Games to watch: Friday’s Stanislaus District Sac-Joaquin Section semifinal matchups
The final six Stanislaus District football teams take the field in the semifinals of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Football Championships Friday.
Three No. 1 seeds remain and Hilmar, the lowest seed in the Division V playoffs, looks to continue its playoff success after traveling to No. 3 Sonora and upsetting the Wildcats.
Could this be the end of the line for No. 5 seeds Ripon and Patterson, who go up against the giants of their respective divisions, or will they rise to the occasion and spring an upset?
Here’s a look at this week’s Stanislaus District semifinal matchups:
No. 5 Patterson (10-2) at No. 1 Oakdale (8-2)
Patterson’s coaching staff feels their team is still improving. The Tigers have won 10 straight games and have turned what was a disappointing start into a section semifinal appearance.
One of the Tigers’ non-league losses came against No. 3 seed Manteca, and they are hoping they can learn from that loss.
The Tigers have taken pride in proving everyone who has doubted them wrong but know they have a challenge in Oakdale.
Since dropping two straight games near the end of Valley Oak League play, Oakdale’s defense hasn’t given up a point in a month. The Mustangs shut out Sierra, Weston Ranch and Manteca to finish out the VOL and beat Roseville 40-0 in the quarterfinals after a first-round bye.
Oakdale is more than just its defense. The offense averages 46 points a game and is led by quarterback Jackson Holt and running backs Kevin Camelin, Jace Rau, Dalton Vargas and Brian Delte. Patterson’s offensive weapons, Jacob Guevarra, Sean Hansen and Lolo Mataele, lead the team that averages 38 points a game.
No. 7 Casa Roble (7-4) at No. 6 Hilmar (10-2)
Hilmar played a tough schedule, so it is no surprise they are in the Division V semifinals. In addition to finishing third in the Trans-Valley League, the Yellowjackets played playoff teams Patterson, Los Banos and Sonora in non-league games, beating them all.
The Yellowjackets met Los Banos and Sonora again in the first two rounds of the playoffs on their way to hosting the Rams.
Casa Roble is the Golden Empire League’s third-place team and comes into the game after blowing out El Camino, 51-34, and barely escaping Union Mine in the quarterfinals, 35-33.
Quarterback Jason Lindahl leads the Rams with over 2,400 yards of total offense with 16 rushing touchdowns and eight passing. Running back Josh Taylor has rushed for 1,009 yards and 14 touchdowns.
No. 4 Antelope (10-0) at No. 1 Central Catholic (10-1)
The Raiders narrowly escaped Lodi in the quarterfinals and though they played coming off a bye week, the slow start exposed some things coach Roger Canepa said his team needed to improve on, specifically defensively.
This week, they will stress defense as they prepare for undefeated Antelope.
While the Raiders tailback duo of Aiden Taylor and Julian Lopez have been dominant this season, the Titans’ leading rusher, 247Sports three-star recruit Curron Borders, has 2,039 yards and is fourth in the state with 32 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Josiah Bateman leads a passing attack that can’t be overlooked. The junior has thrown for 1,141 yards and 14 touchdowns.
No. 5 Ripon (8-4) at No. 1 Escalon (10-1)
Ripon is coming into the game with nothing to lose. The Indians are going up against the first overall seed who beat them 21-7 their penultimate TVL game. They know there were mistakes that need to be cleaned up, but the past three games have gone a long way in helping them fix things on offense and defense.
Adam Barrera has been a great addition as the team’s new quarterback. He’s added a dual-threat aspect to their offense and is 2-0 as the team’s starter and helped the Indians put up 39 points in two straight playoff wins against Ceres and Pioneer.
Escalon’s Andrew Beam said it was a possibility they could see Ripon again “down the line” and they’d have to be ready. A matchup against their rival with the chance to go to the section championship brings a whole different level of intensity.
The Cougars didn’t get quarterback Donovan Rozevink’s best effort last week against Woodland. He finished with 50 passing yards and two interceptions, but they had a standout game from Ryker Peters with 205 yards and three touchdowns. Their defense also showed up, allowing just 12 points.
