Sports

Sports stories from the Sacramento area you may have missed this week

Stories by Sacramento Bee journalists, with AI summarization

Sports stories from the Sacramento area this week focus on key football matchups and venue rankings. Articles highlight community events and unexpected developments that shape local sports narratives.

Grant football players were involved in a campus fight, but their game against top-ranked De La Salle remained on schedule. Teams like Folsom, Oak Ridge, and Granite Bay are hunting for championship glory. The league remains competitive, as seen in the close and intense games being played weekly.

SoFi Stadium in Southern California ranks ninth on USA Today’s list of top NFL venues, marking it as a must-see stadium for its architectural design and overall fan experience. Sacramento lands two new professional soccer teams set to debut in 2027, with a new arena planned in Rancho Cordova.

the McClatchy Lions' London Lee (11) and teammate laila Clark (20) celebrate following the team’s victory over the West Park Panthers during a flag football game against the McClatchy Lions on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in Sacramento. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 1: MCCLATCHY DEFEATS WEST PARK IN SHOWDOWN OF TOP SACRAMENTO-AREA FLAG FOOTBALL TEAMS

In a clash between The Bee’s top-ranked teams, the No. | Published September 25, 2025 | Read Full Story

McClatchy Lions quarterback Daisy Throckmorton (24) drops back to pass as the West Park Panthers’ Althea Mamcang (12) defends in a flag football game Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Roseville. By José Luis Villegas

NO. 2: HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL: WHO ARE SACRAMENTO’S TURNAROUND TEAMS AND STAT LEADERS?

It’s been quite the turnaround season for St. | Published September 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nick Pecoraro

The Grant Pacers take a knee after a 42-26 win Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, over Central East of Fresno at Grant Union High School in Sacramento’s Del Paso Heights neighborhood. By Chris Biderman

NO. 3: GRANT FOOTBALL PLAYERS INVOLVED IN CAMPUS FIGHT, BUT DE LA SALLE GAME STILL ON

An undisclosed number of Grant High School football players were part of a parking lot fight on the Del Paso Heights campus before practice Tuesday afternoon, a scene that included males that were not affiliated with the school and the father of one of the Pacers, who hustled over to help his son who had been jumped, according to several sources familiar with the incident who were not authorized to speak publicly. | Published September 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion, center, runs onto the field before an NCAA football game against the Mercyhurst Lakers at Hornet Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. By HECTOR AMEZCUA

NO. 4: SACRAMENTO STATE LOOKS TO ENTERTAIN HOME CROWD ON AND OFF THE FOOTBALL FIELD

The Sacramento State football team started the season as road warriors, dropping games at South Dakota State and Nevada. | Published September 18, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

The Granite Bay Grizzlies' Isaiah Ene (1) runs for a touchdown past the Jesuit Marauders' defense in the second half on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in Granite Bay. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 5: ‘PIED PIPER’ CAN PLAY: GRANITE BAY 2-WAY STAR ENE LEADS CHARGE AGAINST JESUIT

This is Isaiah Ene in brief: | Published September 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

Folsom High School defender Lua Deberry (58) celebrates a sack with teammates during a high school football game against Rocklin High School on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025 in Rocklin. By HECTOR AMEZCUA

NO. 6: LUA TO THE RESCUE: DEFENSIVE STAR’S GAME-CHANGING PLAY HELPS FOLSOM BEAT ROCKLIN

Lua DeBerry reached high into the Placer County night and snared an errant pass. | Published September 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mark Billingsley

Franklin High coach Joseph McCray addresses his Wildcats team after a win over Elk Grove High on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, at Cosumnes Oaks High. By Nathan Uebelhoer

NO. 7: GO WILD, WILDCATS: FRANKLIN DEFEATS ELK GROVE FOR 1ST TIME IN MORE THAN A DECADE

For more than a decade, Franklin High football players have circled one game on the calendar — the night they get another crack at Elk Grove. | Published September 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Nathan Uebelhoer

Sacramento State Hornets running back Damian Henderson II (runs into the end zone in fourth quarter during an NCAA football game against the Mercyhurst Lakers on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento. By HECTOR AMEZCUA

