Football notes: Ripon Christian looks to take down unbeaten Sonora for SJS title
Getting to a championship game is hard. No one knows that better than Ripon Christian seniors Mason Tameling and Amos Cady.
The quarterback-receiver duo are both three-year varsity starters who led the Knights to a Division 7-A title in 2023. They missed out on the title game last season after losing to eventual finalist Bradshaw Christian in the Division VI quarterfinals.
“It’s very cool to be back here,” Tameling said. “A lot of people underestimated us a little bit, but it’s very hard to get here and we’re very blessed to have a group of guys who work hard to be able to get to this place.”
The Knights will take on a familiar foe in Trans-Valley League opponent Sonora. The game is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium.
To get to the title, the third-seeded Knights won a pair of tightly contested playoff games, including a barnburner in the semifinals against No. 2 Liberty Ranch on the road. In the 52-49 win last Friday night, Tameling and Cady connected for 11 completions, 317 yards and four touchdowns. In total, Tameling had five passing touchdowns and rushed for two more.
“We’ve been playing together since eighth grade and we’ve known each other since kindergarten,” Tameling said of his connection with Cady. “We know each other, we’re on the same page most of the time. It makes my job a lot easier, and he can make some plays after the catch.”
All season, the Knights embraced being the underdog.
Storylines surrounding the TVL entering the season were about Sonora returning all the production from a section, NorCal and state championship team, whether Hughson would be able to four-peat as section champions, and Ripon’s incoming junior class. The Knights flew under the radar to some.
Ripon Christian finished tied with Hughson for second in the league standings (4-2), knocking off the defending league champion Huskies, Escalon and Ripon. The Knights’ only league losses came to Sonora and Hilmar.
“I think we surprised a lot of people,” Cady said. “It’s really fun going up to Hughson as an underdog when we lost a couple years ago in the NorCal (championship) game. Having that on your mind and coach (Phil Grams) had never beat them. It’s fun to have that and not be expected to win every week. It’s fun to prove people wrong. I feel like every time the underdog wins, it’s the best feeling.”
Now, they have the chance to truly shock . Sonora’s rushing attack is one of the best in Northern California. The Wildcats are not only a perfect 12-0, they have wins over larger schools Turlock and Oakdale, which is playing for a D-III title.
In their first matchup, Sonora beat Ripon Christian 55-14. One of the biggest Stanislaus District storylines this weekend will be: Does the old saying “It’s hard to beat a team twice” ring true?
Oakdale hungry for better title game showing
Back in its second straight section title game, Oakdale looks to get back to the mountaintop for the first time since 2016. The Mustangs are led by the section’s all-time leading rusher and Air Force commit, Wes Burford, whose 7,188 rushing yards are also 14th in the history of California high school football, according to the Cal-Hi Sports list. Burford also is closing in on 100 career rushing touchdowns, with 96 entering Friday’s section final.
It seemed like it didn’t matter who was in front of the Mustangs during this playoff run, The Bee’s No. 1 ranked team was determined to get back to the section title game and put forth a better performance than last year.
After Anthony Navarro’s breakout game in the section semifinals (7 carries, 108 yards, 1 touchdown), he could be an X-factor in Friday’s section title game as he replaces breakout wing Richard Flores, who had a season-ending leg injury in the regular season finale against Manteca.
The Mustangs take on Woodcreek on Friday at 4 p.m. at Sacramento City College for the D-III title. Last season, they met in the D-III quarterfinals, a matchup Oakdale won 35-14.
This year’s Woodcreek team has improved from last year. Receiver Trace Murchison is sixth in the section in receiving yards (1,108) and quarterback Josiah Melendez is 10th in total yards, with 2,653 (2,056 passing and 597 rushing) and has thrown 17 touchdowns to just one interception and adds eight rushing scores. Running back Blake Hastings has 746 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Murchison has 11 receiving touchdowns.
Other notes
For the first time in Sac-Joaquin Section history, there will be an eight-man champion. This year’s game features No. 1 Mira Loma vs. No. 2 Foresthill on Saturday at 9 a.m.
About 15% of Foresthill High’s student body is on the football team.
Eight-man football has powered Mira Loma to a complete turnaround. Last year, the team was outscored 400-15 in league play. Now it plays for a section title.
Linden in Division VII is back in the section title game since 2004.
The last time Linden was in a section final, the game was played at the University of the Pacific. That stadium no longer exists.
Calaveras in Division VII is playing Friday, hoping to win the first section title in school history.
East Union head coach Jason Stock took over in May and led the No. 4 Lancers to an upset over No. 1 Twelve Bridges in the D-IV semifinals. East Union is back in the section championship for the first time since 1989. Stock was a running back on that team.
Roseville, East Union’s opponent in Saturday’s D-IV title game, is in its first title game since 1987.
In Division I, Folsom and Oak Ridge are playing for the fourth straight time.
Trans-Valley League foes Ripon Christian and Sonora meet for the second time this season in the D-VI title game. League opponents also play for D-I, D-V and D-VII titles.
After winning 2024 section and state titles, Sonora is back in the section title game for the second straight season. It is the first time in school history that the Wildcats are playing for back-to-back section titles.
Ripon Christian head coach Phil Grams called this year’s senior class “one of the best groups I’ve been around.”
Oakdale’s Wes Burford enters the D-III championship with 7,188 rushing yards and 96 rush touchdowns. He is the all-time rushing leader in Sac-Joaquin Section history and No. 14 in California history according to the Cal-Hi Sports record book.
2025 Sac-Joaquin Section Championships at Sacramento City College
Friday, Nov. 28
Division I
No. 1 Folsom vs. No. 2 Oak Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
Division III
No. 1 Woodcreek vs. No. 2 Oakdale, 4 p.m.
Division V
No. 1 Casa Roble vs. No. 3 Sutter, 12:30 p.m.
Division VII
No. 1 Calaveras vs. No. 7 Linden, 9 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 29
Division II
No. 2 Granite Bay vs. No. 4 St. Mary’s, 7:30 p.m.
Division IV
No. 2 Roseville vs. No. 4 East Union, 4 p.m.
Division VI
No. 1 Sonora vs. No. 3 Ripon Christian, 12:30 p.m.
Division VIII
No. 1 Mira Loma vs. No. 2 Foresthill, 9 a.m.
