Oak Ridge beat Enochs in the rain round one.
Photo by Derek Carroll
* Official name for this year's playoffs is: CIF Sac-Joaquin Section/Les Schwab Tires Football Championships Presented by Farmers Insurance.
* All six eventual Section champions become eligible for participation in the CIF State Football Bowl Regional Championships to be played on December 7 and 8 at sites to be determined. Winners of the regional games will play in the State Championships on December 14 and 15 at Home Depot Center in Carson. Section Commissioners will select five north and five south teams to compete in four divisional regional games based on enrollment plus an open division championship.
* All six undefeated teams (Franklin-EG, Burbank, Folsom, Placer, Ripon and Argonaut) won their first-round games. Should Ripon and Argonaut win their quarterfinals, then they would meet in the semifinals. That will be the first time undefeated teams have met in the semifinals since Grant and Rocklin met in a D2 game in 2009. At least one unbeaten team has won a Section championship for 17 of the past 19 years.
* Teams with nine or 10 teams combined to go 16-3 for the first weekend. Conversely, all teams with seven or less wins all had losing records. They combined to go 9-26.
* Seeds 1-4 went 18-2 while seeds 13-16 went 1-15.
* Two of the nine teams that qualified with 5-5 records won in the first round. In D2, No. 15 Del Oro beat No. 2 Yuba City 45-21. That's not a big surprise, as the Golden Eagles were the runners-up in the always-tough SFL and played a difficult preseason. And in D6, No. 6 Big Valley Christian beat No. 3 Woodland Christian 19-12.
* American Canyon and Antelope won their first playoff games in school history. It was American Canyon's first playoff game, while Antelope is now 1-2 in its playoff career. Waterford is still alive, yet still searching for playoff win No. 1. That's because the Wildcats are the top seed in D5 and had a bye.
* Two leagues went undefeated in the first round: The SVC and the SL. The SVC only qualified two teams – Vista del Lago and Cosumnes Oaks – and both won D3 games. The SL saw three teams make the playoffs; Le Grand (D5) and Ripon Christian (D6) won in the first round while Waterford had a D5 bye. The SL and the DRL have the most teams remaining, with three apiece. The DRL teams making the second round were: Folsom, Oak Ridge and Pleasant Grove.
* In 36 first-round games, the higher seed won 29 times. The only division where there were no upsets by seed was Division V. And Divisions 2 and 3 saw the most "upsets," with two lower seeds winning out of eight games.
* The Division V and VI finals will be played at the Grape Bowl in Lodi on Saturday, November 24. The Division VI final will be at 1:00 p.m. and the Division V final is at 6 p.m.
* Division I, II, III and IV finals will be played in some combination on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1 at Lincoln High School in Stockton and Sacramento State.
* DIVISION I:* No. 8 Lincoln (Stockton) (8-3) at No. 1 Franklin (Elk Grove) (11-0)These teams are familiar with each other. This is a quarterfinal rematch from last year, a game where Lincoln beat Franklin 56-27 in their only previous playoff matchup. This time, however, the roles are reversed as the undefeated Wildcats are the top seed and the favorite. Should Franklin win, it would be in the semifinals for the first time in school history, while the Trojans got to the semis last year. They lost in that game, 28-21 to Granite Bay.
* No. 5 Granite Bay (8-3) at No. 4 Downey (10-1)There are few first-round victory runs as impressive as Granite Bay's. With the Grizzlies' win over Napa last week, it means they've advanced beyond the first round of the playoffs for 13 of the last 14 years. Granite Bay won the Section title last year, and heads into this game with Downey on a head of steam. The MMC champion Knights, meanwhile, are also riding high. Their win over Bethel last week was the school's first playoff win since 1987. Led by Hawaii-bound quarterback Aaron Zwahlen, their spread offense has scored at least 40 points in 10 of 11 games this season.
* No. 6 Pitman (Turlock) (9-2) at No. 3 Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (10-1)Pitman is into the quarterfinal round for the second straight season. Last year, the Pride beat West in the first round. A victory for the visitors here would mean Pitman is in the semifinals for the first time in school history. Oak Ridge, meanwhile, is looking for its first semifinal appearance since winning the D2 championship in 2004. The Trojans got to the second round last year, losing to eventual champion Granite Bay. This is the first playoff meeting for these teams.
* No. 10 Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (7-4) at No. 2 Burbank (Sacramento) (11-0)Pleasant Grove advances to the second round as the only upset winner in the D1 field according to seed. And the Eagles barely got through, beating Stagg 22-21 on a late field goal. PG is no stranger to postseason success; it won the 2010 D1 title and got to the championship both last year and in 2008. It has advanced to the semis for the last four years. Burbank is sitting at 11-0 for the first time in school history. The Titans beat regional rival and traditional power Grant 26-19 in the first round. Burbank is gunning for its first semifinal appearance since 2008, when it lost to Grant in the D2 championship game.
