the same way.”
Nikko Juarez paced the Buffaloes ground game with 82 yards on 16 carries. Owen Gulley was 5-of-14 passing for 53 yards with two interceptions. Isaiah White made five tackles with three apiece from Moreno and Ryder Vasquez, as the Manteca defensive interior limited the Thunder to 75 yards rushing. Chris Chavez added a pass interception late in the first half.
Next year’s Buffaloes team will be built on a strong foundation.
“We have a lot of young guys coming back,” Varnum said. “This senior class is special.
“I know they wanted a ring on their finger, but it’s a special, special group and I am proud of them.”
Rocklin will play No. 3 Grant next Friday in the championship game at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium at 7 p.m.
