East Union took on three of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section last month, lost every game but came out of it feeling encouraged.
The hope is that it helped prepare the Lancers (8-3) for what’s to come.
They’re travelling to Lincoln on Friday to meet top-seeded Twelve Bridges (11-0) for a SJS Division IV semifinal.
The host Raging Rhinos are the defending champions and a win away from reaching a section final for the third consecutive year. No. 4 East Union is seeking its first title-round appearance since 1989, when they lost the Division II final to Del Oro, 29-22. First-year head coach Jason Stock was the star running back on the ’89 team, and his 2025 squad has an opportunity to make a name for itself.
He believes the Lancers are battle tested after going toe-to-toe with three tradition-rich heavyweights in Valley Oak League play — Oakdale, Central Catholic and Manteca in that order.
“That has prepared us for what we’re seeing now,” Stock said. “I can’t think of three better programs to prepare you for the playoffs, and it’s starting to pay dividends right now.
“Our kids never lost confidence, even though we went through that three-game losing streak — they never quit. These kids understand they can play with anybody; we just have to play smart football and not give the ball away. If we can do that, we’re a tough out or a lot of teams.”
It all came together in the second half last Friday when EU trounced fifth-seeded Placer 58-25, scoring 37 unanswered points.
Quarterback Kirk Simoni played his second game since going down with an Achilles’ injury early in the Central Catholic game. His absence allowed EU to test a new-look offense with UC Davis-committed receiver Jackson Fay behind center. Last week, the Lancers pounded Placer while in the Wildcat formation, as Fay ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries, while Brayden Camara rambled for 272 yards and four scores.
Fay also caught a TD pass from Simoni (6-of-7 passing, 61 yards, TD).
“It was one of those deals where we just had something going, and we’re not going away from it until they stopped it,” Stock said. “We took advantage of the opportunities we had and played a really good second half.”
Placer is a Foothill Valley League rival of Twelve Bridges’. The Rhinos rolled to a 49-24 victory in their regular-season showdown. Similar to East Union, Twelve Bridges turned a close game into a rout in its opening-round contest, crushing No. 8 Fairfield 71-35 behind a 42-0 run in the second half.
Twelve Bridges and East Union are the highest-scoring teams in the bracket, averaging 48.5 and 51.6 points, respectively.
After their three-game gauntlet in the VOL, Stock and his staff got to watch Twelve Bridges’ Week 9 win over Yuba City, 48-27, while East Union was on its bye. The Lancers’ coaches came away impressed.
“They’re a very well-coached team, and they have a great scheme offensively and defensively,” Stock said. We have to do our best to play a clean game. It will come down to who can get the stops and turnovers.”
The Raging Rhinos boast one of the section’s most prolific passing attacks orchestrated by 6-foot-5, 200-pound quarterback Connor Frontiera, who has completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 2,600 yards, 26 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Chase Wyhlidko (1,362 yards, 8.1 per carry, 18 TDs) is the featured back in their pistol Wing-T. Dylan Amos (25 receptions, 542 yards, six TDs), Will Gant (25-481-10) and Jackson Weber (31-460-5) are Frontiera’s top wide outs, but Matthew Marquez (807 total yards, six TDs) and Bradley Kirby (539 yards, nine TDs) are threats as both rushers and receivers.
The offensive line is led by 6-5, 275-pound left tackle Colton Hogge. The Nevada commit will be the first player from the young program to sign to a Division I university out of high school.
Davin Markle (91 tackles, 13 for losses, 5.0 sacks), Kirby (75 tackles, two fumble recoveries), Wyhlidko (72 tackles) and Marquez (four interceptions, 10 pass break-ups) anchor the defense.
Chris Bean has coached Twelve Bridges since its inception in 2021, coming over from cross-town rival Lincoln. He was named Cal-Hi Sports Medium Schools Coach of the Year last season after guiding the Rhinos to a Division II-A NorCal title.
“Coach Beam has been doing it a while,” Stock said. “Three straight undefeated regular seasons, a couple section-title games, a NorCal Bowl (championship) — he’s doing a fantastic job. This is going to be a test.”
The section finals are next week at Sacramento City College. The Division IV championship will take place Saturday, Nov. 29 with a 4 p.m. kickoff.
No. 2 Roseville hosts No. 3 Hughson in the other semifinal.
