NO HOLIDAY BREAK FOR TIMBERWOLVES

The Sierra Timberwolves have reason to be thankful. The Sac-Joaquin Section's third-seeded Division III playoff team will celebrate Thanksgiving with practice starting at 9 this morning. Sierra (10-1) is preparing for its second-round matchup with No. 6 Benicia (9-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium. After qualifying for the section playoffs for the first time in its 14th varsity season in 2008, head coach Jeff Harbison is grateful that his ...

Seven area players on all-TVL team

The loss of record-holding goal scorer Eric Cavanaugh had little effect on Ripon this season. The Indians repeated their third-place finish in the Trans Valley League, set a new program record with 21 single-season overall victories and five players were named to the all-conference first team. Rival Ripon Christian had two players named to the first team. Senior Matty Gay and freshman Arik Anaya picked up where Cavanaugh left off. Gay, who holds the frosh-soph ...

Ripon teams return to NorCal tourney with high hopes

Tiger Shelton sees Ripon Christian's first-round draw in the CIF State Northern California Championships as a good news-bad news proposition.

EAST UNION FALL AWARDS

BUFFALOES BUCKLE LATE

Friday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff opener between No. 8 Manteca and No. 9 Casa Roble at Guss Schmiedt Field didn't start out to be the game it was anticipated to be.

Ripon falls to Christian Brothers again

DAVIS - Ripon has proven time and again that it can beat Christian Brothers. The Indians just haven't. Their best chance to do so may have been Thursday in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship match at UC Davis. Down two games, the No. 3 Indians turned a quick and disappointing sprint into a riveting five-game marathon but fell short - 14-25, 20-25, 25-14, 25-23, 12-15. Ripon was on the cusp of winning the program's ...

Manteca set to do battle with defending champs

Eric Reis is a fan of the Sac-Joaquin Section's new playoff format. Last year, his Manteca Buffaloes went 8-2 but missed the postseason after finishing third in the Valley Oak League, and it just so happened to be the year that the conference was allotted just two berths. Back in the postseason for the fifth time in six years, Manteca (7-3) is itching to get back to a fifth section final game this decade. The ...

Third-seeded Sierra returns to playoffs with title hopes

Sierra will venture into familiar territory Friday when the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs kick off but will wear an unfamiliar target on its back.

SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS

Division III • Frontrunner: No. 1 Inderkum (10-0) … The Tigers are ranked eighth overall in the section according to MaxPreps.com. Defense has four shutouts and allows just nine points per game, and offense features two terrific backs in Antonio Bumpers (1,682 yards, 27 TDs) and Devin Hartley (858 yards, seven TDs). Inderkum is one of just seven teams section wide with a perfect record. • Contenders: No. 2 Del Campo (9-1), No. ...

Five Timberwolves on first team

Area goal leader Braian Gomez was one of five Sierra Timberwolves named to the all-Valley Oak League first team.

Indians, Knights back in semis

For the fourth straight season, in-town rivals Ripon and Ripon Christian are in the Sac-Joaquin Section's final-four round.

Manteca, Sierra hosting 1st-round games

Manteca head coach Eric Reis tried to anticipate whom his team would face in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoffs, narrowing it down to a handful of candidates.

T’Wolves celebrate championship, but work left to be done

No banners. No ceremonies. No pomp. No circumstance. There was no indication of Sierra High being 48 minutes away from clinching a share of the Valley Oak League championship. Players and coaches filed out of the locker room and went into pre-game warm-ups with hardly any emotion. Their focus was on the opening kickoff. "We came out business as usual," Sierra running back Jarrod Daniels said. Sierra erased last week's paramount 44-42 upset of Oakdale ...

Mantecan heading to Duke

STOCKTON - Chelsea Gray is St. Mary's floor general with unusual talents for her height (5-foot-11), and she has the ability to take and make pressure shots with regularity.

Firing Blanks

CERES - The third time was not the charm for Sierra. Ceres swept the Timberwolves during the Valley Oak League season with two one-goal wins and completed the trifecta Thursday with a 2-0 victory in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals at Bulldog Stadium. Ceres (16-5-3) will try to get a monkey off its own back Saturday during its section straight finals appearance. Two-time defending VOL champion and crosstown rival Central Valley, which is 4-0-2 ...

SLEEPLESS IN STOCKTON

STOCKTON - Senior grad night and the always-pesky Kimball softball team almost got the better of Sierra in Friday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal at Arnaiz Stadium.

Pain is gain for Indiana State signee Ortiz

That too-skinny and too-slow Nick Ortiz you used to know is now an NCAA Division I scholarship athlete.

Vander Molen shines in rare start for RC, but Bradshaw prevails

LODI – Ripon Christian's Danny Vander Molen was handed the ball for just his third start of the season Friday night.

STAYING ON TRACK

Phillip Herrera and Emmanuel Elijah opted not to join their senior classmates at Magic Mountain Thursday night.

Raiders rout T’Wolves behind Palazzo’s 15 Ks

LODI - Chandler Bengston woke up Central Catholic's bats with a loud two-run dinger that sparked a game-breaking, two-out rally.

BOUND FOR GLORY

Sierra High's 4x100 boys relay team broke the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV/V Meet record Tuesday on its home track.

PAST PLAYOFFS PAY OFF

STOCKTON - There was no fist pump. No twirl of the putter. Not even a smile cracked the face of the always even-keel Will Brink.

Sierra hosting section meet today, Thursday

Sierra High has built it.

RIPON WAVES

SO, WE MEET AGAIN

Manteca and Ripon Christian begin the Sac-Joaquin Section Division playoffs against familiar foes next week.

Sierra among VOL teams favored to reach section final

The road to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship appears to go through the Valley Oak League once again.

Three area swimmers in line for frosh-soph titles

Ripon High's Zach Scudder and freshman Scott Tolman of Sierra are two of the favorites in today's Sac-Joaquin Section frosh-soph final in the 100-yard breast stroke.

RC controls Delta for first playoff win

RIPON - It was two years ago on this same field that four current Ripon Christian seniors experienced heartache.

Former EU teammates earn top Cal Pac honors

Teammates turned rivals were recognized by the California Pacific Conference on Wednesday.

Central Catholic’s Rose bound for NDNU

Ripon resident and Central Catholic senior Aimee Rose has signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her volleyball career at Notre Dame de Namur University. She will major in kinesiology at the Belmont-based Catholic school.