The Abridged version:
- Joe Davidson of Abridged by PBS KVIE makes his predictions for the big matchups in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
- No. 1 Folsom takes on No. 2 Oak Ridge and No. 3 Grant plays No. 4 Destiny Christian in a pair of league showdowns.
- Other big games worth watching include Rocklin at Whitney, Vacaville at Vanden and Twelve Bridges taking on Placer.
The heart of the league schedule is here for Sacramento-area high school football, and the menu includes two league clashes of JoeD Top 5 teams.
Top-ranked Folsom visits No. 2 Oak Ridge in El Dorado Hills in what well may decide the champion of the Sierra Foothill League, the best league in Northern California. Folsom has a remarkable 25-game winning streak over the Trojans in a 19-year span. That includes each of the past four CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship games at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium, where Folsom celebrated at the expense of the fed-up Trojans.
The Metro League race will have the inside leader late Friday as No. 4 Destiny Christian Academy of Sacramento hosts the No. 3-ranked Grant Pacers. The teams are a combined 11-1, with Grant losing only to Central Section No. 1 Central East of Fresno, a defending CIF state champion.
We have a roundtable of talking heads to select some big sectional games to ponder and predict. Our Pick the Preps crew includes yours truly, along with NFHS livestream broadcasters Matthew Bessette and Scott Tedmon, a decades-long area basketball coach.
My running mates have joined me for this weekly preview package here at Abridged by PBS KVIE after three years of this sort of guessing and projecting fun at The Sacramento Bee. Our season record/picks/blunders are listed below.
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No. 1 Folsom (7-0) at No. 2 Oak Ridge (4-2)
When: Friday, 7:15 p.m.
On air: NFHS
JoeD: It’s these two topping the section rankings again, just as they capped last season. This is the MaxPreps National Game of the Week, and why not? Oak Ridge is stout in the trenches, has speed on the outside with its balanced offense and has terrific linebackers such as Brayden Molloy and Justen Womack. It’s hard to bet against Folsom after winning the last 25 in a row in this series but an Oak Ridge win is not a stunner. Folsom wins 28-27.
MatthewB: It’s scary to think that Folsom is just starting to get healthy with the return of WR Rob Larson and RB Joseph Eyerman VI. Oak Ridge has a defensive line built to take down the Bulldogs led by Blake Meggers, but Folsom wins a classic, 31-28.
CoachT: This is the biggest matchup of the year between the baddest of big boys our region has to offer. These two elite programs resume their backyard brawl. Folsom received a boost with the return of Larson and two-way sledgehammer Eyerman VI. The Trojans are not intimidated, and this could be coach Casey Taylor’s best edition in El Dorado Hills. Oak Ridge has been striving to beat the Bulldogs for what seems like forever. Trojans QB Nick Johnson is ready for the brightest of lights and leads his brothers to the promised land. Oak Ridge wins, 21-20.
No. 3 Grant (5-1) at No. 4 Destiny Christian (6-0)
When: Friday, 7:15 p.m.
On air: NFHS
JoeD: This is the showdown the Lions of DCA have been waiting for, a shot at Grant. DCA is rolling behind strong line play and a balanced offense led by QB Vincent Scott. Grant is Grant: massive in the trenches, fast at the skill positions and led by three strong seniors in LB Julian Bruno, WR Koby Shabazz and QB Blake Nycum. Grant wins, 30-24.
MatthewB: After scoring just 12 points in their loss to Central East to start the season, Grant is averaging 37 points in a 5-game winning streak. The last 6-0 start for the Destiny football program came in 2018 when the school, then called Capital Christian, made it to a NorCal championship. The Pacers win a shootout, 38-37.
CoachT: If Folsom/Oak Ridge wasn’t good enough for you, here comes this showdown. With all the star power running around on DCA’s field, there could be a host of college coaches on hand for a peek. The Lions are undefeated but haven’t played near the schedule as Grant. Behind one of the best defenders in America in Julian Bruno, the Pacers prevail, 34-28.
No. 7 Rocklin (4-2) at No. 8 Whitney (5-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
On air: NFHS
JoeD: This is the Quarry Bowl, and this rivalry of Sierra Foothill League programs located in the same Placer County city plays this annual clash with a nod to the region’s mining history that dates back to the 1860s. Rocklin has won the bulk of these rivalry games, but there have been some great showdowns. Whitney is off to its best start since 2008. Rocklin QB Parker Lively leads the Thunder to a 17-16 triumph.
MatthewB: Rocklin had a nice bounce-back win last week against Granite Bay after dropping its first two SFL games against Folsom and Oak Ridge. Head coach Brian Brickey has his Whitney team looking playoff bound, and a win in the Quarry Bowl would be a massive boost to the program. Rocklin takes it, 28-24.
CoachT: Grab some rocks to chew on and enjoy this clash. The Fightin’ Brian Brickeys are one of the great turnaround stories in recent memory as Whitney is a doormat no more. Rocklin continues to thunder on behind its stout defense and the rifle-arm of QB Lively. The difference will be defense. Thunder LB Damien Panteloglow is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 51 tackles, 30 solo, and he leads Rocklin to a 21-17 win.
