Manteca is big enough for two prep football powers: Sierra upsets top-seeded Rio Linda
A strong second-half performance led the visiting Sierra Timberwolves to a 21-14 upset victory over the defending Division IV champion Rio Linda Knights in a section semifinal on Friday.
Sierra of Manteca (10-3) will play Valley Oak League rival Oakdale (9-3) for the championship next Saturday at 6 p.m. at Lincoln High in Stockton. Oakdale beat Merced 51-27 in the other semifinal.
Rio Linda (9-3) expected another state title run and knew it had to have more dominating running to get there, but the ground game only offered glimpses of firepower.
This game was a defensive slugfest in the first half, with both teams committing turnovers in the red zone. Rio Linda led 7-0 after two quarters. The running game was expected to be a big part of the game, with Rio Linda’s Cameron Skattebo rushing for more than 1,600 yards and Sierra’s Kimoni Stanley going for more than 1,700. However, both backs were frustrated early on, combining for 68 yards in the first half.
Stanley would see a lot of reps in the second half though, including eight on Sierra’s final scoring drive. He would finish with 21 carries for 63 yards.
The biggest change of momentum came on the last play of the third quarter, when Rio Linda’s Abraham Banks was intercepted by free safety Shane Johnson, who ran the ball back for a touchdown to give Sierra the lead for good.
Johnson, who also threw for a touchdown, described the feeling and emotion of getting the momentum changing interception.
“It was incredible, man,” Johnson said. “It was awesome putting us on the board. Everyone was hyped. It was just an incredible experience all across the board.”
Sierra coach Chris Johnson said that play was a game-changer.
“Momentum is such a funny thing and once you can get hold of it, it just kinda rolls,” Johnson said. “And that play was huge, man. That was the game changer right there.”
Johnson is in his third season coaching Sierra. He posted records of 2-8 in 2017 and 5-6 in 2018, before flipping the script and orchestrating this deep playoff run. Manteca isn’t just a town for Manteca High football. Sierra has arrived.
“We’ve got a great group of kids that bought into everything. We’ve got a good coaching staff. This body works really hard,” Johnson said. “This is a unified football team that’s super unselfish and they don’t care who gets the credit. And when it comes down to it, they love each other. And I mean that.”
Johnson then gestured to a big group of players who were jumping, chanting and celebrating the win.
“You see it right there,” he said. “That’s what high school football is all about right there.”
Skattebo did end up grabbing a touchdown pass from Banks towards the end of the fourth quarter, finishing with more than 70 all-purpose yards in his final game of a celebrated career. He gave his team one last shot to tie the game, but a pass play crumbled in the pocket, leaving zeros on the clock and sending Sierra through to the section championship game.
Coach Johnson said it would be nice to play a familiar opponent.
“Oakdale is not unfamiliar to us,” Johnson said. “Rio Linda and some of these other schools, we don’t know anything about them. But we know what Oakdale is. We know exactly what we’re getting. We know the history there and we played them once already this year. And so, here we go.”