Manteca football battles back; Escalon, Ripon Christian advance to division finals

Shannon Mia Belt, The Record
·4 min read
Manteca's Bryson Davis, center, tires to leap past Rocklin's Eli Hardy, left, and Derek Houston during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game at Manteca's Guss Schmiedt Stadium.
Manteca's Bryson Davis, center, tires to leap past Rocklin's Eli Hardy, left, and Derek Houston during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game at Manteca's Guss Schmiedt Stadium.

Manteca head coach Mark Varnum quickly ushered his team to the locker room as they trailed 21-13 at Guss Schmiedt Field against Division II No. 4 Rocklin in the semifinals.

The first half was filled with holding penalties against the Buffaloes and an inability to slow down Rocklin’s rushing attack. For Manteca to avoid an upset, a trend throughout the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs this year, Varnum needed to rally his troops.

“We challenged them saying, ‘You got to start doing things right; you got to start playing like us and stop making these dumb mistakes,” he said. “That was probably the worst half of football we played in a while and it was all about making adjustments and responding. They did a great job of doing that and here we are.”

The Buffaloes responded big. They pulled off a 34-28 fourth-quarter comeback to advance to the Division II championship.

The shep showed up

There was a reason senior fullback and middle linebacker Alijah Cota was named Manteca’s shepherd. Cota led the Buffaloes in rushing. He ended Manteca's opening drive with a seven-yard rushing touchdown and had a two-point conversion following the go-ahead score.

The 6-foot, 3-inch Cota added a five-yard receiving touchdown and helped shift momentum back to his team once mistakes started to disrupt their flow.

“He demanded the ball, he wanted this as much as anybody else and I just couldn't be more proud of him on both sides of the ball,” Varnum said.

“I feel pretty good about my performance, but you know it wasn’t just me; my o-line did a great job too,” Cota said. “They tried their hardest: they made sure to get blocks and did everything they needed to do. As a captain, that’s all I could ask for is their best effort and just putting your heart into the game.”

Manteca's Alijah Cota, left, makes his way into the end zone for a touchdown during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game against Rocklin at Manteca's Guss Schmiedt Stadium.
Manteca's Alijah Cota, left, makes his way into the end zone for a touchdown during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff game against Rocklin at Manteca's Guss Schmiedt Stadium.

Ground and pound

Elias Brown led the charge for the Thunder as he had a hand in all four of their scores. The senior found holes throughout Manteca’s defense, finishing the game with 145 rushing yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns. Brown also caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from senior Joey Roberts.

The strong rushing night was what Rocklin head coach Jason Adams expected from his offense.

See more:Semifinal preview of San Joaquin County prep football playoffs

“I think our offensive line as a group has really grown after we graduated all five o-linemen last year,” Adams said. “They've done a real nice job of blocking for our two running backs — Elias Brown and Mason Silva, they’re pretty darn good. We liked their ability to go the distance if they could get loose.”

Florida-State-bound Blake Nichelson rushed for more than 200 yards on 25 carries and two touchdowns. Bryson Davis added 50 yards on 12 carries.

Manteca's Matt Kong kicks a PAT during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff against Rocklin game at Manteca's Gus Schmiedt Stadium.
Manteca's Matt Kong kicks a PAT during a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoff against Rocklin game at Manteca's Gus Schmiedt Stadium.

Turning the tide and what’s next

Cota and Nichelson also made their presence known on defense.

Following a fourth-quarter five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hudson Wyatt to Cota, the Buffaloes needed a stop to get the ball back and secure the win.

Both seniors made big plays in Rocklin’s final drive to help force a three-and-out. Robert's incomplete pass on third and nine had the stadium roaring as Manteca would get the ball back and run down the clock.

“I just feel magical right now and just at a loss for words,” Cota said. “We were underestimated by every DII team saying that we’re not gonna get anywhere far but we just beat a Sierra Foothill League team. We proved that we can do what we do on this level.”

Manteca will head to the Division II championship game that will be played either on Nov. 25 or Nov. 26 at a neutral site against No. 6 Granite Bay.

Final scores

Escalon and Ripon Christian will also advance to the championship game in Division V and Division VII. The Cougars will take on No. 2 Sonora and the Knights will play against No. 3 Woodland Christian on either Nov. 25 or Nov. 26.

  • Division IV: Vanden 29, Kimball, 6

  • Division V: Sutter 2, Escalon 23

  • Division VII: Ripon Christian 55, Stone Ridge Christian 12

Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: 3 takeaways from Manteca's comeback win in Sac-Joaquin semifinals