Vacaville (5-2) at No. 20 Vanden (5-1)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
On air: NFHS
JoeD: It’s either been Vacaville or Vanden that that has won the Monticello Empire League the last two decades-plus, and that’s a stretch that includes Vanden winning CIF state crowns in 2021 and 2024. The winner here wins the MEL. Vanden wins, 17-15.
MatthewB: Vacaville’s Brody Rogers is a nightmare for his opponents this year with four sacks, two blocked punts and three blocked field goals. Pherone Oates has a great name and a game to match out of the backfield for Vanden. Vanden wins, 24-20.
CoachT: It’s “V” for victory, but which team? Vacaville is led by senior RB Gabriel Ingraham and a solid defense. The Vikings are at home before their raucous crowd, and home cooking is the difference as Vanden takes the “V,” 24-21.
No. 23 Twelve Bridges (4-2) at No. 22 Placer (6-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
On air: NFHS
JoeD: The Foothill Valley League race includes these two bruisers in this meeting of the old-school Hillman of Auburn (school opened in 1897) and the newer guys in the Raging Rhinos of Lincoln (opened in the fall of 2021). Both teams can run the ball, and this one figures to be high scoring. Placer wins 40-38.
MatthewB: Twelve Bridges has not lost an FVL game, and QB Brett Smiley is starting to come into his own. Placer QB Chase Rodarte is back from injury, a welcomed sight for the unbeaten Hillmen. The Rhinos escape with a win, 38-35.
CoachT: Show up late to Auburn for this run-heavy banger and it might already be over. Raging Rhinos RB Joshua Chittom is rushing at a gaudy 167.2 yards per game clip while Placer’s Jesiah Aday averages 106.5 yards. The team that wins the battle of the trenches wins. Twelve Bridges controls the trenches and wins, 35-31.
Sonora (4-3) at Hughson (4-2)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.
JoeD: Say hello to the Trans Valley League, the best, most physical and storied small-school league in the state. The pedigree includes a CIF state champion in 2024 and 2025 in the Sonora Wildcats. Hughson won a state crown in 2022. Sonora wins 24-21.
MatthewB: It’s not very often that these teams are coming off a loss in the same week, but here we are. Sonora’s Lemar Vaughn and Hughson’s Titus Beers are just a couple of names you’ll want to know. Hughson wins, 31-30.
CoachT: Sonora and Hughson don’t just win storied TVL titles; they win state championships. Hughson has one of the elite players anywhere in the 6-foot-3, 205-pound do-everything senior Titus Beers, who leads the Huskies in receiving, touchdowns, tackles and getting water bottles for teammates. Jeremy Snyder forges the way for the Wildcats. In a bare knuckle brawl, Hughson wins, 21-17.
Oakmont (5-2) at Center (6-0)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
JoeD: This is a big one in the Pioneer Valley League as the Vikings of Roseville take on the host Cougars of Sacramento. Center is led by longtime coach Digol JBeily, one of the school’s all-time great multisport athletes from his prep days in the late 1980s. Sorry to age you, coach. Center wins, 29-27.
MatthewB: Jackson Barna has 321 receiving yards for Oakmont in the last two games and is averaging 45.9 yards per catch. Center is one of nine remaining unbeaten teams in the section. Oakmont prevails, 30-28.
CoachT: This promises to be a PVL beauty that will light up the scoreboard. Oakmont’s offense is prolific behind senior QB Elijah Stevens and junior WR Jackson Barna. Center counters with an offense averaging 30.5 points. The Vikings have been trending up the past three years while this is relatively new territory for the Cougars. Experience matters in big games and that favors Oakmont. Vikings win, 38-37.
Season records
(last week and season)
JoeD: 4-1, 29-11
MatthewB: 4-1, 28-12
CoachT: 4-1, 26-14
JoeD’s Top 25
Teams are from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section
1. Folsom (7-0)
2. Oak Ridge -El Dorado Hills (4-2)
3. Grant-Sacramento (5-1)
4. Destiny Christian-Sacramento (6-0)
5. Del Oro-Loomis (5-1)
6. Central Catholic-Modesto (6-1)
7. Rocklin (4-2)
8. Whitney-Rocklin (5-1)
9. Jesuit-Sacramento (5-2)
10. Manteca (4-3)
11. Edison-Stockton (5-1)
12. Tracy (5-1)
13. Woodcreek-Roseville (6-0)
14. Monterey Trail-Elk Grove (5-1)
15. Inderkum-Sacramento (3-3)
16. St. Mary’s-Stockton (2-4)
17. Granite Bay (3-3)
18. Yuba City (6-1)
19. Sutter (6-0)
20. Vanden-Fairfield (5-1)
21 Franklin-Elk Grove (5-2)
22. Placer-Auburn (6-0)
23. Twelve Bridges-Lincoln (4-2)
24. Lincoln-Stockton (4-2)
25. Twelve Bridges-Lincoln (4-2)
