By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Football playoffs continue this week with championships determined in the Sac-Joaquin Section, the Central Coast Section and the North Coast Section. Division 1 in the Sac-Joaquin Section will be determined next week, as will the 3A and 2A divisions of the North Coast Section.
SAC JOAQUIN SECTION
Division 1
Semifinals
Napa at Elk Grove
The Indians are led by the 1-2 punch of Jake Croxdale and John Boyett. Croxdale has 1,794 yards on the season and came up with 212 yards in a 38-20 win over Pleasant Grove last week. He also leads the team in tackles with 8 per game. Boyett, meanwhile, added 134 yards passing and 158 yards rushing against Pleasant Grove. The Thunderherd have a solid QB-RB combination of their own in Kevin Frank and Marcus Rondez. Frank has run for 341 yards and thrown for 645 on the season while Rondez has gained 997 yards on the season. Elk Grove knocked off defending champion Vacaville 35-16.
Lincoln at St. Mary's
The Rams knocked off previously unbeaten Merced 41-28 last week with Cody Vaz completing 18 of 34 passes for 233 yards. The Rams are not only seeking the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 championship, but also a berth in the CIF Division 2 Bowl Game. The Rams face a Lincoln team that beat Pitman 37-21 with Robb Post completing 7 of 17 passes for 133 yards. DeWit Stuckey has been a force on defense for the Trojans, averaging 15 tackles per game.
Division 2
Final
Del Oro at Granite Bay
The Grizzlies knocked off Del Oro 21-14 earlier in the month to claim a share of the Sierra Foothill League championship. They'll have to do it again in order to claim the Division 2 crown. Granite Bay edged Ponderosa 27-15 last week behind Clark Partridge's 122-yard effort. Del Oro topped Burbank 16-14 last week with Mike Makela running for 137 yards in the win.
Division 3
Final
Rodriguez at Bethel
There could be a big crowd at Corbus Field in Vallejo when neighboring Bethel and Rodriguez meet. Bethel topped Del Campo last week 29-24 and is led by quarterback CJ Anderson, who has run for 1,297 yards and thrown for 785. Meanwhile Geno Escalante has been a force for Rodriguez, especially in the playoffs. He had 210 yards in a win over Casa Roble two weeks ago and 152 yards in a 30-20 semifinal win over Inderkum. He has 1,211 yards on the year.
Division 4
Final
Oakdale at Whitney
Whitney has only been around for a couple of years but has already reached a championship game. The Wildcats edged Sonora 29-26 last week and are led by Zack Graves, who has run for 1,435 yards on the season. Meanwhile Oakdale is still seeking a possible berth in the Division 2 CIF Bowl Game and would need a win over Whitney to qualify. Devin Combs came up big last week, throwing for 313 yards and three touchdowns for the Mustangs.
Division 5
Final
Patterson at Central Catholic
Patterson's only loss this year was a 35-10 defeat at the hands of the Raiders. The Tigers topped Escalon in the semifinals 12-7 behind the play of QB Daniel Reza who threw the winning touchdown pass and also had a 50-yard TD run. Louis Bland leads the Raiders, rushing for 1,378 yards this year with 30 touchdowns. He became the Sac-Joaquin Section's all-time touchdown scorer two weeks ago and has 105 for his career. The Raiders are also seeking a CIF Division 3 Bowl Game berth and are currently the leading contenders for the selection.
Division 6
Final
Lindhurst at Capital Christian
The defending champion Blazers advanced to the finals with a 20-19 win over Turlock Christian. Michael Bush ran for 167 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns in the win. Lindhurst takes on Capital Christian, which is led by the Sac-Joaquin Section's all-time leading passer, according to the Sacramento Bee, in QB Kramer Hagen, who had 300 yards passing in a 29-28 win over Golden Sierra last week. Hagen has 2,520 yards passing on the season and over 6,200 in his career.
CENTRAL COAST SECTION
Open Division
Final
Gilroy vs. Oak Grove at San Jose CC
Nevin Gardner has been huge for Oak Grove in the playoffs. He rushed for 275 yards and two scores in a 35-21 win over Bellarmine last week. Meanwhile Jamie Jensen has been one of the top passers in the state all season long for Gilroy. He completing 29 of 39 passes for 326 yards and four scores in a 40-34 win over Los Gatos.
Large Schools Division
Final
Palo Alto vs. Menlo Atherton at Foothill CC
Palo Alto is looking to claim its second straight section crown with a win over Menlo-Atherton. James McCollough had 132 yards in last week's 7-0 win over North Salinas. Will Latu had a big outing for Menlo-Atherton in a 41-28 victory over Aragon as he rushed for 137 yards on 21 carries.
Medium Schools Division
Final
Live Oak vs. Riordan at San Jose CC
The Acorns will have to figure out how to stop Riordan's Darius Bell, who threw for 366 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for two scores in a 48-20 win over Pioneer last week. Live Oak edged Saratoga 17-14 last week on a last-second field goal by Jeff Blean.
