Section finals have a new look with only one defending champion as The Bee picks winners
.JPG "Oak Ridge High quarterback Justin Lamson, right, will lead the Trojans in their Division I title game Saturday.")
These are the new-blood, new-era championships.
Officially, it’s the Sac-Joaquin Section finals, but there’s a decidedly new look, with only one defending champion in the mix among the six remaining divisions. That’s Hilmar High School, the Yellowjackets of Merced County.
And only two other programs of the last 12 schools standing for this weekend’s finals made it this far in 2018. Take a bow Monterey Trail in Division I and Placer in D-III.
“It’s hard to get here, and it’s even harder to win it,” Placer coach Joey Montoya said.
Not a single top seed made it to the finals in divisions I, II or III as Folsom, Rocklin and Capital Christian each went down in semifinal rounds to Monterey Trail, Whitney and Manteca. The lone unbeaten left is Center in D-V. And another new twist: For the first time in 19 seasons and just the third time since 1992, there are no private schools competing for a blue banner.
JOED PICKS THE PREPS
We didn’t peak last week when we were expected to be at our best in picking games, going an uninspired 3-5. Can we blame the referees? Everyone else does.
It’s championship week now, so we had to prepare better and hydrate, and we’ll still use the eye black, never mind the darkness and inclement weather. Because of the projected wind and rain Saturday, expect those games to be low-scoring affairs.
It’s go time (ranking is division seeding).
Division I
No. 2 Oak Ridge (10-2) vs. No. 5 Monterey Trail (12-1)
When: Saturday at Hughes Stadium, 8 p.m.
Storyline: Both teams benefited from a team not here — Folsom. Oak Ridge geared up for a Sierra Foothill League rematch against Folsom for this game after falling 36-33 to the Bulldogs in September but most assuredly respects Monterey Trail. The Mustangs played the perfect game to dethrone the Bulldogs 35-23 in a semifinal by using a dominant run game led by Caleb Ramseur and Prophet Brown to consume 40 of the game’s 48 minutes. That’s the plan here against a prolific Trojans team led by a dominant offensive line and star QB Justin Lamson. These teams have combined to reach five previous D-I title games, and both seek their first such banner.
We think we know: Oak Ridge 24-21
Division II
No. 6 Elk Grove (9-4) vs. No. 9 Whitney (7-6)
When: Friday at Hughes Stadium, 7 p.m.
Storyline: Tradition-rich Elk Grove, with 35 playoff teams since 1984, expected a title run behind QB ace Carter Harris, running back Hunter Hall and a stout defense headed by Jack Spithorst, who has 8.5 of his team’s 34 sacks. The Herd seek the program’s sixth banner in its 10th title game. Whitney is the feel-good story of the section, having gone from 0-10 a year ago to 3-0 in the playoffs behind the 1-2 offensive punch of Eli Brickhandler and Will Fischer, as well as a strong defense.
We think we know: Elk Grove 28-27
Division III
No. 2 Placer (10-2) vs. No. 4 Manteca (10-2)
When: Saturday at Hughes Stadium, 4 p.m.
Storyline: Placer is in its fourth successive final and 11th since 1975, the current run under coach Joey Montoya and the decades-ago program success led by his grandfather Bill Miller. Placer runs with power behind Hans Grassman and has losses only to Whitney and Bay Area heavy Cardinal Newman. In passing for 33 touchdowns and rushing for 46, Manteca is on a seven-game winning streak, including a 20-14 effort over top-seeded Capital Christian in a semifinal.
We think we know: Placer 17-14
Division IV
No. 2 Oakdale (9-3) vs. No. 4 Sierra (10-3)
When: Saturday at Lincoln-Stockton, 6 p.m.
Storyline: Oakdale is one of the storied programs in the section, and this is the program’s 16th title game appearance with aim of securing its seventh title. Coach Trent Merzon quarterbacked Oakdale to two title games in the 1980s. This is a rematch of a Valley Oak League contest, won by Oakdale 38-14 on Oct. 11.
We think we know: Oakdale 28-20
Division V
No. 1 Center (12-0) vs. No. 2 Ripon (11-1)
When: Saturday at Hughes Stadium, noon
Storyline: The top-seeded Cougars seek their first title in their third championship appearance and Ripon its second as it reaches a final for the sixth time. The key is how to defend Center’s Michael Wortham, a run-pass threat and as good of a player as there is in the entire section.
We think we know: Center 35-17
Division VI
No. 1 Escalon (11-1) vs. No. 2 Hilmar (11-1)
When: Saturday at Lincoln-Stockton, 1 p.m.
Storyline: This is where some of the best small schools on the West Coast reside for decades. Escalon is in a title game for the 16th time and it seeks its ninth banner to tie Folsom for third on the all-time list behind Central Catholic (19) and Del Oro (12). Hilmar under longtime coach Frank Marques is the defending champion that also won a CIF NorCal and state banners. Escalon won the first meeting, 34-21 in Trans Valley League play Sept. 27
We think we know: Escalon 14-13
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Section finals have a new look with only one defending champion as The Bee picks winners."