MERCED -- Merced High's three-year reign over the Central California Conference came to an end Friday, and it just might earn Pitman a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth.
Pitman's Markus Sanders ran for 251 yards and four TDs in a 49-7 win that ended Merced's season.
Merced, Pitman and Atwater finished tied for second at 4-2 -- a game behind CCC champ Los Banos -- but Atwater earned the automatic playoff berth because it beat both teams.
Pitman (6-4, 4-2) will find out tonight if it's going to the playoffs. The pairings will be released tonight, and Pitman will be one of several teams fighting for one of the final berths.
Pitman dominated from start to finish.
"(Sanders) was everything we'd thought he'd be," Merced coach Rob cheidt said. "You watch him on film and sometimes he looked like he did tonight."
Merced didn't look anything like a team playing for a title.
Usually Merced players are jumping up and down, yelling on the sideline. The energy spills out onto the field.
"It was just a weird game," Scheidt said. "I don't know if it was the whole pregame ceremony for the seniors, which I feel bad for them.
ATWATER 41, TURLOCK 10, The Falcons (7-3, 4-2) wrapped up the CCCC's No. 2 playoff seed, jumpimng to a 31-0 lead early in the third quarter. Brian Sevilla scored on touchdown runs of 6 and 46 yards.
Nathan Sanchez got the scoring started with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Morgan. Sanchez later added a 42-yard scoring run in the third quarter.
"It was nice to get back in the win column and get back into the playoffs for the first time in a while," said Atwater coach Bob Valladao, whose team made the playoffs for the first time since 2000. "We're looking forward to finding out who we play."
It was the first winless season for Turlock since 1931, according to the Turlock Journal.
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