High school football roundup: Hughson advances to third straight title game with win
In addition to Oakdale and Patterson, Turlock, Hughson and Big Valley Christian were in action Friday night. The Bulldogs and Lions traveled for their section semifinals contests while Hughson, the top seed in Division V, played its final home game of the section playoffs.
In Division I, one week after an inspiring upset over Central Catholic, Turlock could not overcome No. 2 Oak Ridge in a shutout loss. The Bulldogs are now 0-5 against the Trojans in their past five matchups.
In Division V, Hughson overcame its second straight slow start, rolling to another double-digit win en route to its third straight section championship game. The Huskies will likely want to get out to a faster start Saturday against the division’s No. 2 seed, 11-1 Sutter.
In Division VII, Big Valley Christian fell in a Mother Lode League rematch with Summerville. It was still a good season for the Lions, however, after earning key regular season victories and picking up their first playoff win since 2015.
Hughson will join Patterson and Oakdale as the three Stanislaus District representatives in next week’s section title games. Patterson will play Friday while the Huskies and Mustangs will play Saturday. All three games are at Sacramento City College.
Division I
No. 2 Oak Ridge 23, No. 6 Turlock 0
The Bulldogs made the journey up to El Dorado Hills for the third straight postseason in search of a trip to the Division I section championship. A passing touchdown and successful PAT with three minutes remaining in the second quarter gave the Trojans a 16-0 lead heading into halftime. Turlock’s defense was up to the challenge in the second half, holding Oak Ridge scoreless in the third quarter and allowing just one fourth-quarter touchdown, but the offense could not find its rhythm in the loss. Turlock finishes the season as 9-4 CCAL champions. No win was bigger this year for the Bulldogs than their one-point overtime victory over Central Catholic in the section quarterfinals. With the win, Oak Ridge advances to the section title game, where it will play top-seeded Folsom for the third straight season.
Division V
No. 1 Hughson 22, No. 4 Union Mine 8
Hughson maintains its perfect record and is heading to its third-straight section title game after another convincing win in the section semifinals Friday night. They had to overcome yet another slow start, however, putting up just eight points and going into halftime tied at 8-8 with the No. 4-seeded Diamondbacks. The defense kept them in the game, however, allowing just eight points in the game and stopping Union Mine on multiple fourth-down plays in the second half. The Huskies scored all of their touchdowns on the ground, finding the end zone once in the first quarter, once in the third and once in the fourth. They added a pair of two-point conversions as well. The Huskies showed their versatility in the rain. When conditions were less than ideal for Arizona commit Robert McDaniel to find his gang of receivers, Eli Wilbanks and the rushing attack won them the game. No. 1 Hughson will play No. 2 Sutter next Saturday.
Division VII
No. 1 Summerville 42, No. 5 Big Valley Christian 6
The Lions and Bears went head-to-head in a rematch of their Oct. 25 Mother Lode League contest, a 47-21 Summerville win, with a spot in the Division VII section championship on the line. Big Valley entered the contest riding the high of a two-game win streak and a big win over Waterford in the quarterfinals, but could not get the offense rolling in the section semifinals loss. Big Valley answered an early Summerville score with a touchdown of its own, making it a 7-6 game, but did not score for the rest of the game. The Lions’ season ends after making the playoffs for the first time since 2021. They earned their first playoff win since 2015 and finished with a 7-6 record.
2024 Sac-Joaquin Section championships schedule
Friday, Nov. 29
At Hughes Stadium, Sacramento
D6 Championship: 11 a.m.
D4 Championship: 3 p.m.
D2 Championship: 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30
At Hughes Stadium, Sacramento
D5 Championship: 11 a.m.
D3 Championship: 3 p.m.
D1 Championship: 7 p.m.
At St. Mary’s High, Stockton
D7 Championship: 3 p.m.
This story was originally published November 23, 2024 at 9:23 AM.
