Phil Grams jokingly calls it the “worst idea ever,” but it’s a tradition he started and doesn’t plan on ending as long as he’s Ripon Christian’s coach.

After the last summer practice of every preseason, he and the varsity players stay overnight at the school’s stadium.

“This is the first year I had other coaches join me, because I’m too old to be hanging out with teenagers,” Grams said. “The kids love it, and it’s a great time to bond each year. It’s where we talk things out and figure out where we are for the coming year.”

This team-bonding get-together is where the Knights circled the Week-10 matchup with Sonora on the calendar. Knowing how difficult it would be with their tough schedule, the goal was for that regular-season finale at Dunlavy Field to mean something.

Ripon Christian wanted to at least have a chance to claim a piece of the Trans Valley League championship on that Halloween night.

The Knights got their chance, and came up woefully short, 55-14.

That outcome did not knock them off track from other objectives, however.

Following two competitive wins by a combined five-point margin, they’ve advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game, where those juggernaut Wildcats await.

The rematch is on Saturday at Sacramento City College starting at 12:30 p.m., and Ripon Christian is hoping for a better showing on Thanksgiving week.

“We had our sights set on that (Week 10 game) all year, even going back to the spring and summer,” Ripon Christian senior receiver/safety Amos Cady said. “We wanted to put ourselves in that position and we did that. It’s something to be proud of, and God has blessed us with an opportunity to redeem ourselves.”

Ranked 10th overall in the SJS, according to MaxPreps computer ratings, top-seeded Sonora (12-0) has won 19 straight — including last year’s Division IV-A state bowl game — and is in reach of a fourth all-time section crown.

Two-time champion Ripon Christian (10-2), the No. 4 seed with a No. 21 overall MaxPreps ranking, is making a fifth title-round appearance.

“We as a team sat around our fire pit and thought we could be in the mix Week 10 in Sonora,” Grams said. “We felt that we could win 10 ballgames and be in the section title game, and here we are.

“Sonora is a very good football team, and Coach (Kirk) Clifton is a good friend of mine.

“We’re happy to have another shot at them, because we did not perform well that night.”

Sonora has been mostly dominant all season, with a notable zero-week win over Division III finalist Oakdale. Hilmar, which is responsible for RC’s other loss, has come the closest to knocking off the Wildcats, who came from behind for a 22-21 road win.

In last week’s semifinals, Sonora stomped Bradshaw Christian 48-22 in a rematch of the 2024 Division VI title game. That marked the return of star fullback Tommy Sutton, who missed the previous eight games with a broken arm. He rushed seven times for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Although Ripon Christian did not see him on Week 10, the Knights are already familiar with the 6-foot-2, 215-pound bruiser. Last year, he pounded them for 204 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries in a 42-21 victory for Sonora.

“He’s a big back who is strong and powerful, from what I remember last year,” Cady said. “He’s tough to tackle, so it’s going to be all hands on deck and just another challenge.”

The rout was on and in a hurry, Sonora scored the first 41 points and led comfortably at halftime, 48-7.

“Their coach thought they played their best game all year, and that was probably our worst,” Grams said. “This time, we’re on a neutral field without their band in the end zone and it’s a day game. There are a whole lot of different circumstances. Maybe we can get a different result. We feel like we can play a lot better than we did at their place.”

Much will have go differently this time around. The first order of business is slowing down that potent triple option. Last week, the Knights outlasted second-seeded Liberty Ranch 52-49 but struggled to contain the Hawks’ run-based Wing-T.

Cash Byington is Sonora’s big-play threat with 1,014 rushing yards, 255 receiving and 21 total touchdowns. Ingalls throws sparingly but efficiently (37-of-50, 895 yards, 12 TDs, two interceptions when he does, and he’s another key figure in the run game (660 yards, 16 TDs). The Wildcats have four rushers with at 400-plus yards.

Steven Morfoot is Ingalls’ top target in the passing attack with 16 receptions, 447 yards and six scores.

With several two-standouts, the Wildcats are just as good on defense, shutting out two opponents while giving up no more than 22 points in a game. They’re anchored by linebackers Lemar Vaughn (89 tackles) and Brody Speer (88 tackles, 13 for losses). Edge rusher Wyatt Ling has nine sacks, and Morfoot six interceptions.

“They’re a good team all-around, but their defense is fast, strong and physical,” Ripon Christian QB Mason Tameling said. “They are all very good athletes. They run a good system and have well-respected coaches.

“For us, it’s just a matter of executing our game plan. We did a pretty good job of that the last couple of weeks, and we’re preparing well for this upcoming game”

Cady and Tameling shattered single-game program receiving and passing records last week and are hoping to get that connection going sooner on Saturday. In the Week 10 showdown, Cady was limited to two catches and nine yards, and Tameling completed 43.5 percent of his 23 passes for 131 yards.

“We didn’t have our best game in all phases, got down early and the confidence just dropped and went downhill from there,” Cady said. “We know what type of team we are, and we put our trust in Coach Grams and Coach Jake (Beukelman, the defensive coordinator) to put us in the best positions to win and succeed.

“The mentality is the same as last week — we’re not ready for our season to end.”