Ripon’s bid for a fourth consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section championship ended on Saturday with a heartbreaking 14-13 sudden-death overtime loss to top-seeded Rocklin in the Division II final held at Roseville Aquatics Center.
It was a rematch of the 2023 Division II title game that Ripon won by the same score, coming from behind to take the lead with nearly a minute remaining.
The defeat comes with a silver lining for Ripon (26-6). The California Interscholastic Federation released its regional championship brackets on Sunday, and the Indians were dropped to Division III and awarded the No. 1 seed for NorCals. They’ll host No. 8 Cabrillo tonight at St. Mary’s High in Stockton.
Rocklin (21-11), on the other hand, is seeded sixth in Division II and travels to No. 3 Clovis West.
In the section final, the second-seeded Indians nearly worked their comeback magic again after being held scoreless for the first 9 ½ minutes, but they were ultimately done in by foul trouble. Fourth-year seniors Hayden Beier and Ben Svoboda were ejected in the fourth quarter of regulation. Rocklin was able to take advantage of several power-play opportunities and put away three penalty shots.
Ripon still found a way to stay within striking distance. Brody Biedermann gave the Indians their first lead all game late in the second overtime, but the advantage only lasted 8 seconds.
In the end, it was Rocklin that produced the clutch goals.
Damon Winton, one of the top scorers in the SJS, forced the sudden-death scenario by netting the equalizer with 2 seconds left in the second overtime period.
The 6-foot-2 senior struck again for the game-winner, receiving a long pass from goalkeeper Issac Aranas for the 1-on-1 goal with 13 seconds to go. Winton finished with a game-high six goals, while Aranas collected 10 saves.
Biedermann spearheaded Ripon’s comeback charge with his team-best four goals — three coming in the fourth quarter, and one in the second overtime. He drilled a shot from the right wing in the final second of regulation to send the match into overtime. The senior also had four steals, three blocks and two assists.
The Indians trailed 9-6 with 3 minutes left in the fourth after Winton converted on a penalty throw. Ripon’s Matt Lee answered on the next possession, scoring on an assist from Nathan Selna. Lee then assisted Biedermann to close Ripon in 9-8 with 1:50 to go.
With two key starters out, others stepped up in overtime for the Indians. Teo West accounted for two of their four goals in extra time, and sophomore Trevor Bell added one. Biedermann pushed Ripon ahead for the first and only time with 10.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime before Winton’s heroic moments for the Thunder.
Sophomore goalie Andrew Hanker had nine saves for Ripon. Lee ended with three goals and three assists. Chetan Harvey contributed a key goal in the third quarter. Svoboda had two goals, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Beier pitched in two assists, three steals and a block.
Ripon’s NorCal game with Cabrillo begins at 6 p.m. The Conquistadores (16-9) from Lompoc are the Central Section Division III champions.
