Prep football roundup: See which teams punched their ticket to the section semifinals
Friday night, some Stanislaus District teams punched their ticket to the next round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs while others saw their seasons come to an end.
Local representatives from the CCAL in Divisions I and II fell to Sacramento-area opponents. Ripon Christian and Orestimba will play for the Division VII-A title this coming Friday. The winner of that contest will represent D-VII-A against the Division VII-B champion in the section title game.
In other games around the Stanislaus District, Central Catholic beat Edison-Stockton, earning coach Roger Canepa his 283rd win, a new section record. Patterson jumped on Kimball early and blew out the Jaguars after their first-round bye in Division IV. In D-III, Oakdale forced Merced into turnovers and took advantage for a quarterfinals victory. Hilmar also edged out Pioneer in a D-V Thursday night contest.
Here are the results of other local games, as well as the Stanislaus District section semifinals schedule.
Division I
Oak Ridge 45, Turlock 6: The Bulldogs had their six-game winning streak snapped with Friday night’s playoff loss to Oak Ridge. Turlock trailed 24-0 at the half and scored its lone touchdown on a three-yard run from sophomore Kaleb Guinn. The Bulldogs finish the season as CCAL champions with a 6-6 overall record.
Division II
Rocklin 42, Downey 7: Derrick Kirkendall scored Downey’s only touchdown on a one-yard second-quarter run. Rocklin forced Downey into three interceptions and finished with three sacks and eight tackles for loss. Derek Keeley rushed for 116 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Downey’s season ends with a 10-2 record and a playoff win for the first time since 2018. With a team of mostly juniors, the Knights will have experience heading into next season.
Division IV
Escalon 57, Sacramento 32: Jamin Miller (17 carries, 140 yards) and Josh Graham (22 carries, 125 yards) led the charge as the Cougars were dominant in their first D-IV playoff game. Miller, Graham, Talan Reider and Ben Gonzalez each rushed for a touchdown. Donovan Rozevink threw four touchdown passes, three to Sam Jimenez (7 catches, 130 yards) and one to Reider. The Cougars face West Park in the semifinals.
Division VI
Hughson 54, Colfax 13: Quarterback Robert McDaniel set a school record for touchdown passes in a season with his two-score effort in the Division VI quarterfinals. The junior has thrown 27 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Alexander Villarreal rushed for three touchdowns, while Jesus Artea, David Burns and Cesar Ramos each ran for a score. The Huskies defense finished with six tackles for loss, three sacks and Malakai Sumter had an interception. The Huskies travel to top-seed Sutter next Friday.
Division VII
Ripon Christian 42, Rio Vista 0: Ripon Christian shut out its fifth straight opponent Friday night in the quarterfinals. Trevor Van Elderen, Brady Grondz and Grant Sonke each had a rushing touchdown and Mason Tameling passed for three touchdowns. The Knights have won 11 straight games.
Orestimba 49, Le Grand 14: The Warriors ran away with their ninth win of the season. After finishing second in the Southern League, Orestimba is on its way to the Division VII-A Championship.
Section Semifinals Schedule
Division I
No. 3 Oak Ridge at No. 2 Central Catholic
Division III
No. 4 Oakdale at No. 1 Grant
Division IV
No. 5 West Park at No. 1 Escalon
No. 3 Patterson at No. 2 Vista del Lago
Division V
No. 3 Hilmar at No. 2 Casa Roble
Division VI
No. 4 Hughson at No. 1 Sutter
Division VII-A Championship
No. 2A Orestimba at No. 1A Ripon Christian
