Section playoffs kick off tonight; Pitman hosts opener

If Pitman High was looking for extra motivation heading into the playoffs, it got that nudge from the Sac-Joaquin Section selection committee.

The group of former school officials, and the current section staff, demoted the Pride two spots in Division 1 — citing Pitman's cushy schedule.

It means the Pride will have to survive a rugged path if it's going to make its first appearance in a section semifinal.

That journey starts tonight when No. 7 Pitman (9-1) hosts No. 10 West (6-4) at Joe Debely Stadium at Turlock High.

The game kicks off at 7 p.m.

It's one of six playoff games tonight. With Friday a school holiday, some teams agreed to move their games up a day.

The rest of the field debuts Friday, including a day-night twinbill at Downey High: The namesake Knights (8-2) host Del Campo (7-3) at 1 and Beyer (8-2) hosts Stagg (7-3) at 7.

Pitman and Beyer were the only schools in the field of 76, spread through six divisions, chastised by section officials for the schedules they played.

It was particularly painful for the Pride, which was looking at a potential quarterfinal at Burbank. Instead of that favorable matchup, a win now sends Pitman to face defending champ Pleasant Grove.

Stanislaus District schools Buhach Colony and Oakdale have top seeds in divisions 2 and 3, respectively, and carry 10-0 records into the playoffs.

That doesn't guarantee any titles, though, not with powerful Elk Grove (10-0) in D2 and physical Del Oro (9-1) in D3. Del Oro beat Oakdale 21-0 in the D3 final a year ago, while Buhach lost to eventual state champ Folsom in a semifinal.