Elk Grove ends Cosumnes Oaks’ best season. Now the former D-I power seeks a D-II title

Elk Grove entered this year’s postseason as a No. 6 seed. Now it’s a victory away from its sixth Sac-Joaquin Section title.

The Thundering Herd never trailed, but had to hold on to beat No. 2 Cosumnes Oaks 28-20 Friday night in a section Division II semifinal played between two intracity schools a 3.2-mile drive apart.

The win avenges a 23-12 Delta League loss on Oct. 25 to the Wolfpack – a team the Herd tied with for second in the conference, one game behind Davis.

Elk Grove coach John Heffernan on Friday looked back to that game and explained why the Herd lost after leading 12-0.

“They played faster than we did,” he said. “We made it an emphasis, since that point, to play faster and not hesitate.”

Neither offense could be charged with playing fast in the early going Friday, but all it took was one big play from Hunter Hall to get the game’s first points on the board.

After more than nine scoreless minutes, the senior running back ran up the left side, broke a few tackles and pulled away for a 65-yard touchdown. Hall also helped cap the scoring, finding senior wide receiver Khalani Riddick wide open on a 45-yard TD pass that gave the visitors some breathing room after Cosumnes Oaks pulled to within one.

Elk Grove attempted just three passes in the game, completing two, but five ball carriers combined for 237 yards on 47 attempts for an efficient 5 yards per rush.

“Our kids tonight just persevered,” Heffernan said. “They battled and tried to fight and scratch for every yard.”

Friday’s victory comes after double-digit wins over No. 11 Oakmont and No. 3 Vacaville during this playoff run. Now Elk Grove, which is tied with Cordova and Folsom for the most D-I championships in section history, will try to snap its 0-2 run in Division II title games.

Elk Grove (9-4) will face No. 9 Whitney, which continued its Cinderella season. The Wildcats, who went 0-10 last season, advanced Saturday afternoon by upsetting No. 4 Jesuit 20-17. The D-II championship game will be the section’s only Friday contest next week, kicking off at 7 p.m. at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium.

According to MaxPreps and section records, Elk Grove has never faced Whitney, a school which began playing football in 2006 and won a D-IV crown in 2008.

Herd quarterback Carter Harris accounted for just one score, a 24-yard second-quarter run that put Elk Grove up 21-7, but arguably his most important drive came in the fourth quarter following a takeaway. Up 28-20 with less than six minutes to go, Harris’ number was called repeatedly. The 5-foot-6, 155-pound senior kept the ball on the ground and took some punishment, but was able to run for multiple first downs and keep Cosumnes Oaks’ offense sidelined.

Harris lost the ball on one play with just under 3 minutes left, but the officials ruled him down by contact. He ran for another first down and the Herd went into victory formation.

“I just kept running hard,” said Harris, who had 100 yards on 21 carries. “That’s all I could really do.”

“He’s got the heart of a lion,” Heffernan said. “He plays with great grit, effort and toughness. I just love him.”

Now the focus shifts to the title game. Elk Grove seeks its first D-II title in its first try since 2013, a 20-19 loss to Del Oro. The Herd know what they have to do.

“We need to execute at a high level ... and not turn the ball over,” Heffernan said. “If we can play clean next week, I like our chances.”

For Cosumnes Oaks (8-4), the best season in the 11th year of the program is over. The Wolfpack had victories this season over the Herd and another Elk Grove school in Monterey Trail, which upset No. 1 Folsom 35-23 Friday to reach the Division I title game for the second consecutive season and fourth time in school history.

Despite the success, Cosumnes Oaks coach Andrew Bettencourt says there’s more work to be done.

“It’s not good enough,” he said. “It’s been a great road. It’s been a hell of a ride. But it’s not good enough. ... The only positive I can say is we beat both of them (Monterey Trail and Elk Grove) at some point this season. We just didn’t get the one we needed.”

Bettencourt believes this group has bought in to what this first-year coaching staff is teaching.

“They’re a fun group. Entertaining, let’s say,” he said. “They’re committed to each other. ... People talked a lot about the lack of commitment. Our goal was to build that camaraderie and trust.”

Expected to lead that group is Anthony Grigsby. The junior quarterback scored on a 1-yard run for the Wolfpack, who played in their first playoff semifinal but missed out on reaching the section championship game.

“This 2020 class didn’t just leave a brand on CO, they left a brand on me,” said Grigsby, who added that work for next season “begins tomorrow.”

“This was one of my funnest seasons ever playing football,” he said.

This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 4:34 AM.