Thunder rolls: Rocklin defense stymies St. Mary’s in Sac-Joaquin Section championship game
Defense has always been the name of the game for the Rocklin Thunder football team.
On Saturday at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium, Rocklin used every one of its run-stuffing linemen, hard-hitting linebackers and ball-hawking defensive backs to earn a 17-6 victory over the top-seeded St. Mary’s Rams in the CIF Division II Sac-Joaquin Section championship game.
“Our boys worked their butts off,” Rocklin head coach Jason Adams said. “We’ve been doing this since January and then when our season kicked off on July 24, we had a goal to get to this place. And to bring this thing home is so very satisfying.”
Defense is a fitting theme under Adams, the longtime defensive coordinator under Greg Benzel, Rocklin’s last section championship-winning head coach. His players love to go to battle for him.
“It feels great. He hasn’t had one since the first one in 2009,” Rocklin defensive back Mavrik Collins said. “It feels awesome. We’ve been chasing it for a while now.”
Rocklin forced four turnovers throughout the night against St. Mary’s of Stockton’s typically prolific offense. Johnathan Correa, Spencer Patton, Derek Keeley and Koen Bell led the defensive front for the Thunder, smothering the Rams’ run game. In the secondary, it was Collins, Brody Desario, Tyler Ward and Jack Merino, among others, who largely nullified the Rams’ air attack.
“Red zone stops,” said Rocklin quarterback Reeve Slone of his defense. “They came up big in the red zone and held them to just six points.”
Slone came up big for Rocklin as well. He sliced through the heart of the Rams’ defense on a QB keeper, going 44 yards to the end zone to give Rocklin a 14-6 lead before halftime.
Rocklin’s only loss this season came against Folsom on Oct. 6. While a lot of attention goes to Folsom quarterback Ryder Lyons, who led the Bulldogs to the Division I section title Friday night at Hughes Stadium, Slone acknowledged the gratification of showing there’s not just one championship-caliber sophomore quarterback in the Sierra Foothill League.
“That’s my boy, Ryder. He’s a dog, but it feels good to get this win,” Slone said.
Collins had two first-half takeaways for the Thunder. He recovered a fumble on a St. Mary’s pass play on the Rams’ first drive, but the ensuing Thunder drive stalled midway through the first quarter.
St. Mary’s took over on downs and struck pay dirt on a 75-yard touchdown from Samson Hunkin to Kenneth Moore III to put the Rams ahead 6-0.
Collins nabbed an interception midway through the second quarter and set up Rocklin’s drive at the Rams’ 28-yard line. On fourth down, Slone passed to Desario in the flat, who then launched it downfield to Gavin Correa at the 2-yard line. Keeley then punched in the short score to give Rocklin a 7-6 lead at the 6:20 mark of the first half.
After Rocklin forced a St. Mary’s punt, Slone’s 44-yard touchdown run put the Thunder up 14-6 at halftime.
The Rams drove inside the Rocklin 5-yard line on their first drive of the third quarter, but Rocklin held strong and forced a turnover on downs. Rocklin then marched 90 yards down the field and opened the fourth quarter with a 22-yard field goal from Jacob Winter to extend its lead to 17-6.
Rocklin continued its defensive dominance over the next two St. Mary’s drives. With the Rams on the verge of scoring, Merino intercepted a pass in the end zone to nullify a touchdown opportunity. Desario then came away with the Thunder’s fourth takeaway of the night with 2:44 to play. With St. Mary’s out of timeouts, Rocklin picked up a first down, and Slone and the Thunder came out in victory formation.
“It’s all the grittiness,” Collins said. “Normally after every game, we’re in the weight room, 8 o’clock the next morning, putting in the work. Just stay working.”
Rocklin will keep working in preparation for the CIF Northern California regional championships. The Thunder will host Grant on Friday night in the Division 2-AA title game at 7:30 p.m.
Rocklin’s only other section crown came in 2009, when the Thunder finished as the state runner-up.
“To step up and play as well as we did, it’s very rewarding,” Adams said. “We’re very thankful for the opportunity.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2023 at 12:01 AM.