Predictions: Can Ripon Christian beat Hilmar; who wins at the Corral?
While most teams are one game away from a championship appearance, Denair is vying for its second straight Sac-Joaquin Section title.
The Bee’s sports reporter Julian A. Lopez and football writer Jim Silva highlight their games to watch this week along with predictions: (Note: They do not predict games they will be covering):
| Name | Last Week | Overall |
| Jim Silva | 5-1 | 52-14 |
| Julian A. Lopez | 2-4 | 42-25 |
No. 4 Manteca (9-2) at No. 1 Capital Christian (9-2), 7 p.m. at Capital Christian High School
The last two Division III champions face off in Sacramento.
Manteca beat Vista del Lago, 39-35, last week as senior Isaac Searcy intercepted a pass in the end zone as time expired.
Capital Christian has won seven in a row, including a 27-17 victory over Antelope last week. All seven wins were decided by 10 points or more and senior linebacker Justin Hope has 71 tackles and 13 tackles for a loss.
Jim Silva: Manteca 42, Capital Christian 38. Since a Sept. 20 loss to Central Catholic, the Buffaloes are averaging nearly 61 points a game. Going with the upset.
Julian A. Lopez: Capital Christian 38, Manteca 35. The Cougars have been the top team in Division III all year.
No. 3 Buhach Colony (11-0) at No. 2 Placer (9-2), 7 p.m. at Placer High School
Buhach Colony has been ranked in the top 10 of the Bee’s Large-School rankings all year. The Thunder beat Roseville, 45-27, last week and senior Youlas Dickson has 18 touchdowns, including seven on special teams.
Placer lost to Capital Christian in the championship last year and the Hillman beat Yuba City, 31-28, last week. Placer senior running back Hans Grassmann 1,480 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns.
JS: Placer 28, Buhach Colony 27. It’s a long trip for the Thunder, so a big edge goes to the Hillmen. BC hasn’t been tested lately. Will be close.
JL: Buhach Colony 31, Placer 28: Since the beginning of the year, I thought BC could win a section title. I still believe it.
No. 4 Sierra (9-3) at No. 1 Rio Linda (9-2), 7 p.m. at Rio Linda High School
Rio Linda is the defending Division IV champion while Sierra won the title in 2015.
Both have great running backs.
Knights senior and Sacramento State commit, Cameron Skattebo, has rushed for 1,605 yards and 18 touchdowns. Rio Linda beat Vanden, 41-14, last week.
Sierra is led by junior Kimoni Stanley, who has 1,728 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns.
JS: Rio Linda 24, Sierra 20. CalPreps.com’s computer says it’ll be Rio Linda by 12. Sierra comes battled-tested out of the VOL. Should be a good one.
JL: Rio Linda 30, Sierra 24: A ground-and-pound game. I give the edge to the defending champs.
No. 6 Merced (7-5) at No. 2 Oakdale (8-3), 7 p.m. at Oakdale High School
Another year, another deep playoff run for the Mustangs.
Oakdale beat Patterson, 67-21, last week and junior running back Zeke Saffar has 1,535 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns this year.
Merced upset No. 3 Casa Roble, 38-26, last week.
JS: Oakdale 35, Merced 24. Both teams blew out Patterson, but I think the Mustangs are getting hot at the right time. Plus, it’s at the Corral.
JL: Oakdale 48, Merced 21: The only thing slowing down the Mustangs lately is the end zone.
No. 3 Amador (10-1) at No. 2 Ripon (10-1), 7 p.m. at Ripon High School
The Indians lost in the semifinals in each of the past two years.
Ripon beat Foothill, 41-7, last week and the Indians are allowing 11.6 points per game.
Amador snapped Sonora’s Mother Lode League winning streak earlier this year and beat Rosemont, 17-7, last week.
JS: Ripon 35, Amador 17. The Indians’ offense gets most of the attention, but their defense has three shutouts this season.
JL: Covering game.
No. 5 Sonora (6-5) at No. 1 Escalon (10-1), 7 p.m. at Escalon High School
A rematch of the Sept. 6 game in which the Cougars won, 35-13.
Sonora rolled over Golden Sierra, 56-19, last week while Escalon beat Hughson, 21-6, in a hard-fought game.
Sonora last played in a championship game in 2015 while the Cougars last appeared in 2012.
JS: Escalon 28, Sonora 17. The Wildcats started out 0-4, but have gone 6-1 since. I just think the Cougars are too good, and they have home-field edge.
JL: Escalon 24, Sonora 14: It’s going to be closer than the first meeting but the Cougars have been one of the best teams all year.
No. 3 Ripon Christian (10-1) at No. 2 Hilmar (10-1), 7 p.m. at Hilmar High School
Ripon Christian is looking for a different outcome than last year’s Division VI Championship in which they fell to the Yellowjackets, 56-14.
There might not be a more well-rested team in the country than the Knights, who haven’t played since Nov. 1. The Knights had a bye in the first round of the playoffs and Calaveras had to forfeit last week.
Hilmar beat Bear River, 49-17, last week and the Yellowjackets are a game away from the third straight championship appearance.
JS: Covering game.
JL: Ripon Christian 31, Hilmar 28: I picked against Hilmar last week and it wasn’t pretty. Did I learn my lesson? It doesn’t appear so.
No. 2 Mariposa (7-4) at No. 1 Denair (9-2), 7 p.m. at Turlock High School
An all-Southern League matchup for the Division VII title as the Coyotes and the Grizzlies face off.
Denair beat Mariposa, 14-13, on Oct. 25.
JS: Denair 14, Mariposa 13. Yes, this is the same score as their last game. The Coyotes did it once, why not again?
JL: Denair 17, Mariposa 14: A low-scoring game and the Coyotes win their second straight title.
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CIF Sac-Joaquin Section High School Football Playoffs
Nov. 15
7 p.m.: Manteca at Capital Christian, Buhach Colony at Placer, Merced at Oakdale, Sierra at Rio Linda, Amador at Ripon, Sonora at Escalon, Ripon Christian at Hilmar, Mariposa at Denair (Turlock HS)
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 4:00 PM.
