Flag football playoffs: CCAL standings down to the wire, brackets released Friday
Turlock locked up the Central California Athletic League flag football crown earlier last week but there still was plenty to play for in Wednesday’s regular season finale.
Pitman hosted Gregori with second place in the league’s standings on the line, along with an improved playoff seed. In the CCAL, just the top three league finishers earn automatic entries into the postseason, according to the section’s flag football playoff guide. Any school that is not one of the top three in its league but is one of the top 15 teams in its division based on MaxPreps rankings will earn an at-large bid.
Turlock, Gregori and Pitman were already locked in as the CCAL’s three automatic entries and the Jaguars and Pride were playing for seeding Wednesday.
Pitman, a team with what head coach Matt Vasconcellos believes is one of the best defenses in the section, came away with six interceptions, three in each half, and scored its most points in a game since early October in a 39-0 victory to lock up second place in the league standings.
Gregori hoped for a good matchup despite the Wednesday loss, a game that proved to be the difference between a home game or a road trip in the first round. The team has a number of seniors and got a taste of postseason action last year, its first year as a program. The Jaguars fell to St. Mary’s in the first round when their second-half comeback fell just short, and they want more this year.
In the second year of the four-division Sac-Joaquin Section postseason format, Turlock earned the league’s highest seed as a No. 7 team in Division I after timely wins to separate itself from the league’s other two top teams. The Bulldogs beat the Pride on Oct. 15 in a thrilling game that went to overtime. Regulation ended in a 0-0 tie but Turlock’s freshman quarterback Josslyn Crittenden scored the game-winning touchdown on an overtime goal line run. Five days later, the Bulldogs pulled out a one-point, 20-19, home win over Gregori.
Those two victories sealed up the league title and a 40-0 Wednesday victory over Enochs secured six straight league wins entering the postseason. Turlock never lost at home, winning all 10 of its games at Joe Debely Stadium. It finished 15-6 overall and 13-2 in league play.
The reward? A first-round home game against the 16-4 Delta League runner-up Sheldon in the Division I bracket.
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section released its flag football playoff brackets Friday afternoon. First-round games are Oct. 29 and play-in matches are Oct. 27. All games are at 6 p.m. unless otherwise stated.
Defending Division IV section champion Hughson finished fourth in the Trans-Valley League this year and qualified for the D-IV postseason as a No. 11. The Huskies get a local first-round home game as they travel to Central Catholic on Oct. 29.
2025 Sac-Joaquin Section Flag Football Playoffs
Division I
No. 16 Tokay at No. 1 West Park
No. 9 Del Oro at No. 8 Pitman
No. 12 Monterey Trail at No. 5 Vacaville
No. 13 Inderkum at No. 4 Granite Bay
No. 14 River City at No. 3 Oak Ridge
No. 11 Gregori at No. 6 Pleasant Grove
No. 10 Sheldon at No. 7 Turlock
No. 15 Central Valley at No. 2 McClatchy
Division II
Play-in
Oct. 27
No. 17 Grant at No. 16 Tracy
No. 20 Johnson at No. 13 Rocklin
No. 19 Sierra at No. 14 Lodi
No. 18 Fairfield at No. 15 Vista del Lago
First Round
Oct. 29
Tracy/Grant at No. 1 Merced
No. 9 St. Mary’s at No. 8 Whitney
No. 12 Bear Creek at No. 5 Atwater
Rocklin/Johnson at No. 4 Woodcreek
Lodi/Sierra at No. 3 Ponderosa
No. 11 Elk Grove at No. 6 El Capitan
No. 10 St. Francis at No. 7 Antelope
Vista del Lago/Fairfield at No. 2 Kimball
Division III
No. 16 Florin at No. 1 Christian Brothers
No. 9 Ceres at No. 8 Vanden
No. 12 McNair at No. 5 Twelve Bridges
No. 13 Wheatland at No. 4 East Union
No. 14 Oakmont at No. 3 Del Campo
No. 11 Roseville at No. 6 Rio Linda
No. 10 Casa Roble at No. 7 Placer
No. 15 Ripon at No. 2 Lathrop
Division IV
Play-in
Oct. 27
No. 17 Amador at No. 16 Gridley
No. 19 Escalon at No. 14 Riverbank
No. 18 Galt at No. 15 Millennium
First Round
Oct. 29
Gridley/Amador at No. 1 Orestimba
No. 9 Destiny Christian at No. 8 Mariposa County
No. 12 Sacramento Adventist at No. 5 Hilmar
No. 13 Mesa Verde at No. 4 Liberty Ranch
Riverbank/Escalon at No. 3 Colfax
No. 11 Hughson at No. 6 Central Catholic
No. 10 Foresthill at No. 7 Sonora
Millennium/Galt at No. 2 Dixon
