High school football roundup: See which local teams earned playoff wins
The Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs kicked off Friday and the majority of Stanislaus District teams came away successful. In addition to Downey and Turlock picking up first-round wins, Escalon, Hilmar, Orestimba, Ripon Christian and Big Valley Christian each earned wins to advance to the quarterfinals in their respective divisions.
In total, local teams picking up wins outscored their opponents 147-20 with two shutouts.
Johansen, which made the playoffs for the first time since 2008, fell on the road to Vista del Lago and Ripon, which turned around its season to make the postseason, fell on the road to Liberty Ranch.
Next week, the Stanislaus District’s top teams return to action along with each team that won Friday night. Those who earned top four seeds in each of the seven divisions earned first round byes.
Division III
No. 6 Vista del Lago 42, No. 11 Johansen 0: The Vikings, in their first playoff game since 2008, could not find the end zone Friday night in the opening round of the Division III playoffs on the road in Folsom. Vista del Lago scored 21 points in the opening frame and added seven in the second quarter. They scored all 14 of their second half points in the third quarter. Johansen finishes the season 5-6 overall and 4-3 in Western Athletic Conference play.
Division IV
No. 5 Escalon 30, No. 12 Fairfield 7: Dylan Ball returned for the Cougars with six carries for 73 yards, a 20 yard reception, one touchdown and one interception and Logan Huebner completed 11 of 18 passes for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Escalon to its 14th straight postseason victory. Escalon forced two interceptions and one fumble and out-gained Fairfield 391 to 220. The Cougars travel to No. 4 Placer next Friday.
Division V
No. 6 Hilmar 14, No. 11 Livingston 7: Hillmar came out on top in the battle of former Trans-Valley League foes, scoring one touchdown in the first half and one in the second half. With Livingston driving late in the game, Hilmar came away with an interception to seal the 14-7 win with 20 seconds remaining. Hilmar travels to WAC champion Lathrop next Friday. Their common opponent was Livingston, which Lathrop beat 28-10.
Division VI
No. 5 Orestimba 33, No. 12 Delhi 0: Orestimba jumped out to an early 21-0 first quarter lead and scored once in the second quarter to extend its lead to 28-0 at halftime. The Warriors added five third quarter points to secure their win. Orestimba travels to No. 4 Linden, the Mother Lode League three-way champions, next week.
No. 8 Ripon Christian 21, No. 9 Bear River 6: Two rushing touchdowns and one passing score led Ripon Christian past visiting Bear River in a game where the Knights never trailed. Mason Tameling rushed for a 25-yard score in the second quarter, helping the Knights to a 7-0 halftime lead. Josh Miller added a 31-yard touchdown reception to answer a Bear River third quarter touchdown. And the Knights added an insurance score in the fourth. Ripon Christian travels to No. 1 Bradshaw Christian.
No. 7 Liberty Ranch 35, No. 10 Ripon 0: Ripon gave up five rushing touchdowns on the road in Galt. Liberty Ranch scored one touchdown in the first quarter and added two scores in the second and third quarters each to pull away. Ripon’s season ends with a 4-7 overall record and 2-4 in TVL play.
Division VII
No. 5 Big Valley Christian 49, No. 12 Valley Christian 0: Big Valley Christian was dominant in its first time back in the playoffs since 2021. The Lions opened up a 35-0 halftime lead and finished it off with two more second half scores. The Lions won their first playoff game since 2015 and get a rematch with No. 4-seed Waterford. The Lions lost 35-22 in their first meeting this season.
No. 7 Denair 49, No. 10 Delta 16: Denair was dominant in its playoff opener Friday night, putting up more than 45 points for the third time this season. Denair travels to second seed Stone Ridge Christian for a quarterfinal matchup in Merced. The two sides met earlier this season, a game the Knights won 28-6.
Stanislaus District Quarterfinals Schedule
Division I
No. 8 Downey at No. 1 Folsom at 7 p.m.
No. 6 Turlock at No. 3 Central Catholic at 7 p.m.
Division III
No. 8 Woodcreek at No. 1 Oakdale at 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 5 Escalon at No. 4 Placer at 7 p.m.
No. 10 East Union at No. 2 Patterson at 7 p.m.
Division V
No. 8 El Dorado at No. 1 Hughson at 7 p.m.
No. 6 Hilmar at No. 3 Lathrop at 7 p.m.
Division VI
No. 8 Ripon Christian at No. 1 Bradshaw Christian at 7 p.m.
No. 5 Orestimba at No. 4 Linden at 7 p.m.
Division VII
No. 5 Big Valley Christian at No. 4 Waterford at 7 p.m.
No. 7 Denair at No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian at 7 p.m.