Small Schools Division
Final
Santa Cruz vs. Pacific Grove at San Jose CC
It will be a day at the beach in the small schools final as the Breakers of Pacific Grove take on the Cardinals of Santa Cruz. Ian Hesse has been the leading rusher all season for PG and he scored three times in a 29-20 win over Scotts Valley last week. Meanwhile the Cardinals played tough defense in downing Del Mar 42-7.
NORTH COAST SECTION
4A East Bay Region
Final
California at De La Salle
The Grizzlies pulled off the upset last week, knocking off unbeaten Logan to reach the championship game. They'll have to top another unbeaten team in the Spartans in order to claim the championship. California relies on the playmaking ability of quarterback Nick Spalliero, who threw a touchdown pass in the 27-9 win over Logan. The Spartans, meanwhile, get a lot of mileage out of Tito Pica, who has run for 1,135 yards on just 100 carries this year with 15 touchdowns. Meanwhile QB Mike MacGillivray has thrown for 1,041 yards and 18 touchdowns with just one interception.
3A East Bay Region
Regional Final
Pinole Valley at San Ramon Valley
Joe Southwick came up big for SRV, completing 10 of 12 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns in a 59-7 win over College Park last week. Meanwhile Pinole Valley received two touchdowns from Tyrell Smallwood in a 35-28 win over Washington-Fremont.
3A Redwood Empire Region
Regional Final
Rancho Cotate at Cardinal Newman
The Cardinals are still in the running for a CIF Division 3 Bowl Game berth, but need to win the Division 3A championship. Cardinal Newman can capture a regional title with a win over Rancho Cotate. Max Pond has been a force for CN, rushing for 873 yards and throwing for 2,071 with 20 touchdowns. Appropriately named Andrew Rush leads the Cougar running game with over 1,000 yards on the season.
2A East Bay Region
Regional Final
Campolindo at Las Lomas
Las Lomas hopes to stay undefeated and vie for a possible CIF Division 2 Bowl Game berth. Max Yago threw for 331 yards and four touchdowns for the Knights in a 35-20 win over Ygnacio Valley. Meanwhile Bo Richter gained 171 yards rushing with four TDs for Campolindo.
2A Redwood Empire Region
Regional Final
Del Norte at Novato
A pair of 11-0 teams meet for the right to play the winner of the 2A East Bay Regional Final for the section crown. Novato has lost just once since the beginning of last year while compiling an 11-0 mark. Meanwhile Del Norte has easily run past the Humboldt Del-Norte Big 5 league and knocked off Healdsburg last week 25-14.
A Division
Final
Ferndale at St. Patrick/St. Vincent
The Bruins seek their second straight section championship but will have to hand the Wildcats their second loss of the season in order to do so. St. Patrick defeated Ferndale already this year, and it blasted King's Academy 42-3 in the semifinals behind Robbie Souza's 129 yards and two touchdowns. Ferndale topped Salesian 36-20 to avenge a playoff loss from last year. Jourdan Del Biaggo gained 114 yards with two touchdowns for the `Cats.
B Division
Final
St. Elizabeth at St. Vincent
Dave Douglass ran for 114 yards and a score for St. Elizabeth in last week's 20-7 win over South Fork. Meanwhile St. Vincent got 205 yards from Kris Farinha in a 34-18 win over Point Arena.
CENTRAL SECTION PLAYOFFS
Division 1
Finals
Clovis West at Bakersfield
After a trying season beset with injuries, the Golden Eagles are back in the section finals after a 17-10 win over Edison in the semifinals. Beau Sweeney completed the game-winning pass to cousin Nate Fellner while Matt Jelmini ran for 134 yards. Meanwhile Bakersfield has been on a roll, avenging their only loss of the season last week with a 56-7 victory over Centennial. Peter Mitchell leads the Drillers from his QB spot, throwing for 2,261 yards on the season.
Division 2
Finals
Tulare at El Diamante
Jontell Reedom has been spectacular in the playoffs, rushing for over 800 yards in three games, including 300 yards on 41 carries with five touchdowns in Tulare's 38-17 win over Reedley in the semifinals. Bobby Barnes hasn't been too shabby either, throwing for 2,388 yards on the season with 32 TD passes. El Diamante counters with Earl Rhodes, who ran for 106 yards last week, and QB Tanner Sneed, who threw for 137 yards with a pair of TDs.
Division 3
Finals
Foothill at Tehachapi
Top-Seeded Tehachapi shut out Garces 23-0 last week with Kelly Lorenz leading the Warrior offense with 119 yards on 19 carries. Foothill relies on RB Eric Jones, who has run for over 1,500 yards on the season. Teammate Randy Davenport had three touchdowns last week in a 30-26 win over Washington.
Division 4
Finals
Corcoran at Taft
A couple of teams with outstanding running games square off in this one. Brant Botil leads Corcoran with 1,847 yards on the season, including 184 yards in a 17-8 win over Exeter last week. Meanwhile Kyle Taylor has had a big year for Taft, rushing for 1,567 yards, including 186 in a 14-7 win over Chowchilla last week.
Editor's Note: Southern California playoff previews will be posted next week when the Southern Section, Los Angeles City Section and San Diego Sections host their final games.