Ripon Christian made its statement loud and clear Friday.

The Knights outmuscled a perennial Southern League contender known for its physical play, trouncing Mariposa 35-14 at Ripon High’s Stouffer Field.

Mariposa came into the league opener winless but lost to some good teams. The Grizzlies can now count Ripon Christian (1-0, 3-1 overall) as one of them.

The Knights’ defense held Mariposa to zero rushing yards, while running back Andrew Brown scampered 30 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown was also one of three players to complete a TD pass. He hit Spencer Hower for a 29-yard scoring strike with 5:10 to go in the first quarter, expanding RC’s lead to 21-0. The Knights were ahead 35-0 by halftime.

Starting quarterback Danny Vos connected on four of six passes for 69 yards, 18 of them coming on a touchdown toss to Clayton Blankers. Vos left the game with what is considered to be a minor knee injury midway through the second quarter.

Sophomore Billy Mar filled in admirably behind center. He hit Blankers for a 19-yard touchdown for RC’s final points of the game with 1:16 left in the second.

Mariposa was forced to air it out more than it likes, finishing with 121 passing yards. Blankers was among the defensive standouts for RC, recording two sacks.