Valley Oak League titlist Manteca and first-time Western Athletic Conference champ Lathrop have both been awarded first-round byes for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Brackets were released Sunday.

Four other schools will begin postseason play on Friday. Ripon Christian will be the only area team hosting, while East Union, Sierra and Ripon head north. All games are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.

In other sports: Manteca’s girls tennis team received the No. 1 seed in Division IV, Ripon’s boys water polo team will defend its Division II title as the No. 2 seed, Sierra’s girls water polo has a first-round bye in Division III, while the Sierra boys get to host their opener.

Here’s a rundown of the busy week of postseason action ahead, which includes semifinals in girls volleyball and flag football:

FOOTBALL

Ripon Christian’s 30-6 win over rival Ripon on Oct. 11 not only clinched a postseason spot for the Knights (4-6), but it was also enough for a coveted first-round home game.

They’re seeded eighth in Division VI and take on Pioneer Valley League runner-up and No. 9 seed Bear River (8-2) of Grass Valley. The winner plays top-seeded Bradshaw Christian (10-0).

Ripon (4-6) is also in Division VI and the No. 10 seed after sneaking into the postseason thanks to a 27-26 win at Hilmar in the Trans-Valley League finale Friday. The Indians are bound for Galt and a rematch with Liberty Ranch (7-3). They previously met in a non-league tilt last year with Liberty Ranch escaping victorious, 14-13. No. 2 Woodland Christian (9-1), the reigning Division V-A state champion, awaits the victor.

Sierra (5-5) and East Union (5-5) are among the six playoff qualifiers out of the VOL, but both have long trips ahead in Division IV and will encounter opponents from the Foothill Valley League.

No. 9 Sierra travels to No. 8 Yuba City (6-4), while the No. 10 Lancers venture to No. 7 Nevada Union (6-4) of Grass Valley. The Sierra-Yuba City winner faces undefeated top seed Twelve Bridges of Lincoln. East Union can have a rematch with VOL newcomer Patterson (5-5), the second seed, by beating NU.

Manteca (9-1) begins its quest for a 10th section banner on Nov. 15 at the revamped Guss Schmiedt Field. The Buffs are seeded fourth in the daunting Division II bracket and welcome either No. 5 Rodriguez (10-0) of Fairfield or No. 12 Chavez (8-2) of Stockton.

Reigning D-II champ Rocklin (8-2), St. Mary’s (8-2) and Grant (7-3) are the top three seeds, in that order. Grant captured the last two Division III titles and has been elevated because of the “continued success” rule.

In Division V, Lathrop (9-1) has a potential quarterfinal matchup with TVL power Hilmar (4-6). The sixth-seeded Yellowjackets, battling injuries to key players all season, must first get past No. 11 Livingston (5-5). TVL champion Hughson (10–0) and Sutter (9-1) are the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively.

The Divisions I-VI finals are on Nov. 29-30 at Sacramento City College.

GIRLS TENNIS

Manteca (10-6) is positioned to go after its fourth SJS title and first since 2019.

The top-seeded Buffaloes start the team tournament Monday at Manteca Regional Tennis Center. They’ll host Bear Creek (9-6) of Stockton, the third-place team out of the San Joaquin Athletic Association. The match starts at 2.

Manteca could have a rubber match with VOL rival Oakdale (8-7), seeded fourth, in the semifinal on Wednesday. Central California Conference runner-up El Capitan (13-5) is the No. 2 seed. The final round is set for Wednesday, Nov. 13 at the University of the Pacific starting at 10 a.m.

Also taking place this week is the SJS Divisions I-II individual tournaments on Thursday and Friday at Johnson Ranch Racquet Club in Roseville. Manteca’s top two players, Emma Ngo and Shreya Raman, will compete in doubles competition after they placed second in the VOL Tournament.

BOYS WATER POLO

Ripon (23-5) has its sights set on a fourth straight SJS championship after winning two in Division III and its most recent in Division II. The Indians defeated Rocklin (17-11), the current No. 1 seed, in the championship last year.

They’ll start their playoff run Wednesday at home against No. 15 Atwater (11-12) starting at 3 p.m.

Sierra (15-14) is the No. 8 seed in Division III and hosts No. 9 WAC champion Beyer (17-6) at Manteca High on Wednesday starting at 4:30 p.m. The victor travels to Atwater to play top-seeded Buhach Colony (15-9) on Friday.

GIRLS WATER POLO

First-time VOL champ Sierra (20-8) the No. 3 seed in Division III and one of three teams with a first-round bye.

The Timberwolves take on Foothill Valley League titlist No. 6 Roseville (19-6) or VOL rival No. 11 Sonora (10-13), seeded 11th, in the quarterfinals Thursday at Manteca High starting at 5:30 p.m.

Christian Brothers (18-8) and Ponderosa (10-11) are the top two seeds, respectively.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

The TVL’s run in SJS final-round appearances may continue if any of its three remaining teams win in the semifinals Tuesday. At least one member of the TVL has reached a final the past 10 seasons.

Division IV top seed Ripon (28-2) hosts PVL champ No. 4 Bear River (32-3) starting at 6. On the other side of the bracket, TVL runner-up Hilmar (26-8), seeded third, tangles with Sierra Valley Conference titlist No. 2 Liberty Ranch (33-4) in Galt.

Ripon Christian (19-15), the TVL’s third-place team, is seeded fourth in Division III. The reigning two-time state champion Knights are fighting above their weight class because of “continued success.” They are challenging No. 1 seed Vanden (24-10) in Fairfield. No. 2 Vista del Lago (19-9) and No. 3 Roseville (22-13) are in the other semifinal.

The SJS championships take place Saturday at Cosumnes River College.

FLAG FOOTBALL

Will the third time be the charm for fourth-seeded Lathrop (20-3)?

The Spartans are in the Division III semifinals after their thrilling 27-20 win over Fairfield, but they’ll now hit the road to see a team that is responsible for two of their losses.

Top-seeded Livingston (27-0) hosts Lathrop on Wednesday starting at 7 p.m. The Wolves won comfortably — 34-0 and 35-12 — in their two WAC showdowns.

On the other side of the bracket are two teams that eliminated Manteca Unified schools in the quarterfinals. No. 6 Rio Linda (16-6) upset No. 3 Sierra 33-28, while No. 2 Del Campo (15-3) handled No. 7 East Union, 32-6.

The Division III title round is on Saturday at Cosumnes River College starting at 2.