For the third straight year, East Union ventured north to stun a higher-seeded opponent in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

And the seventh-seeded Lancers are now a win away from reaching a second consecutive Division IV final.

They took down No. 2 Yuba City 30-27 in the biggest opening-round upset on Friday, rattling off 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Tight end/safety Jesse Martinez scored two touchdowns 1 minute, 38 seconds from each other, including a pick-six, and soccer star Yandel Gutierrez converted an important insurance field goal.

East Union (6-5) overcame a big-time effort from Yuba City running back Cody Haase (25 carries, 172 yards; two catches, 76 yards), who tallied three touchdowns and broke a school record for rushing TDs with 26. He gave the Honkers, who were down by 10 points, a chance in the final minutes with a 70-yard catch-and-run on a shovel pass.

Yuba City’s defense held the Lancers to a three-and-out and got the ball back on its own 37-yard line with 2:40 remaining. The Honkers couldn’t even get a first down.

Sophomore defensive lineman Austin Robinson locked down the win for EU with a sack on a fourth-and-14 deep in Yuba territory with 2 minutes remaining. With the Honkers (8-3) all out of timeouts, Lancers quarterback Bryson Ybarra (6-of-14 passing, 105 yards) was able to kneel out the clock from there.

Second-year East Union coach Jason Stock credited his players for their “grit,” citing the many adjustments the team has had to make in personnel and practice times in the days leading up to the playoffs.

On Nov. 6, the Lancers were set to host city rival Manteca in their regular-season finale but had to change venues because of copper theft that knocked out the Dino Cunial Stadium lights. East Union was waxed by the Buffaloes 49-0 at Lathrop High.

In addition, the team’s depth has been tested the past few weeks, as it has dealt with waves of illnesses.

“It was a great win. We had to battle through adversity all week,” Stock said. “With no lights in the stadium, we’ve had modified practice times. There were a lot of challenges this week we had to overcome, as well as a really good football team over there. The kids stepped up and did what they had to do to come out with the win.

“It’s just the grit of the kids,” he added. “One thing we keep trying to preach to them is you’re going to have adversity on the field and in life; it’s how you respond. We can’t let the prior game us this week. The kids understand that when you play hard, football rewards you. It paid off.”

East Union came up with big plays throughout to stay in the game, none bigger than Martinez’s early in the fourth quarter.

The Lancers faced a third-and-10 situation on the second play of the period when Ybarra hit Martinez in stride up the middle. With the first down already secured, Martinez juked two defensive backs on the way to a 45-yard touchdown. Gutierrez’s point-after kick gave EU the lead for good at 21-20.

Martinez was just getting started.

On Yuba City’s third play of the ensuing drive, he picked off a short pass from Judah Allen (9 of 18, 195 yards, two TDs, two INTs) and returned it 27 yards for his second score. Gutierrez hit the left upright on the point-after attempt for just his second miss of the season, but he later made up for it.

“He’s always been, even last year as a junior, a guy we can count on to make plays,” Stock said of Martinez. “He’s kind of a quiet leader, but when it’s time to make plays, he always tends to step up.”

Martinez had a hand in two more big moments, though the second one took him out for the rest of the game.

He joined Jadyn Robinson, among others, in a fourth-and-1 pile-up at the line of scrimmage that stopped Yuba City’s quarterback sneak short of a first down at its own 26 with 8:08 to go.

With East Union looking to put the game away, it converted a key first down on fourth-and-11 when Martinez took a helmet-to-helmet hit after he was unable to come up with the leaping catch along the sideline.

The personal foul kept the drive alive and allowed the Lancers to burn more time off the clock.

The series ended with Gutierrez’s 25-yard field goal that put them up 30-20 with 3:29 to go.

“He’s nails, man,” Stock said of his kicker. “Yandel feels no pressure. Part of that is because so much is expected of him in the soccer program being the nation’s leading scorer last year — he doesn’t feel pressure. After he made it, he goes, “Coach, I had no doubt I was going to make that.’ I didn’t doubt him either, and this is his first year doing this.”

Special teams earlier came up huge on a fake punt.

Sophomore Dante Tafoya, who split time behind center with Ybarra for much of the regular season, completed a deep ball to Gunnar Fay, who outleapt two defensive backs and jaunted the rest of the way uncontested for a 39-yard touchdown. That answered Yuba City’s impressive 12-play, 6-minute, 32-second opening drive.

“I called that fake punt,” Stock said. “I saw some things I liked and thought we could do it.”

Fay finished with five catches for 91 yards. He also had a 14-yard run.

Albee Menchaca led the ground attack with 16 carries, 72 yards and a touchdown. Linebacker Erick Cortez helped lead the defense with two tackles for losses, including a sack. Ricky Soria added an interception.

It’s another signature win in the Stock Era. Last year, the Lancers outlasted top-seeded Twelve Bridges 61-55 in the semifinals to make their first championship-round appearance since 1989 when Stock was the standout fullback for EU.

Yuba City was heavily favored on Friday. The Honkers’ lone losses of the season were to Destiny Christian Academy and Foothill Valley League rival Twelve Bridges, and both were decided by a point. DCA and TB are the top-seeded teams in Divisions III and IV, respectively.

Now, it’s on to No. 3 Patterson (7-4), a VOL foe that took care of Placer in the first round, 34-6. East Union lost to both teams earlier this season.

“The kids are pretty excited,” Stock said. “We didn’t know who were playing yet after our game, but they were looking forward to a rematch against whichever one. They’re definitely up for the challenge, but they’re playing pretty well.”