Downey, Modesto football both seeded eighth; Central Catholic No. 1 in D-IV

Downey High School’s football team, undisputed champion of the Modesto Metro Conference, received just the eighth seed in Division II when the Sac-Joaquin Section released its playoff brackets Saturday.

The Knights are one of 24 Stanislaus District squads vying for a section banner. Central Catholic, an at-large qualifier from the Valley Oak League, was the only team to receive a No. 1 seed (Division IV). Meanwhile, Sierra, Oakdale and Manteca, also of the VOL, were seeded second, third and fourth in the D-III bracket.

After a 9-1 regular season, Knights coach Jeremy Plaa thought his team deserved a better fate than No. 8.

“I could understand a six seed, but anything lower than that is pretty hard to swallow,” said Plaa, who pointed out that, in the past three years, no team with nine victories had been seeded lower than No. 4. “Until we win more than one playoff game, there’s not a lot we can do about it.”

Winning that elusive second-round game will be a difficult task.

Should the Knights get past Antelope (7-3) on Friday at Chuck Hughes Stadium – kickoff is at 7 p.m. – top-seeded Grant will probably be waiting. The undefeated Pacers open with No. 16 Patterson (7-3) – the third-place team from the Western Athletic Conference – and closed their regular season with an impressive 52-14 thumping of Jesuit (Carmichael), the No. 2 seed in D-I. That’s the same score by which Grant defeated Downey in last year’s first round.

“If we get past Antelope, at least we’ll know what we’re getting into,” Plaa said. “We’re weren’t afraid last year and we won’t be this year. But we’ve just got to focus on this week.”

Downey can indirectly thank Turlock and Stagg – both qualifiers in the Division I playoffs – for the drop. Had Turlock lost to crosstown rival Pitman and had Stagg (4-6) not been the second automatic qualifier out of the San Joaquin Athletic Association – the Delta Kings needed a lot to go their way Friday and got it all – then Grant and Del Oro (Loomis) would have remained in the D-I bracket. Instead, they dropped into Division II and pushed down the Knights.

Modesto, the MMC runner-up, also earned a No. 8 seed, in D-I. The Panthers (9-1) will play 6-4 Franklin (Elk Grove) on a date and at a site to be determined.

“As a league, we haven’t performed very well in the past,” said coach Rich Alkire, whose team was a first-round casualty last year to Pleasant Grove. “So we expected a pretty low seed. And to the Sacramento schools’ credit, they’re performing well and playing people in other areas with strong schedules.

“The biggest thrill for me is that we get to host. I feel really good about that for our seniors and parents, with all the support we get from them.”

Like Downey, Modesto faces a virtual dead end in the second round against Folsom (10-0), ranked No. 3 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and No. 16 in the nation by USA Today. The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Jake Browning, bound for the University of Washington. Browning has thrown 56 touchdown passes this year, after throwing for a national-record 75 last season and 63 as a sophomore.

Central Catholic (7-3), meanwhile, was rewarded with the top seed in Division IV despite three losses – to St. Mary’s (No. 3 in D-I), Sierra and Oakdale.

Raiders coach Roger Canepa could face good friend Mark Loureiro and his Escalon Cougars (7-3) – the No. 4 seed who hosts 6-4 Center (Antelope) – in the semifinals.

Canepa thinks the recent loss to Oakdale will be a wake-up call for his team, the two-time defending D-IV section and state champion.

“Two years ago, we lost to Placer and were never really in that game,” Canepa said. “I think that was a good loss because we were kind of arrogant at that point.

“Losses are good, if you learn something from them. But it’s time to turn the page. It’s playoff time.”

Should Central Catholic run the table for a third consecutive section crown – where it could face No. 2 Sonora (9-1) in the final – the Raiders would likely be invited to a NorCal bowl, where a conceivable opponent would be Modesto Christian (9-1), the No. 2 seed in Division VI.

The Crusaders’ lone loss is a 23-22 setback in Week One to top-seeded Capital Christian (Sacramento).

“The ultimate goal is to get back to those guys,” MC coach Mike Parsons said. “That would be great. You don’t get many chances to get another shot at a team. But the message to the team is to take care of Rio Vista and go week by week, just like we’ve been doing.”

The Rams (8-2) run a traditional Wing-T offense just like Escalon, the team MC beat 30-14 on Friday to wrap up the Trans-Valley League title.

“I said (Saturday) morning at our linemen’s breakfast, ‘I just don’t want to see anymore Wing-T,’” Parsons said. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”

This story was originally published November 8, 2014 at 11:27 PM with the headline "Downey, Modesto football both seeded eighth; Central Catholic No. 1 in D-IV."