Manteca is two wins away from garnering its ninth Sac-Joaquin Section championship, but it will be no easy task.

Standing in the way in this daunting Division II bracket are teams from the imposing Sierra Foothill League.

The top-seeded Buffaloes (9-1) host No. 4 Rocklin (8-3) on Friday, and in the other semifinal No. 2 Del Oro (9-2) welcomes SFL foe and No. 6 seed Granite Bay (8-4). The final takes place Nov. 25 or 26 at Sacramento City College or St. Mary’s High in Stockton.

Rocklin’s lone SJS title came in 2009 and in Division II. The Thunder went 12-1 last year, losing only to SFL kingpin Folsom in the Division I final.

“Good team across the board,” Manteca coach Mark Varnum said of Rocklin. “Just 22 solid football players at every position on the field and very well coached. It’s obviously one of the toughest teams in Northern California from one of the toughest leagues, and we’re going to have to bring it.”

This could be a defensive slugfest between two physical teams.

Manteca is coming off back-to-back shutouts and its third overall, the latest being a 42-0 clampdown of No. 8 Vacaville.

The Thunder thumped No. 5 Jesuit last week 34-13 in an unexpectedly one-sided masterpiece. They were up 27-0 going into the fourth quarter and limited the Marauders to 198 yards of offense.

Middle linebacker Kaleb Larson (80 tackles), sophomore outside linebacker Derek Keeley (70 tackles, 12 for losses, three sacks) and defensive end John Correa (five sacks) are among the standouts in Rocklin’s stout defensive front. The Thunder surrenders just 14.1 points per game while scoring 22.6.

“They’re extremely well coached and do the little things right,” Varnum said of Rocklin’s defense. “They play with great discipline and technique. Our dudes have to step up and do what got us here.”

Rocklin’s pistol offense was as balanced as it has been all season. Quarterback Joey Roberts completed 10 of 14 passes for 123 yards, hitting five different receivers. Meanwhile, Elias Brown and Mason Silva scored two touchdowns each, leading a rushing attack that gained 152 yards.

The 6-foot, 220-pound Brown has 932 yards (8.8 per carry) and eight touchdowns on the year, while the 5-11, 205-pound Silva has ground out 808 yards (5.9 per carry) and 13 scores. Sophomore Mavrik Collins (23 receptions, 348 yards, three TDs) has been the top target for Roberts (1,427 yards, eight TDs, five interceptions).

Up front, the Thunder is deep with big bodies and led by 6-7, 315-pound tackle Garrison Blank, who already holds an offer from Arizona.

“They do a lot of stuff to try and be balanced,” Varnum said. “They’re very physical up front, they have a couple really good running backs, a couple of good receivers and a quarterback that’s back from their run last year. We have to be disciplined and do all the right stuff.”

Rocklin’s three losses are all against teams that are still alive in the postseason. Its 14-7 Week Zero loss to Turlock was a surprise. More on Turlock later.

The Thunder have also lost to Del Oro, 33-20, and Division I top seed Folsom, 14-7.

Manteca also saw Turlock in non-league play, rolling to a 59-22 homecoming win. Varnum said there is nothing to make out of the differing outcomes Turlock had against Rocklin and the Buffs. Last week, Turlock, seeded seventh, pulled off one of the most shocking upsets of the postseason by edging out No. 2 seed and then-unbeaten St. Mary’s, 51-50.

“This is the playoffs, and it’s a completely different season,” Varnum said. “We watched that (Rocklin-Turlock) film, of course, but they’ve gotten a lot better since. Hopefully, so have we.”