Prep football: Ripon Christian downs Woodland Christian in D-VII section championship game
The Woodland Christian football team is familiar with the big stage.
Just last season, the Cardinals made their first appearance in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII championship game. They played their way back into the big game this year, hoping for a different result.
This year’s opponent, Ripon Christian, came in as the division’s No. 1 seed, also searching for its first blue banner after losing in its three previous appearances in the section finals.
In a game that ultimately came down to who could make the timely plays, Woodland Christian fell short. After scoring all 12 of its points in last year’s championship game in the second half, this year’s storyline was the exact opposite.
The Cardinals failed to score in the third and fourth quarters, falling to the experienced Knights, 28-16.
“The defense played pretty good,” coach Michael Paschke said. “The offense struggled to move the ball. The ball was always on our side of the 50. We were playing the game on the wrong half.”
At the start, it looked like the Cardinals would win a close contest.
Running back Billy Hinkle took a first-quarter direct snap through the middle of the offensive line for a 1-yard touchdown to answer a Ripon Christian score. A 2-point conversion put the Cardinals ahead 8-6.
Hinkle found the end zone again in the second quarter, catching a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caden Pascoe that, along with a 2-point conversion, powered Woodland Christian to a 16-14 lead heading into halftime.
“We hit the deep pass, so we were feeling pretty good,” Paschke said.
The second half belonged to the Knights, but the Woodland Christian defense did its best to give the the team’s offense a chance.
The Cardinals forced a fumble on Ripon Christian’s first drive of the third quarter. Later, while trailing 22-16 in the third, Isaiah Hunt came up with an interception.
Despite forcing turnovers, the Cardinals couldn’t score.
“I probably went to the run game too much,” Paschke admitted. “I should have kept airing it out. They (had) eight in the box and I think I got a little stubborn tonight and just kept trying to run it.”
On their last offensive possession, the Cardinals marched down the field, and, with the help of a pass-interference penalty on the Knights, had the ball on the Ripon Christian 15-yard line.
Down 28-18, Pascoe dropped back to pass, but his attempt was intercepted in the end zone with under five minutes remaining.
“We just couldn’t make the big play,” Paschke said. “They always stopped us whenever we needed to make a big play or whenever we were trying to make a play. They always came up with some way to stop us.”
Losing a second consecutive Division VII section title game was disappointing for Woodland Christian, but when Paschke assesses the team’s future, there’s plenty to look forward to.
Eight rushers finished the season with at least 100 yards and only two will graduate. Freshman Noah Hinkle (552 yards, four touchdowns) and junior Gabe Sanchez (247 yards, three touchdowns), who assisted Billy Hinkle in ball-carrying duties Friday night, will return and likely have bigger roles next season. Receiver Carter Lang, who on Friday finished with six catches for 67 yards, is just a sophomore and leads the team in receiving yards and touchdowns.
The Cardinals could be back in another title game again in the near future.
This story was originally published November 26, 2022 at 12:23 AM with the headline "Prep football: Ripon Christian downs Woodland Christian in D-VII section championship game."
