Manteca is stepping up in class as it makes its return to the formidable Division II bracket of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
The No. 1-seeded Buffaloes (8-1), fresh off a first-round bye, welcome No. 8 Vacaville (8-3) on Friday. They were last in Division II in 2001 when the Joe Miller-led squad downed Del Oro 21-0 for the championship. Manteca has since campaigned in Divisions III and IV, collecting seven combined blue banners under Eric Reis and current coach Mark Varnum. The SJS elevated the Buffs to Division II because of its “continued success” rule.
This is the first-ever postseason meeting between Manteca and Vacaville, which has been one of the Section’s top large-school teams under 18th-year coach Mike Papadopoulos. He has guided the Bulldogs to two (2006, 2011) of their three SJS titles.
The Monticello Empire League champion took down No. 9 Lodi 35-20 in the opener, scoring on two of four turnovers forced by the defense while riding standout junior running back Cristian Diosdado (23 rushes, 163 yards, touchdown). Vacaville snapped a four-game postseason skid in the postseason, reaching the second round for the first time since 2017.
The Bulldogs are no stranger to tough competition. They dropped three of their first four games of the season, taking losses against 8-2 Oak Ridge (seeded third in Division I), 7-4 Granite Bay (No. 6 in Division II) and undefeated El Cerrito (No. 1 seed in North Coast Section Division III).
They do have notable wins over NCS powerhouse Cardinal Newman and MEL rival Vanden, which is 9-1, seeded No. 1 in Division IV. And the reigning state Division III-AA champion. Vacaville owns a streak of 31 victories in MEL play going back to 2016.
Diosdado stars in Vacaville’s pistol spread offense, rushing for 1,074 yards (5.2 per carry) and eight touchdowns with another two scores on receptions.
Brady Mott and Jemeir Buckner are two-way standouts as receivers and defensive backs. Mott is the top target for quarterback Alex Barkley (84-of-145 passing, 989 yards, seven TDs, two interceptions) with 29 catches, 578 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, Mott has 73 tackles and two picks. Buckner has 292 receiving yards and six total touchdowns — four on offense, another on a pick-six and one on a kickoff return.
Vacaville’s defense is anchored by 6-foot-2, 210-pound middle linebacker Eric Gladney, who has amassed 95 tackles, 20 for losses and eight sacks. He also has six rushing touchdowns. Defensive end Noa Siaosi, a 6-3, 225-pound junior, has 26 tackles, nine for losses, four sacks, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbled and a blocked punt in just six games played.
The winner plays No. 4 Rocklin (7-3) or No. 5 Jesuit (9-2).
Here’s a look at other quarterfinal matchups for area teams:
Division V
No. 8 Ripon (5-6) at No. 1 Sutter (10-0): The Indians rallied for 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of their first-round slugfest with No. 9 Rosemont, winning 35-30.
Now, they are making the 115-mile trip Friday and a win away from making their third straight semifinal appearance. Ripon and Sutter recently squared off in a NorCal Bowl Game, as the Indians won 31-14 en route to claiming the Division IV-AA state crown in 2019.
This is the Huskies’ first year in the SJS after a dominant run that includes 15 titles in the Northern Section. Coach Ryan Reynolds is in his 14th year with Sutter, which has beaten opponents by an average margin of 35 points this season. The only time the Huskies have been tested was in a Pioneer Valley League win over Center, which came up short in its upset bid in overtime, 23-20.
It’s an encounter between Wing-T offenses, and no one has been able to slow down the backfield triumvirate of Robbie Faupula (1,031 yards, seven TDs), Troy Brucie (832 yards, 10 TDs) and Luke Miller (796 yards, 13 TDs). Miller is also one of Sutter’s top weapons in the passing game with four receiving touchdowns. Trenton Duchene (10 receptions, 205 yards) is a big target for QB Jagger Beck at 6-2, 245 pounds.
Defensive standouts are linebacker Joseph Martinez (103 yards), defensive end Asiata Auckland (26 tackles for losses, 9.5 sacks), defensive back Brice Stokes (five interceptions) and defensive back Jeffrey Azevedo (four INTs, four forced fumbles).
If Ripon can pull of the upset, it is sure to see a Trans-Valley League foe with No. 4 Hilmar and No. 5 Escalon facing off in the other quarterfinal in its half of the bracket.
Division VII
No. 1 Ripon Christian (8-2) at No. 8 Rio Vista (6-4): The top-seeded Knights are on the road for the duration of their postseason run because of SJS sanctions.
This will be their first showdown with Rio Vista since the 2017 Division VII championship game. The Rams won 56-28 in their first and still only Section final. Ripon Christian is 0-2 in the title round.
Rio Vista finished as runner-up in the Sierra Delta League. Its season started with a 55-0 landslide defeat to Orestimba, which raced away from Ripon Christian 21-7 en route to garnering the Southern Athletic League title. The Rams have also suffered blowout defeats against Winters, 61-8, and Clearlake, 33-0. They were edged by Esparto 48-42 in SDL play.
Rio Vista, coached by Chris Medders for the eighth straight year, is riding a three-game winning streak.
Running back/linebacker Tony Bellante leads the way with 708 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, 231 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, 80 tackles and three interceptions.
Big-play threat Isaiah Turner (521 rushing yards, 341 receiving yards, 12 TDs) averages 12.1 yards per carry and has four interceptions on defense.
Sophomore Angel Mendoza (470 yards, four TDs) and Marco Carrillo (352 rushing yards, 297 receiving, eight TDs) also contribute to the ground attack.
The winner meets No. 4 Stone Ridge or No. 5 Mariposa in the semifinals.