* DIVISION II:* No. 9 Vacaville (8-3) at No. 1 Folsom (11-0)These teams – both nicknamed the Bulldogs – have met in two of the more memorable playoffs games over the last two years for very different reasons. Last year, Vacaville toppled Folsom 39-36 in the D2 championship game, a back-and-forth affair that went down to the wire. In 2010, Folsom beat Vacaville 75-6 while on its way to the state championship bowl game in D2. Folsom scored all 75 of its points in the first half of that game setting a Section record. Folsom is looking to make the semifinal round for the fourth straight year while Vacaville is hoping to extend its five-game playoff winning streak.
* No. 5 Buhach Colony (Atwater) (9-2) at No. 4 Antelope (10-1)Buhach Colony is a relative newbie to the Section postseason world, but it is already building an impressive run. Should the CCC champion Thunder win this game, it would mark the third straight year it has advanced to the semifinals. The previous two years, the Thunder lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion (Folsom, Vacaville). Buhach Colony has only made the playoffs four times. Antelope, meanwhile, is celebrating its first playoff victory in school history after stopped Rocklin 31-24 last week. The Titans are in the playoffs for the third straight year.
* No. 6 Del Campo (Fair Oaks) (9-2) at No. 3 Elk Grove (10-1)This game features two football programs with lots of recent success and seven Section championships between them. If Del Campo wins this game, it'll be in the semifinals for the first time since 2009, when it won the D3 championship. The Cougars are in the second round for the second straight year. Elk Grove advanced to the semifinals last year, losing to Folsom in a 42-28 shootout. The Thundering Herd and the Cougars have met twice before in the postseason, both games going to Elk Grove. In 1998, the Herd beat Del Campo 56-28 and two years later it was 30-19.
* No. 15 Del Oro (Loomis) (6-5) at No. 7 St. Mary's (Stockton) (9-2)Del Oro entered the playoffs as a 15 seed, but few people were surprised when the Golden Eagles beat No. 2 Yuba City last week. Del Oro was the SFL runner-up and has won the SJS D3 championship the last two years. Now, the Golden Eagles are back in D2, where they've still won their fair share. Facing DO is St. Mary's, the TCAL champion and another school with a lengthy history of postseason success. The Rams last advanced to the semifinals in 2010 and won the 2008 D1 championship. These teams have met once in the postseason, a 2009 D2 quarterfinal. There, the Golden Eagles shocked undefeated St. Mary's 30-29.
* DIVISION III:* No. 9 Benicia (8-3) at No. 1 Oakdale (10-1)Benicia advances to the second round for the second time in three years; and two years ago, the Panthers beat Patterson in the first round that time as well. In fact, the last time Benicia won a postseason game against a team that wasn't Patterson was in 1982 – the D3 championship victory, 21-14, over Ripon. Oakdale, meanwhile, is trying to advance to the semifinals for the fourth straight season. The last two years, the Mustangs have gotten to the D3 championship game, losing to Del Oro both times. These teams have never met in the playoffs.
* No. 5 Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (9-2) at No. 4 American Canyon (10-1)This game features the teams with the least combined playoff experience of any contest in the second round. Cosumnes Oaks is in the postseason for the second time in school history; and last time, the Wolfpack also made it to the second round. But that doubles the playoff experience of the Wolves. American Canyon played – and won – its first playoff game last week. .
* No. 6 Inderkum (Sacramento) (9-2) at No. 3 Sierra (Manteca) (10-1)Inderkum first qualified for the Section playoffs in 2006; and they subsequently made it to the second round. That's a streak that hasn't ended since, as it's up to seven years after the Tigers beat Manteca last week. They get another team from Manteca this week in the VOL runner-up Sierra Timberwolves. Should the home team win this game, it will mark the first semifinal trip for Sierra since 2009. Inderkum is also looking for its first semifinal trip since 2009, when it lost to Del Campo in the D3 championship.
* No. 10 El Camino (Sacramento) (8-3) at No. 2 Vista del Lago (Folsom) (10-1)El Camino, welcome to the second round for the first time since 1993! That year, the Eagles beat Foothill in a D1 game. This is only the third playoff appearance for El Camino since then. The Eagles won consecutive D2 championships in 1984 and '85. Vista del Lago, the SVC champion, is in the playoffs for only the third time in school history. The Eagles advanced to the second round last year, and have never made it to the semifinals.
