Passing fancy or running smoothly, section playoffs a place for QBs to shine
They come in all shapes, sizes and skill sets. They compete for the largest enrollment schools, the not-so-big, the small and the really small, and each quarterback has a goal as he leads a team into the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Keep that train rolling. Make plays. Win and hoist the hardware.
Each playoff quarterback takes his craft seriously, some especially so. Take Ethan Archuleta, for example. He isn’t a pure passer like others in this list, but the Elk Grove High School senior is the area’s quickest back. How serious does he take this role?
Archuleta makes sure to have his helmet by his bedside when he dozes off. You know — just in case he wakes up in a rush and needs it.
Or as Union Mine’s gritty senior quarterback Calvin Owens explains: “We live for this!”
Depth counts. Jesuit has an ace QB in Preston Vukovich, who has been sidelined much of the season with injuries, but backup Trenton Dewar has been solid to superb, with just three interceptions.
Here’s a peek at some quarterbacks to ponder as the playoffs invade their lives. As an example of just how difficult it is to get recruited, not a single one on this list has received a full Division I FBS or FCS scholarship offer, never mind the size, the grades, the efforts.
But college coaches are always looking, and the playoffs represent another stage.
Division I
Kenny Lueth, Rocklin
He’s missed games with a knee strain, but when he plays, the stout senior has terrorized defenses with his ability to throw long or run over people, having passed for 205.2 yards a game and 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Lueth expects to suit up for the 10-0, top-seeded Thunder, though backup Joey Roberts has done a marvelous job in relief.
Jesiah Machado, Sheldon
The junior has the upstart Huskies looming as a dark horse in this field, thanks to his 27 touchdowns and 2,232 yards. He may also be the best QB in his family, not that his brother, one-time Elk Grove All-Metro passer Jayden, would agree.
Tyler Tremain, Folsom
When he was in the lineup, before missing the last four games with a bum non-throwing shoulder, no team was better in this section. Tremain grew up in the junior Bulldog system, lived for this, and he vows to be ready for the next kickoff. He passed for 275.4 yards a game and had 32 touchdowns and just four interceptions before getting hurt.
Division II
Ethan Archuleta, Elk Grove
Never mind the modest passing statistics (six touchdown passes) but behold the runner that he is. Shifty, quick, diminutive and dangerous, Archuleta is the focal point of the Thundering Herd’s triple-option run game. He’s rushed for 1,040 yards and 14 scores, ripping off rushing nights of 172 yards, 184 and 151.
Frank Arcuri, Monterey Trail
The smooth senior is the key man for the Mustangs’ run-heavy veer offense, tasked with making the right reads and pitches. Arcuri has passed for eight touchdowns and run for eight for a program that looms as a D-II dark horse.
Johnny Bauser, Lincoln
The senior has done this for years, from youth ball to now, and he rarely loses. Bauser has passed for 1,203 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 483 and two for the school’s best team since 2009.
Garrett Krupp, Woodcreek
The senior is the next in a strong list of Krupp athletes to come through the school, and he has been motivated and largely mistake-free, with just four interceptions to go with 21 touchdowns.
Noah Mitcheom, Granite Bay
The aim at Granite Bay is to have a balanced offense and steady QB play, and with nine touchdown passes, Mitcheom has delivered. This includes a solid effort to help beat Folsom 31-21 on Friday, and he will be a focal point for the No. 2-seeded Grizzlies.
Ryan Vaughn, Vacaville
The senior is a steadying force for a traditional powerhouse, and he rarely throws to the wrong guy — just three interceptions to go with 1,729 yards and 22 touchdowns. Vaughn has also rushed for six touchdowns.
Division III
Nick Afato, Yuba City
The junior can pass it or run it, and he’s combined for 18 touchdowns, some of the most dazzling kind, to fuel the Honkers
Gabe Baker, Nevada Union
It seems sometimes inhuman to see the powerfully built 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior bearing down on defenders who are 80 pounds lighter. He’s passed for 20 touchdowns and run for eight more for a Miners team that seeks its first postseason victory since winning D-I section honors in 2009.
Naaman Branyan, Sacramento
The junior provides balance to hard-charging runner Lamar Radcliffe for a Dragons team that got off to its best start since 1992. Branyan has passed for 1,817 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Jake Elorduy, Christian Brothers
The senior is as cool as his 4.0 GPA and his 22/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Best athlete in the family of uncles and fathers who were CB stars a generation ago? We vote affirmative.
