From face-in-the-crowd to favorite: How a football program handles sudden expectations.

It's a Tuesday evening in the middle of November and the weight room at Ripon Christian High buzzes with offseason excitement.

Energy fills the space, as players bark and sweat and spot and throw iron plates around. "You would have thought it was January the way they were pushing each other," Ripon Christian coach Trey Ozenbaugh said.

The heavylifting serves a purpose.

The Knights (6-4) stand on the precipice of history, and the pressure can be overwhelming. Ripon Christian has gone from a face in the crowd in a Division VI league – the Knights were third in the Southern League – to a favorite in the D-VII bracket.

The second-seeded Knights host No. 3 Stone Ridge Christian of Merced (10-1) in Friday's semifinal. Ripon Christian has won six of the last seven games with Stone Ridge Christian, including a 35-6 decision on Sept. 1.

How does a program handle instant expectation?

With equal parts "disciplined focus," Ozenbaugh says, and fun.

"Our charge this week has been that there is a tremendous opportunity in front of you," he added. "You don't have to make it any bigger than it already is. I want the team to play nasty, hard-nosed football, but also play loose and fun.

"I've seen it. You've seen it. There are teams that come out tight, good teams that don't play well because of what's at stake. We've been challenging them to play loose."

Ripon Christian has enjoyed themselves the last two weeks, despite finishing the regular season with a 10-6 loss to Delhi (4-6), a non-playoff team. The Knights turned the ball over three times and star running back Michael Kamps was stifled for most of the night. If you removed a 23-yard burst, his long for the night, Kamps averaged less than 3 yards per carry.

The loss snapped a two-game winning streak and cost Ripon Christian the No. 1 seed.

"That was a great wake-up call," Ozenbaugh said. "We would have loved the No. 1 seed, but it was a great wake-up call. The kids felt it. We've learned from it. We don't want to drudge it up; we're well passed that. We've learned from it and moved on."

Ripon Christian still received a first-round bye.

The Knights traveled as a team to Castle Air Force Base in Atwater to scout Stone Ridge Christian's opening-round win over No. 6 Brookside Christian. As the pressure has mounted and the stakes have come into clear focus, the coaching staff has made it a point to keep the mood light in practice.

"We've continued to coach the kids the same as we did in September," he said. "We challenge them, but we have fun, too. Last week, during the bye week, and on Monday and Tuesday of this week, we've just been enjoying each other. We know if we tighten up as a staff, the kids will follow."

Ozenbaugh has been impressed by the senior leadership.

Willem Hoekstra and Caleb Van Vliet are the senior captains. They're joined by linemen Willem Vermeulen, Justin Heida, Kyle Rivera, and Tristan De Shields, wide receivers Dillon Zuidervaart and Dominic Darretta, tight end Andrew Vander Weide and quarterback Mark Ozenbaugh.

That band of seniors have held the team together through every challenge, from a blowout loss at Orestimba (10-1) in their SL opener and a tug-of-war loss with Gustine (8-3), the SL runner-up.

"I like our senior leadership," Ozenbaugh said. "They've all improved considerably, and there's just much better team unity this year. We've got a bunch of selfless kids pulling together. ... The guys have stayed hungry through disappointment. They didn't start pointing fingers and that's allowed them to have success."

Stone Ridge has won nine consecutive games. The Central California Athletic Association champions feed off quarterback Bryce Louters (46 of 82, 813 yards, 10 touchdowns), also one of the top all-around athletes in the Stanislaus District.

Louters is second on the team in rushing with 558 yards and six touchdowns, ranks among the leaders in tackles (63) and interceptions (four), and has connected on 13 of his 18 field goal attempts.

"They do a few things differnt, offensively," Ozenbaugh said. "The quarterback is carrying the ball a little more for them. He's their best athlete. I would say that's how they've changed the most. We anticipate them loading the box to stop our run, but we'll have some nice wrinkles in place."

It will be the second-ever playoff game hosted by Ripon Christian in its three-year-old stadium.

"The place is going to be rocking," Ozenbaugh said. "There's a great opportunity in front of us."

This story was originally published November 15, 2017 at 11:53 AM with the headline "From face-in-the-crowd to favorite: How a football program handles sudden expectations.."