Football playoff brackets are here; Downey, Patterson among teams with byes
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section released its football playoff brackets via selection show Sunday, Oct. 30.
Section Assistant Commissioner Will DeBoard and Sacramento Bee veteran reporter Joe Davidson hosted the event.
Playoff participants were determined by league champions and CalPreps rankings. After they were selected, a committee of current section staff and former athletic directors determined seeds and matchups.
Eighty teams earned spots in the postseason across seven divisions. The top four seeds in Divisions I-VI earned coveted first-round byes. Divisions I-VI feature 12-team brackets, while Division VII has a field of eight.
(Click here for first-round pairings)
It’s go time.
First-round games are Friday, Nov. 4, at host sites. Section finals games are at Sacramento City College in the north and St. Mary’s High School in the south on Nov. 25-26.
Folsom, Manteca, Placer, Vanden, Sutter, Summerville and Ripon Christian earned No. 1 seeds in Divisions I-VII, respectively.
A noticeable absence from this year’s postseason was Enochs. A victory against Modesto Friday gave the Eagles the fourth win they needed to qualify and after being projected near the bottom of the Division I bracket, all signs pointed to them getting in. They were looking for their second straight postseason berth after a more than 10 year drought.
Last season they barely lost to Del Oro in the first round. This year, the section’s selection committee didn’t give them the nod.
Central Catholic (6-4) will play its first ever game in the Division I playoffs Friday night. The Raiders host San Joaquin Athletic Association third-place finisher Stagg (7-3).
Seeding the top three in Division II could have gone either way. Manteca (8-1) has been one of the best teams in the section all season. No. 2 Del Oro (8-2) plays in the ultra-competitive Sierra Foothill League and No. 3 Downey recently finished off a 10-0 season and Central California Athletic League championship. The Knights will host the winner of Inderkum at Granite Bay.
Undefeated Placer (10-0) earned Division III’s top spot, but No. 2 Patterson (9-1) is looking to make noise. The Tigers could face their section semifinal opponent from last season, Oakdale, in the second round if the No. 7 Mustangs (6-4) beat No. 10 Roseville (6-4) at home Friday.
It’s nothing out of the ordinary when the Trans-Valley League dominates the lower divisions. One of the best small-school leagues in the state sends five of its seven teams to the playoffs. League champion Hilmar (7-3) and Hughson (8-2) earn first-round byes. The Yellowjackets were awarded the No. 4 seed in Division V and the Huskies are the No. 2 team in Division VI. Escalon (7-3) and Ripon (4-6) join Hilmar in Division V, and Modesto Christian (6-4) is the No. 10 seed in Division VI after failing to make the playoffs the past two full seasons.
DeBoard noted that Division V bracket was one that the selection committee had trouble deciding. The top four include two 10-0 teams in Sutter and Liberty Ranch, TVL champion Hilmar and Mother Lode League champion Sonora (8-2). If the Cougars win their first-round matchup, we could see a 2021 section title rematch in the second round between Hilmar and Escalon.
Southern League champion Orestimba (9-1) earned a No. 3 seed in Divison VI.
In Division VII, Ripon Christian (8-2) earned the top seed but cannot host games this year due to CIF sanctions related to offseason club football in 2020. Capital Christian (Division IV) and Stone Ridge Christian (Division VII) also fall under those sanctions. Should Stone Ridge Christian and Ripon Christian meet in the playoffs, their game would take place at a neutral site.
For full brackets, visit the Sac-Joaquin Section site here.
This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 3:52 PM.
