Dwindling football rosters on the rise; two teams in Sac-Joaquin Section call games
Nothing pains a coach and a team more than to pull the dogs, in the middle of competition.
On Friday night, Burbank High School fell behind Sheldon 47-12, succumbing to the speed and ferocity of the Huskies and their own mounting injuries.
Burbank coach Eddie Elder suggested to referees that a running clock was needed for the second half. When two of his players went down with injuries on successive plays, Elder told referees he was pulling the plug. It was midway through the third quarter, the Titans’ roster down to 16 upright players.
This was a rarity for a Burbank program that has been a playoff regular since 2000. Elder is a Burbank alum who played in the NFL. He declined to talk to The Bee.
Burbank hosts Vacaville on Friday.
“I feel bad for their kids because they played hard all night,” said Sheldon coach Dave Filan, who can relate to low roster numbers and long game nights when he coached at Valley. “I also felt bad for our guys who were going to play.
“(Elder) made the right decision, no doubt. They were so depleted. I admire their grit and determination to play in a tough situation. Our kids admired the Burbank players, and they told them so in the postgame handshake line.”
In the southern part of the Sac-Joaquin Section in Salida, Modesto Christian coach Brett Butler on Friday was faced with a similar dilemma of what to do with such a small roster.
Down 62-0 to Edison of Stockton, and down to 14 players, Butler waved the white flag in the third quarter. Game over.
Modesto Christian lost its opener 63-0 to Sierra of Manteca and is hopeful of finishing the season. The Crusaders went 15-0 in 2009, 11-2 in 2014 and 10-2 last season before participation numbers declined.
Florin forfeited its opener to Rosemont due to lack of varsity football numbers but will play at Highlands on Friday.
Football numbers have been a concern in recent years, in part due to long-term fears of concussions, though it’s important to understand that if the game is taught correctly and tackling drills are limited in practice, it’s a safe game.
Great Scot
Highlands has trotted out quite a few playmakers over the decades, and here’s the latest one: Harim Reynolds.
A 6-foot, 170-pound senior receiver, Reynolds had five catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns and he intercepted two passes to key a 49-0 win over Lindhurst, a game in which the quarterback duo of Chrichion Brown and Will Young combined for six total scores.
“Harim’s a monster,” Highlands coach Matt Cokley said. “He’s one of the best deep threats in the section. When the ball’s in the air for most kids, it’s a 50-50 ball, but for Harim, it’s 100 percent his every time. He makes the tough catches look easy.”
Cokley is an alum of Highlands, having coached six playoff teams this decade for a school that has overcome declining enrollment.
Rushing attack
Reagan Fonbuena has rushed for 354 yards in two games for Franklin (1-1), making him the early section leader. He also starts at linebacker for second-year coach Evan Boylan.
“Reagan is a team captain, a great leader in the weight room and a model student,” Boylan said. “Our offensive line has been the strength of our team, and Reagan would tell you they’re the biggest reason for his success.”
That’s a good teammate. That offensive line: A.J. Glover, Tyler Keinath, Michael Lloyd, Eric Mayol, Cristian Salinas and Elijah Taulani.
Rivalry win
In a series that started in 1965, Oakmont and Roseville have waged quite a few fierce battles for city bragging rights.
On Friday in front of an overflow setting, Oakmont moved to 2-0 with a 21-20 victory over Roseville, a thrill for coach Tim Moore, a graduate of the school.
Sean Myles scored two touchdowns and had the sealing interception when Roseville coach Joe Cattolico went for two and the win, as he has done before at Pleasant Grove and Sheldon with success.
Oakmont will host its Hall of Fame game Friday against Bella Vista.
Volleyball
Top-ranked St. Francis plays at No. 5 Christian Brothers on Tuesday in the Holy Court rivalry game.
The Troubadours defeated previous No. 1 Rocklin in four sets last week behind 17 kills from Alexa Edwards and 13 from Chloe Henning.
Christian Brothers is coming off a 6-1 showing at the High Sierra Invitational. The Falcons are led by front-row hitters Allie Corgiat, Gillian Hurley, Sophia Overstreet, Lily Patock and libero Sydney Durana.
Trojans rise
After sweeps against Ponderosa in the fundraising Foundation Game and Pleasant Grove last week, Oak Ridge has moved up to No. 2 in The Bee’s rankings.
Against No. 6 Pleasant Grove, front-row players Kelly Hansen, Kylie Kirtlan, Kealani Kuykendall and Devon Laing combined for 25 kills. Oak Ridge added 11 aces and 15 blocks.
The Trojans face St. Francis on Wednesday and No. 4 Cosumnes Oaks on Thursday. Cosumnes Oaks has won six of seven matches, including defeating Bishop Manogue of Reno in the championship match of the High Sierra Invitational in Reno.
Stanislaus State commit Haley Burdo has led the way at setter for Cosumnes Oaks.
Rocklin’s island fun
While most teams took the bus to tournaments last week, Rocklin players and families boarded a plane for a trip of a lifetime — Hawaii.