Jakob Hollingshaus, Vista del Lago
The senior has played quarterback since he was in the fourth grade, and he gets better each season. Hollingshaus has passed for 2,164 yards and 25 touchdowns and is coming off a six-TD effort in a regular-season finale.
Jayden Johnson, Inderkum
How many passers also kick off and punt? Here’s one. After nearly quitting football at the start of the season, Johnson settled back in, and he’s accounted for 15 touchdowns to get the Tigers back into the playoffs.
Jahe’mon Worlds, Burbank
Quick and instinctive, he is sometimes All-Worlds, having fired eight touchdown passes in six victories and rushing for three more for the upstart Titans.
Division IV
Develle Barksdale, West Park
The junior will remember this season for the rest of his days, having helped power the first-year varsity program from Roseville to an outright Greater Sacramento League championship. He has passed for 13 touchdowns and rushed for eight.
Terrence Ballard, Del Campo
Long and lanky at 6-foot-5, T.B. is a nice young man only when not firing lasers downfield. He missed several games with a bum shoulder, thought his senior season was done, then came back and has accounted for 14 touchdowns.
Jett Harris, Dixon
The junior has to have the best first name in the section, and he willed his team to a Golden Empire League championship with poised passing and keen leadership. Harris has passed for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns in nine games.
Division V
Luke Coleman, El Camino
Injuries stalled his season, but the gritty 6-foot-2 senior helped get the Eagles into the playoffs. He has tossed nine touchdowns.
Jason Lindahl, Casa Roble
The senior is generally on point and on target, throwing just two interceptions to go with 16 touchdowns, and he’s also a capable, hard-charging runner.
Calvin Owens, Union Mine
Effective and unflappable best describes Owens. He has passed for 1,228 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 419 and 10 for an 8-1 team that clinched the Sierra Valley Conference crown outright.
Division VII
Caden Pascoe, Woodland Christian
Every title team has to have a trigger man, and this is it for the 9-0 Cardinals. The junior has passed for 1,079 yards, 15 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
Sac-Joaquin Section Football playoffs
All games at 7 p.m. Friday unless noted
Division I
No. 9 Turlock at No. 8 Sheldon
No. 12 McClatchy at No. 5 St. Mary’s
No. 11 Chavez at No. 6 Lincoln-Stockton
No. 10 Enochs at No. 7 Del Oro
Byes: No. 1 Rocklin, No. 2 Jesuit, No. 3 Folsom, No. 4 Edison
Division II
No. 9 Lodi at No. 8 Downey
No. 12 Inderkum at No. 5 Whitney
No. 11 Gregori at No. 6 Elk Grove
No. 10 Woodcreek at No. 7 Monterey Trail
Byes: No. 1 Central Catholic, No. 2 Granite Bay, No. 3 Vacaville, No. 4 Antelope
Division III
No. 9 Roseville at No. 8 Grace Davis
No. 12 Burbank at No. 5 Patterson
No. 11 Golden Valley at No. 6 Sacramento, 1 p.m. Saturday
Byes: No. 1 Oakdale, No. 2 Lincoln, No. 3 Manteca, No. 4 Yuba City
Division IV
No. 9 Nevada Union at No. 8 Wood
No. 12 Del Campo at No. 5 East Union
No. 11 West Park at No. 6 Placer
No. 10 Ponderosa at No. 7 Dixon
Byes: No. 1 Kimball, No. 2 Vanden, No. 3 Vista del Lago, No. 4 Merced
Division V
No. 9 Colfax at No. 8 Woodland
No. 12 Ceres at No. 5 Ripon
No. 11 Los Banos at No. 6 Hilmar
No. 10 El Camino at No. 7 Casa Roble
Byes: No. 1 Escalon, No. 2 Union Mine, No. 3 Sonora, No. 4 Pioneer
Division VI
No. 9 Orestimba at No. 8 Linden
No. 12 Delhi at No. 5 Rosemont
No. 11 Summerville at No. 6 Waterford
No. 10 Gustine at No. 7 Liberty Ranch
Byes: No. 1 Bradshaw Christian, No. 2 Argonaut, No. 3 Livingston, No. 4 Hughson
This story was originally published November 5, 2021 at 5:00 AM.