Ripon Christian’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII title defense begins Friday, as the top-seeded Knights (9-1) welcome No. 8 Golden Sierra (4-5).
Sierra and Lathrop are also hosting first-round contests in Divisions IV and V, respectively, while reigning champion Manteca (7-3) has a bye as the No. 4 seed in Division II.
Division VII has been split up into two brackets, and Ripon Christian is the heavy favorite in VII-A. The Nos. 2 and 3 seeds, Orestimba and Le Grand, were blown out by the Knights in Southern Athletic League play.
The four-team Division VII-B bracket is headed by undefeated Woodland Christian, which lost to RC in the final last year. The two Division VII winners will be crowned as separate champions but will ultimately face off for a NorCal bid.
Ripon Christian’s focus, for now, is on Golden Sierra, the third-place team out of the Sierra Delta League. It’s the fourth meeting between the two schools, with RC winning the last two. The winner on Friday plays SDL champ Rio Vista (7-2) or Gustine (4-6).
The Grizzlies of Garden Valley sneaked into the postseason with a 42-32 Week 10 win over 2-8 Esparto, riding their backfield tandem of Aiden Pullin (144 yards, four TDs) and Gavin Miller (208 yards, two TDs).
All of Golden Sierra’s victories came against teams with no more than two wins. The Grizzlies had a four-game skid in September, and they were shut out in three of them.
Ripon Christian has won nine straight, including seven shutouts. The roster has been reinforced with the players from the JV team that also finished 9-1 in the regular season.
Here’s a look at other first-round games in the area:
Sacramento (4-6) at Sierra (4-6): Making their first postseason appearance since winning the Division IV championship in 2019, the eighth-seeded Timberwolves tangle with a Sacramento team that’s coming in hot.
The No. 9 Dragons, led by Utah commit Lamar Radcliffe, faced stiff competition to start the season and lost their first six games. They eked out a 46-38 overtime win at Capital Christian in Week 9 to remain in the playoff hunt and then stunned 8-2 Rio Americano, 48-26.
Conversely, Sierra has played its toughest opponents in the back half of the season, needing to hold off rival East Union 34-31 in Week 9 to qualify.
Two years ago, Radcliffe rushed for 2,109 yards and 23 touchdowns as a sophomore before the Dragons were eliminated by Manteca in the Division III playoffs. He went down with a season-ending knee injury in their 2022 opener, and Sac went 2-8 without its best player.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound power back (1,187 yards, 12 TDs) is splitting carries with the fleet-footed Darrius Moore (694-3). Younger brother Laron James-Radcliffe (82-180 passing, 1,221 yards, 13 TDs, 16 picks) a freshman, is the quarterback, and he has a big target in 6-3 senior Kendahl Hearne (641 yards, four TDs).
Linebacker Corrie Radcliffe (97 tackles) stars on the defense. Lamar and Laron are his cousins.
Top-seeded Escalon awaits the winner.
Foothill (7-3) at Lathrop (7-3): The Spartans are in the playoffs for just the second time but made program history last week by beating Mountain House 19-14 for their single-season record seventh victory.
They can hit another milestone Friday by notching their first postseason victory. Lathrop squares off with the Greater Sacramento League titleholder in the Division V 7-10 matchup.
The Mustangs also have some momentum after running the table in their five-game league schedule, which includes a 14-12 win over Hiram Johnson and 14-8 overtime win at Natomas last week.
Foothill’s three losses came in succession; back-to-back shutouts against Center and Rio Linda, and a 34-8 drubbing at Shasta.
Dual-threat QB Xiavior Smith and receiver Romaine Jones stand out in the Mustangs’ pistol offense. The all-junior trio of Clifton Currie, Bryson Lloyd and Kevin Hoskins anchors their stout defensive front.
Second-seeded Casa Roble (9-1) plays the winner in the quarterfinals.