The Thunder program raised nearly $15,000 from parents, friends and family over the past few months to play at the Kamehameha School Volleyball Tournament in Hilo.
No. 3 Rocklin took on some of the best teams on the West Coast and finished 5-3.
- Cameron Salerno
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Sacramento region
Football
1. Folsom (1-0)
2. Monterey Trail (2-0)
3. Oak Ridge (2-0)
4. Capital Christian (2-0)
5. Inderkum (2-0)
6. Granite Bay (1-1)
7. Del Oro (1-1)
8. Jesuit (0-1)
9. Davis (2-0)
10. Rocklin (2-0)
11. Vacaville (0-2)
12. Sheldon (1-1)
13. Elk Grove (0-1)
14. Whitney (2-0)
15. Placer (1-1)
16. Center (2-0)
17. Rio Linda (1-1)
18. Bear River (2-0)
19. Yuba City (1-1)
20. Pleasant Grove (2-0)
Bubble teams (alphabetical order): Casa Roble (1-1), Colfax (1-1), Cosumnes Oaks (1-1), Del Campo (1-1), El Camino (2-0), Franklin (1-1), Laguna Creek (2-0), Lincoln (1-1), Oakmont (2-0), Rio Americano (1-0), River Valley (2-0), Roseville (1-1), Sacramento (1-1), Vista del Lago (2-0), Woodcreek (1-1), Woodland (1-1).
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Sac-Joaquin Section
Football
Large Schools
1. Folsom (1-0)
2. Monterey Trail (2-0)
3. Oak Ridge (2-0)
4. Central Catholic (0-2)
5. St. Mary’s (0-1)
6. Capital Christian (2-0)
7. Inderkum (2-0)
8. Buhach Colony (2-0)
9. Granite Bay (1-1)
10. Del Oro (1-1)
11. Oakdale (1-1)
12. Turlock (1-1)
13. Tracy (1-1)
14. Jesuit (0-1)
15. Downey (2-0)
16. Davis (2-0)
17. Manteca (1-1)
18. Edison (2-0)
19. Vacaville (0-2)
20. Sheldon (1-1)
- Joe Davidson/Julian Lopez
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Sac-Joaquin Section
Football
Small Schools
1. Escalon (1-0)
2. Hilmar (2-0)
3. Bear River (2-0)
4. Center (2-0)
5. Ripon Christian (1-1)
6. Ripon (2-0)
7. Denair (2-0)
8. Woodland (1-1)
9. Bradshaw Christian (2-0)
10. Colax (1-1)
- Julian Lopez/Joe Davidson
THE BEE’S TOP 20
Volleyball
1. St. Francis (2-0)
2. Oak Ridge (6-1)
3. Rocklin (6-4)
4. Cosumnes Oaks (10-1)
5. Christian Brothers (7-3)
6. Pleasant Grove (2-1)
7. Nevada Union (12-1)
8. Rio Americano (7-4)
9. Whitney (5-5)
10. Del Oro (6-5)
11. Folsom (7-6)
12. Oakmont (3-0)
13. Lincoln (3-0)
14. Vacaville (8-1)
15. Vanden (2-0)
16. Ponderosa (3-6)
17. Pioneer (9-1)
18. Granite Bay (3-5)
19. Vista Del Lago (1-2)
20. Bear River (4-0)
- Cameron Salerno
Football schedule
All games kick off between 7-7:30 p.m.
Amador at Liberty Ranch
Atwater at Lincoln
Bella Vista at Oakmont
Bishop Manogue at Oak Ridge
Cardinal Newman at Placer
Cordova at Rio Linda
Cosumnes Oaks at River City
Del Oro at Spanish Springs, Nev.
Dixon at Rosemont
El Camino at Woodcreek
El Dorado at Ponderosa
Elk Grove at Rodriguez
Fairfield at Yuba City
Florin at Highlands
Folsom at Antelope
Franklin vs. River Valley at Cosumnes Oaks
Galt at Linden
Grant at Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.)
Jesuit at Granite Bay
Kennedy at Sheldon
Laguna Creek vs. Dublin at Cosumnes River College
Marysville at Oroville
Maxwell at Delta
McClatchy vs. Foothill at Hughes Stadium
Mesa Verde at East Nicolaus
Mira Loma at Center
Orestimba at Golden Sierra
Pershing County (Lovelock, Nev.) at Bear River
Pioneer at Johnson
Portola at Foresthill
Rio Vista at Natomas
Rocklin at Damonte Ranch (Reno, Nev.)
Roseville vs. Rio Americano at Del Campo
Sacramento at Inderkum
San Ramon Valley at Monterey Trail
Vacaville at Burbank
Vista del Lago at Casa Roble
Vista Murrieta at Capital Christian
Western Sierra vs. Union Mine at Mahany Park
Wheatland at Lindhurst
Whitney at Central
Wood at Deer Valley
Woodland vs. Davis at Pioneer
Saturday
Christian Brothers vs. Vanden at Hughes Stadium, 11 a.m.
San Juan at Encina, 11 a.m.
This story was originally published September 3, 2019 at 3:50 AM.