GALT — The season came to an end Friday for Ripon High Indians.

They were bounced out in the first round of Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI, losing 35-0 at Liberty Ranch.

"We fought the whole night," said Ripon interim coach Cole Williams, indicating that the final score was hardly indicative of his team's effort.

The No. 7 Hawks (8-3) took advantage of a pair of first-half turnovers while riding behind standout senior running back Joseph Brown, who scored twice in the second quarter to give his team a 21-0 advantage.

The speedy and shifty Brown displayed why he's one of the section's leading rushers. On defense, Brown also came up with an interception to thwart a Ripon first-half drive.

Brodey Johnston forced a fumble, while Camren Hudson came up with two fourth quarter interceptions to preserve the Liberty Ranch shutout.

"You can't win with five turnovers," Williams added.

No. 10 Indians (4-7) had an apparent score shortly before halftime, recovering a muffed punt that was thought to be a touchdown but instead was spotted at the Liberty Ranch 35.

The Indians drove the ball to the 11 on JJ Brawley passes to Dru Orlando and Logan Spear, only to turn the ball over for the third time in the half.

They also threatened late in the game, only to come up empty with an interception.

Ripon moved the ball to midfield in its opening drive before Brown came through with the theft.

He had runs of 30 and 15 yards, getting the ball to the Indians 5.

Quarterback Wyatt Blevin capped the drive with a 1-yard plunge as the Hawks took a 7-0 lead.

Ripon responded by once again advancing the ball to midfield. Brawley connected with Nathan Curless for a 30-yard pickup.

A subsequent fumble put Liberty Ranch back in business, with Brown finding some running room on a short pass for a 34-yard gain.

He followed up on his 17-yard gain with a short scoring run.

No surprise that Brown had a game-high 124 yards on 30 carries, with 112 of those yards coming before the intermission.

Ripon's defense kept him in check afterwards, but Anthony Quinn and Wyatt Correa picked up the slack for the Hawks.

Williams, meanwhile, came away proud of how his team came together late in regular season, with the Indians posting wins over Sonora and Hilmar to get into the playoffs.