NO. 8: SACRAMENTO STATE LIGHTS UP CENTRAL ARKANSAS FOR 602 YARDS TO EVEN RECORD AT 2-2

The postgame fireworks lit up the sky, well above Hornet Stadium, on Saturday night, and that was after Sacramento State lit up the Bears of Central Arkansas in a nonconference contest to turn a slow-start to the season into rolling momentum. | Published September 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

UC Davis Aggies offensive lineman Ernesto Nava lifts running back Jordan Fisher into the air after Fisher scored a touchdown in the second half against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 in Davis. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 9: UC DAVIS RUNS AND OUTGUNS SOUTHERN UTAH IN FRONT OF RECORD CROWD IN HOME OPENER

With all five offensive linemen back in the trenches for UC Davis this season, why not run with power and authority, right? | Published September 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

High school players representing the former Negro League team, The New York Black Yankees, played a honorary baseball game Sunday afternoon at Sacramento State’s John Smith Field. By Mathew Miranda

NO. 10: SACRAMENTO LEGENDS, INCLUDING DUSTY BAKER, JOIN FOR ANNUAL NEGRO LEAGUE GAME

The legacy of Black and brown baseball shone Sunday as generations of players, from 16 to 90, came together for Sacramento’s annual Honorary Negro League game. | Published September 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Mathew Miranda

Athletics outfielder Lawrence Butler (4) is forced out at second as Texas Rangers second baseman Cody Freeman (39) shows to first in the fourth inning during a game at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. By PAUL KITAGAKI JR.

NO. 11: A’S CLINCH A LOSING RECORD FOR THEIR FIRST SEASON BASED IN WEST SACRAMENTO

The Athletics’ first season based in West Sacramento is officially a losing campaign, as Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to the Pirates in Pittsburgh marked their 82nd loss of 2025. | Published September 21, 2025 | Read Full Story

The Jesuit Marauders' Kwanna Smith (23) runs toward the sidelines in the second half against the Granite Bay Grizzlies on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in Granite Bay. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 12: BEE’S BEST: BREAKING DOWN THE SACRAMENTO-AREA’S TOP 25 PREP FOOTBALL TEAMS

It’s called the Sierra Foothill League, a collection of high school football programs lumped into one meat-grinder race, with schools stretching from Placer County through Carmichael, past Folsom and up to El Dorado Hills on the Highway 50 corridor. | Published September 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

The Granite Bay Grizzlies' Darnell Turner (2) runs through the Jesuit Marauders defense in the second half on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025, in Granite Bay. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 13: PICK THE PREPS: GRANITE BAY-OAK RIDGE, SAC-PIONEER, LINCOLN-WHEATLAND AND MORE

In a flash, the high school football season in the greater Sacramento region has hit the regular season’s midway point, just as fall has officially arrived. | Published September 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

A rendering shows an indoor soccer stadium planned for Rancho Cordova after Major Arena Soccer League announced Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, it plans to expand with a men’s and women’s team.

NO. 14: SACRAMENTO AREA LANDS MAJOR-LEAGUE INDOOR SOCCER TEAMS, SET TO DEBUT IN 2027

Sacramento landed two professional soccer teams this week that are expected to debut in 2027, with a new indoor arena planned for Rancho Cordova. | Published September 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Marcus Smith

UC Davis Aggies defensive lineman Jacob Psyk (94) knocks the ball out of the hands of Southern Utah Thunderbirds quarterback Bronson Barron (10) in the backfield in the second half on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 in Davis. By JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS

NO. 15: IN PSYK THEY TRUST: HARVARD TRANSFER HELPS FUEL UC DAVIS AGGIES DEFENSE

Tim Plough prefers to build his UC Davis football roster with high school recruits, all the better to nurture and utilize blockers, tacklers and skill players over a five-year stretch. | Published September 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

Quarterback Jaden Rashada (5) jogs off the field during the first practice of the season for the 2025 Sacramento State football team on Friday, August 1, 2025 in Sacramento. By DANIEL HEUER

NO. 16: SAC STATE QB RASHADA IS EXAMPLE OF GRAND SOCIAL MEDIA HYPE. NOW, HE WAITS AGAIN

Jaden Rashada is on standby, ready to go. | Published September 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Joe Davidson

The NFL logo is seen on the field ahead of Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. By Patrick Smith

NO. 17: CALIFORNIA HAS 2 NFL STADIUMS. SEE WHICH ONE MADE USA TODAY’S TOP 10 LIST

Are you ready for some football? | Published September 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sarah Linn

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.