Chris Musseman and his coaching staff will get another week to solve their team’s first-half woes.

For now, Ripon is reveling in the aftermath of its astonishing 35-30 comeback win over Rosemont in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs Friday at Stouffer Field.

The eighth-seeded Indians (5-6) trailed 24-7 at halftime but rallied for 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Herrin delivered a strike to Xzavier Clark, who avoided a tackle from Rosemont defensive back Kenny Hughes at the goal line to give Ripon its first and only lead of the game with 5.8 seconds remaining.

In their Trans-Valley League finale last week, the Indians battled back from a 21-0 halftime deficit but came up short on that comeback charge, 21-19.

“This is the fight we showed last week in the second half, so we knew that it was there and we just tried to get it to come out,” Musseman said. “The kids decided they didn’t want to be done and they played their butts off. I don’t know what I’m saying at halftime that’s different from before the game, but I think I’m going to have to flip the speeches so that we can actually play in the first half.”

Clark starred in the second-half surge, finishing with 130 yards on 14 rushes, another 73 yards on three receptions and three total touchdowns. He produced 143 of his yards from scrimmage in the final two quarters and contributed an interception on defense.

“It’s amazing, man,” Clark said. “Football is one of my biggest loves in life, and it’s just fun to continue on with my brothers and not let the seniors down and let them keep playing.”

Ripon will travel to undefeated top seed Sutter next Friday in a rematch of their 2019 California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Regional Bowl game won by the Indians. This is Sutter’s first year in the SJS after a dominant run in the Northern Section.

Herrin, a converted lineman, was also clutch for Ripon after some shaky moments throughout the game. The Indians had a chance to jump ahead earlier in the fourth quarter, but he threw one of his two interceptions to safety Jose Rocha. The defense gave him another shot at glory after forcing the ninth-seeded Wolverines (7-4) from Sacramento to punt for a third straight series.

Ripon caught a break on the first interception, which Rocha ran back 46 yards for a touchdown with 18.2 seconds left in the first half. The play was negated by a holding penalty, preventing Rosemont from expanding its early lead.

Herrin completed four passes on the winning drive, including a 42-yard connection with Clark, and finished 7-of-17 for 100 yards.

“We ran that same play before, and when Xzavier attacked that safety they said he was open, but I looked him off,” Herrin said of the game-deciding TD.

“After I had thrown that pick, every teammate and every coach said, ‘I believe in you. You’re going to have another chance.’ I couldn’t have done it without the team — it was a team effort. I’m so proud of them.”

Wingback Trent Vink contributed 67 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, and running back Aiden Krupa pounded his way to 53 yards on 12 attempts. The Indians outgained Rosemont 370-268 in offensive yards, 270 of which came on the ground. Vink also picked off a pass on defense.

“That was the best I’ve seen Aiden Krupa run the ball all year, and Trent Vink did an outstanding job offensively and defensively,” Musseman said. “These kids just came together and played really hard, and we get an opportunity to play another game.”

Anchored by a rotation of senior linemen such as Emiliano Acosta, Camryn Arriola, Allen Rivas and Kaden Zoucha, the defense played a big part in the comeback.

Rosemont standout Michael Cherry, one of the leading rushers in the SJS, was limited to just seven carries and 15 yards in the second half. He wound up with 85 yards and three touchdowns on 22 attempts.

The Indians also did well to make quarterback Joseph Ortiz uncomfortable in the pocket after he picked them apart in the first 2 ½ quarters. He completed 10 of 16 passes for 140 yards. Hughes caught five for 93 yards.

“We made some adjustments at halftime, because what we had schemed in practice the kids were not executing very well,” Musseman said. “And our adjustment that made us better against the run, actually made us better against the pass, as well.”

Musseman also recognized the defense’s physicality, which he believed made Rosemont’s ball carriers run with more hesitation later in the contest.