Second-seeded Ripon finds enough playoff magic to dump top-seeded Center

Even though it was fourth and 19, fans from both top-seeded Center and No. 2 Ripon screamed like it was a fourth-and-goal from the 1 Saturday as the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title hung in the balance at Hughes Stadium.

You just never could tell when something magical was going to happen for either team.

Center quarterback Michael Wortham dropped back to pass from the 32-yard line but was caught in the backfield on a blindside blitz, falling to the ground 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Cougars fans groaned and Ripon fans went wild over their 21-13 win, celebrating their first section title since 1996.

“We knew Center had great athletes, but we’ve rallied all year. We’ve been out-manned before and found a way,” Ripon coach Chris Musseman said.

The way was simple: Follow Nico Ilardi. The senior quarterback was 6-for-6 in the second half for 153 yards and a touchdown. With his team trailing 13-7 late in the third quarter, Ilardi led Ripon on an 11-play scoring drive to take the lead.

Every time Ripon found itself in trouble – in a hole or facing third-and-long – Ilardi completed a long pass to revive hope. His final completion of the drive, a 19-yard slant, put Ripon up 14-13 with 10:28 left in the fourth quarter.

Ilardi’s magic continued on the next Ripon possession. After a sack left Ripon with fourth and 12 at the Center 32, Ilardi hit Troy Brogan on a 21-yard completion. Three plays later, Danny Hernandez dove into the end zone from a yard out to give Ripon a 21-13 lead with 4:10 to play.

Hernandez, Brogan and Ilardi are all seniors. Ripon also got substantial runs out of senior Grant Wiebe. The seniors remember playing in the section finals the last two years and coming away empty-handed. They trailed Amador 27-3 in a semifinal last week before rallying to win 34-33. They know how to play like they’ve got nothing left to lose.

“We lost in the semifinals the last two years and this year, we thought, ‘If we’ve come this far, we might as well win it,” Ilardi said. “The nine seniors, we grew up playing Pop Warner football, winning championships as kids. This is the best one.”

It was also the best Center team in a generation. The Cougars (12-1) averaged 44 points a game and allowed 10 points on defense as they went undefeated before facing Ripon.

“This was a bad time to play our worst game of the year,” Center coach Digol JBeily said. “Our kids didn’t play their best game and Ripon did a good job beating us.”

JBeily credited the Ripon defense for taking away the Center run game. Center’s lowest previous offensive output this season was 27 points in a win over Lincoln.

The Cougars had just six running plays in the second half as they abandoned the ground game to take the lead in the third quarter. Wortham connected on three straight passes for 24, 12 and 9 yards as Center quickly took a 13-7 lead with 4:41 left in the third.

And the Cougars were still chattering after the game about the first play of their final drive, where Wortham seemed to break a tackle and head into the open field for a would-be touchdown. But an official had blown the play dead because forward progress seemed to be stopped.

There were also complaints about a personal foul penalty that might have involved some overacting by a Ripon player. That penalty pushed Center from what would have been second and 5 from the Ripon 18-yard line to second and 19 from the 32. A couple of incompletions and the blindside blitz sack ended Ripon’s upset win.

But for the most part, the Cougars silently marched off the field while fans shouted encouragement from the stands. JBeily barked at a few players who hunched over in pain or lagged behind. There was plenty to be sad about, but JBeily wanted his players to hold their heads high. Center has still never won a section title, but the Cougars were one of the best teams in the Sacramento area.

“Big picture, it’s one game and the whole season is a bigger picture, this was one game,” JBeily said. “I know they’re feeling bad, but when they look back at the whole year, they had a great season.”

With a 12-1 overall record, Ripon’s season will go on next weekend in a NorCal championship game. The opponent, time and location will be announced Sunday.

This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Second-seeded Ripon finds enough playoff magic to dump top-seeded Center."