Placer delivered a nice present to coach Joey Montoya on his 34th birthday Friday in Auburn.
The No. 6 Hillmen rallied for a late fourth-quarter touchdown, then made a late stop deep in their territory to beat No. 14 Center 15-14 to complete an unbeaten regular season and win their first Pioneer Valley League championship.
Placer (10-0, 5-0), starting on its 24-yard line with eight minutes to go and trailing 14-9, drove the length of field and scored on Todd Valiere's four-yard run with 3:38 remaining.
Center (8-2, 3-2) then marched to Placer's 22-yard line. But on fourth and one with 1:29 to go, quarterback Tyrel Anderson lost his footing, and Placer's Stone Sander stopped him short of a first down.
Isaac Brahce scored on a 19-yard run, and Dominic Granieri had a 30-yard field goal for the Hillmen. D'Juan Bellaire rushed for a one-yard touchdown, and Dave Toletino caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Anderson for Center.
No. 2 Folsom 30, No. 9 Pleasant Grove 14 in Folsom Jake Browning completed 12 of 29 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns, Lucas Owan had six catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns, and Ben Trumm kicked three field goals to lead the Bulldogs (10-0, 5-0) past the Eagles (6-4, 3-2) and secure the Delta River League championship.
No. 3 Elk Grove 17, Davis 10 in Davis Robert Frazier rushed for 165 yards and a score, and Spencer Sheff had a 34-yard touchdown run as the Thundering Herd (9-1, 4-1) slipped past the gutsy Blue Devils (5-5, 2-3) in a Delta Valley Conference finale.
No. 5 Granite Bay 38, Nevada Union 7 in Grass Valley Johnny Cooley rushed for two touchdowns, and Grant Caraway threw a 16-yard scoring strike to Steve Graber as the Grizzlies (7-3, 5-0) beat the Miners (5-5, 2-3) to win the Sierra Foothill League title outright.
No. 13 Del Oro 38, No. 10 Rocklin 35 in Loomis Skyler Rand's 35-yard field goal with two seconds remaining lifted the Golden Eagles (5-5, 4-1) over the Thunder (5-5, 3-2) and into the Division II playoffs.
Brandon Monroe rushed for three touchdowns and returned an interception 60 yards for a score to lead the Golden Eagles. Logan Webb threw four touchdown passes for Rocklin.
No. 11 Yuba City 29, River Valley 3 in Yuba City Nate Van Dusen rushed for three touchdowns, and Omar Herrera added a 30-yard scoring run as the Honkers (9-1, 5-0) defeated the Falcons (6-4, 3-2) in the annual Mayors Cup battle between the Yuba City rivals. Yuba City took the Tri-County Conference championship, snapping Inderkum's five-year reign.
No. 20 Antelope 35, No. 12 Whitney 27 in Rocklin The Titans (9-1, 5-0) spotted the Wildcats (8-2, 4-1) a 20-point first-half lead before running off the next 35 points in a battle of Capital Athletic League unbeatens.
No. 17 Cosumnes Oaks 31, River City 9 in Elk Grove Kaelin Willhite rushed for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries as the Wolfpack (8-2, 5-1) rolled past the Raiders (4-6, 4-2) in a Sierra Valley Conference game.
No. 18 Inderkum 56, Natomas 0 in Natomas Terence White and Josh Montes each rushed for two touchdowns, and C.J. Spencer threw two touchdown passes as the visiting Tigers (8-2, 4-1) coasted past the Nighthawks (0-10, 0-5).
Grant 55, Laguna Creek 6 in Elk Grove Marquise Carter-Petit and Deondre Grays each rushed for two touchdowns, and Charlie Tuileila passed for two scores as the Pacers (5-5, 3-2) defeated the Cardinals in a Delta Valley Conference game. In winning their third consecutive game, the Pacers qualified for the postseason for the 22nd consecutive season.
Capital Christian 62, Lindhurst 0 in Olivehurst Justice Shelton-Mosley scored six touchdowns, including punt returns of 70 and 45 yards, and Quinton Kirk added two touchdowns, including an 85-yarder, as the Cougars (9-1, 5-0) defeated the Blazers (1-9, 1-4) to win the Golden Empire League championship.
Bear River 42, Foothill 14 in Lake of the Pines Dillon Smith completed 7 of 8 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, both to Tevyn Kimble (six catches, 106 yards), and Caleb Johnson had a 60-yard touchdown run to lead the Bruins (8-2, 3-2) past the Mustangs (1-9, 0-5) in a Pioneer Valley League finale.
Christian Brothers 40, Bella Vista 14 at Hughes Stadium Jalen Walker had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Caden Noon as the Falcons (6-4, 3-2) beat the Broncos (4-6, 1-4) in a Capital Valley Conference game. The Falcons qualified for the playoffs.
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