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.

Sierra cruises into quarterfinal round

It was business as usual Friday for Sierra High. In the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Division III section playoffs, the No. 3 Timberwolves simply overpowered No. 14 Mira Loma of the Capital League at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium, rolling to a 59-6 win. "We just asked for intensity coming into this game," Sierra coach Jeff Harbison said. "I'm proud of the fact we were able to do just that." Business as usual included fullback ...

Turnovers, sloppy field doom Ripon in anticipated rematch

TUOLOMNE - They call it the great equalizer. After Summerville its only loss of the season in a Week 2 non-league contest, soggy conditions at Thorstead Field turned the tables on Ripon Friday. The host Bears avenged the earlier defeat with a 33-0 shocker, knocking Ripon out of the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV-B playoffs. While the inclement weather did not help, it was not an excuse made by Ripon head coach ...

EASY AS 1-2-3

DAVIS - Ripon Christian had not lost a postseason game, let alone a match, leading up to its Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship-round meeting against top-seeded Bradshaw Christian.

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.

Indians must beat Summerville again to extend season

Back in September it seemed like a nine-point loss to a middle-of-the-pack Trans Valley League team, now Ripon High's 32-23 win over the Summerville Bears glares as the only blemish on an otherwise perfect Summerville season.

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.

UC Davis meet Ripon volleyball

Neither squad has anything to prove. They have played for Sac-Joaquin Section titles and won them, just as they have walked off the court as the runner up. Now these two highly-respected programs will lift the city of Ripon onto their shoulders and stroll into the UC Davis gym in search of a section banner. "At the beginning of the season my personal expectations were high," Ripon High head coach Larry Keethe said. "The team ...

T’Wolves lead local all-VOL honors

A strong showing on the 2009 season lifted Sierra High into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Volleyball Championships and some of the squads' top individual performers were recognized.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

RIPON - Just getting to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV girls volleyball championship at UC Davis Thursday would have thrilled the seventh-seeded Summerville Bears, but the berth merely seemed like business as usual for No. 3 in its 3-0 sweep over the visiting Mother Lode League champions.

Morris sets new scoring record for MHS

Sammie Morris finished with a hat trick and set Manteca High's girls' varsity soccer scoring mark at the same time during an 8-0 rout of Lathrop on Tuesday.

Manteca hangs tough with Wildcats

Manteca was highly competitive against Valley Oak League-leading Sonora on Tuesday afternoon at the Manteca Park Golf Course.

JAGUARS MAUL LANCERS

TRACY - Brian Goulart nodded in the direction of Kimball's dugout and gave his kudos after his East Union softball team was knocked around by the Jaguars for a second time in 10 days on Monday.

JOY AT MUDVILLE

STOCKTON - Sierra's Haley Silva is an iron woman – and she is only a sophomore.