* DIVISION IV:* No. 8 Escalon (9-2) at No. 1 Placer (Auburn) (11-0)These teams have combined for 61 postseason victories and 13 Section championships. Escalon, the TVL runner-up, is no stranger to Section championship games. The Cougars won it all in 2010, advancing to – and winning – the CIF State Championship Bowl Game after that. They got to the SJS championship last year, losing to Hilmar on a field goal on the game's final play. Placer advanced to the D4 championship game in 2009 and 2008, losing both times. The undefeated Hillmen have won five SJS titles, their last one coming in 1981.
* No. 5 Los Banos (10-1) at No. 4 Capital Christian (Sacramento) (10-1)Los Banos is competing in Division IV for the first time in school history. The Tigers last advanced to the semifinals in 2009; that was in Division I. Since then, a second school (Pacheco) has opened in Los Banos, severely dropping the school enrollment. Capital Christian is in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, when it won the D5 championship. Like Los Banos, this is the first foray into Division IV for the Cougars. Only they are moving up into D4 where Los Banos is dropping down.
* No. 6 Central Catholic (Modesto) (9-2) at No. 3 Ripon (11-0)Central Catholic may be the No. 6 seed, but nobody is overlooking the Raiders. They won the WAC championship and their two losses were to Placer (the No. 1 D4 seed) and Downey (the No. 4 D1 seed). They also have a lengthy history of postseason success; they boast a 48-13 career postseason record to go with 15 Section titles. Ripon, meanwhile, won its first playoff game since 1997 when it beat Amador last week. With a win, the Indians would be in the semifinals for the first time since 1996, when they won the school's only SJS football title. These teams have met twice in the playoffs, with Ripon winning in 1996 and Central Catholic winning in 2006.
* No. 10 Center (Antelope) (9-2) at No. 2 Argonaut (Jackson) (11-0)Center returns to the second round for the first time in a long time. The Cougars last got here in 1995. In fact, Center snapped a seven-game postseason losing streak when it beat Dixon in the first round last week. The Cougars took Placer to the wire in their game for the PVL championship, a 15-14 Hillmen victory. Argonaut, one of three undefeated teams in this field, is in the second round for the third straight year. But the last time the Mustangs made it to the semifinals was in 2004, when they won the D4 championship. That remains the only Section championship appearance in Argonaut history.
* DIVISION V:* No. 4 Highlands (North Highlands) (7-4) at No. 1 Waterford (8-2)Highlands entered this year's playoffs riding a lot of momentum after advancing to the D5 championship game the last two years. The Scots lost to Le Grand in each of those finals. Waiting for Highlands in this year's semifinals is top seed Waterford, like Le Grand a member of the Southern League. The Wildcats shared the SL title with Le Grand and Ripon Christian, and are hoping to win their first playoff game in school history on Friday night. This is the third postseason appearance for Waterford, which lost in the first round in 2008 and 2010. Highlands beat Waterford 41-6 in the 2010 first round.
* No. 3 Le Grand (9-2) at No. 2 Golden Sierra (Garden Valley) (7-3)Le Grand comes into its semifinal game against Golden Sierra with a full head of steam. The Bulldogs won the 2009 and 2010 D5 championships, advancing to the CIF State Championship Bowl Game in the small schools division last year. Le Grand has won five straight playoff games. Golden Sierra, the SDL champion, is looking to advance to the Section championship game for the second time in school history. Last time the Grizzlies got there, it was 1994. They lost that D3 game to Bear River, 3-0 in overtime.
* DIVISION VI:* No. 4 Ripon Christian (Ripon) (9-2) at No. 1 Foresthill (9-1)Each of these teams is in the playoffs for the third time in school history. The Knights, tri-champions of the SL, lost to Bradshaw Christian in last year's D6 semifinals and lost in the first round of the 2005 D5 postseason. Foresthill, the Wildfires of the SMAL, are hoping to advance to their second straight Section championship game. Last year they got to the D6 finale, only to lose, 62-6, to Bradshaw Christian.
* No. 6 Big Valley Christian (Modesto) (6-5) at No. 2 Brookside Christian (Stockton) (8-2)Big Valley Christian enters the semifinals for the second time in school history, and the Lions did it courtesy of their 19-12 upset win over No. 3 Woodland Christian last week. The only other postseason victory for Big Valley came in 2010, when it beat Foresthill in the first round of the D6 bracket. Brookside Christian returns to the postseason after a one-year hiatus. The Knights won the 2010 D6 championship, advancing to the CIF State Championship Bowl Game small schools division. They also lost a wild 42-38 decision to Bradshaw Christian in the 2009 championship.
Note: If you have any questions about the upcoming playoffs, contact Will DeBoard at wdeboard@cifsjs.org or (209) 334-5900 ext. 21.
