Division II: Atwater holds off Stagg rally, advances; Buhach falls

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STOCKTON -- Seconds after taking the ball, Theo Wofford knew he was in trouble.

Stagg's tailback had been his team's only threat and on fourth-and-4 from the Atwater 8, and with the final seconds ticking away the defense only had eyes for Wofford.

He looked for a hole up the middle and was surrounded by defenders. He went down for a loss as Stagg was turned away inside the Atwater 10 for the third and final time.

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Nathan Sanchez then took a knee and Atwater celebrated its first playoff win since 1998, 18-13 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II first-round game at Chavez High.

No. 10 Atwater (8-3) vists No. 2 Rocklin next week.

"Theo ... gave us trouble all night," Atwater coach Bob Valladao said. "We thought if we kept being physical and gang tackling, he'd get tired."

Atwater was outgained 358-214, but took advantage of of its scoring opportunities.

Tied at 13 in the second half, Stagg had scored on two Wofford runs, Ryan Wood gave Stagg a first-and-goal at the Atwater 3 with a 33-yard reception. Three plays later, Stagg was still at the 3 and Aaron Raya was forced out of the pocket on fourth down. Just as Raya looked to be in real trouble, Wofford slipped out into the left flat without an Atwater defender within 15 yards. The pass went right through Wofford's hands and Atwater took over on downs.

Atwater's Nathan Sanchez led a 97-yard drive that took 16 plays and 7 minutes. Armando Garcia and Angel Molina handled the power running. Garcia punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to give Atwater an 18-13 lead.

"We were struggling on offense," said Garcia who had a season-high 70 yards on 14 carries. "The thing is we never give up. The defensive stop gave us energy and we were able to take it right at them."

Wofford (25 carries for 195 yards) and Stagg didn't quit.

Starting at its 38, Stagg used just six plays to march inside the 10. Wofford appeared poised to atone for his earlier mistake, as he found a big hole on a draw play from the Atwater 10. He powered through a tackle and was 3 yards from the end zone when linebacker Andrew Morgan made a desperation swipe from behind. Morgan stripped the ball and it went out the back of the end zone for a touchback.

"I just wanted to force him back to the inside, and when he ran by I saw the ball hanging out there," said Morgan, who also had a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter. "I swung and got ball. It was pretty exciting."

ST. MARY'S 49, BUHACH COLONY 7, at Stockton -- Josh Harper wasted no time in showing why he's heading to Cal, scoring on a 29-yard run to spark the Rams' rout. He later returned a punt 45 yards for a score, then had another 36-yard scoring run. BC's Dallon Muse scored on a 2-yard run late.