For the second straight year, the Turlock Bulldogs will be making the long trek to El Dorado Hills to take on the Oak Ridge Trojans in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs after defeating the Sheldon Huskies (Sacramento) 57-14 on Friday night.
The Trojans enter the week with an 8-2 overall record and a 3-2 record in the gauntlet that is the Sierra Foothills League, which includes playoff regular Rocklin and the defending D-1 champion Folsom. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have compiled a 6-5 overall record with an undefeated 5-0 record in the Central California Athletic League.
The two teams have plenty of playoff history with one another, having played three times in the past five years. Unfortunately for Turlock head coach James Peterson and his Bulldogs, they have come out on the wrong end of each meeting. The Trojans won 27-9 in 2018, 24-14 in 2019 and 24-0 in last year’s semifinal round.
The 24-0 loss still stings like it happened yesterday for many of the Bulldog players, as there are seven returning starters on each side of the ball who braved the freezing temperatures of El Dorado Hills in last year’s semifinal.
“We just need to prepare for what’s to come. We already have an idea about what’s going to go on, so I just feel like we need to bring the energy to practice and bring it to Friday,” said junior linebacker Dominick Luna. “I think we should be ready for it all this time around.”
As for the Trojans, they graduated 18 players from last year’s squad, including quarterback Maddox Varella and running back Jake Hall. Now under center is Joaquin Graves-Mercado alongside the running back tandem of Erick Orme Jr. and Jasen Womack.
Despite the large number of returners for Turlock and Oak Ridge’s large turnover, CalPreps.com is predicting a similar result from a year ago, projecting Oak Ridge to have a 90 percent chance of winning and installing Turlock as a 21-point underdog.
But if last year taught us anything, it was to never underestimate a team led by Peterson. Prior to the semifinal matchup with the Trojans, the No. 7 ranked Bulldogs shocked the state by handing the No. 2 ranked St. Mary’s Rams (Stockton) their first loss of the season with a 51-50 win in the quarterfinal round.
Immediately after the Bulldogs’ win over Sheldon last week, Peterson gave his analysis on this year’s Oak Ridge team.
“Oak Ridge, we’ve seen a bit of film on them. I think they’re still a physical defense. They play hard. They run the ball tough and play a lot of great defense. That’s what I remember.”
Leading that physical defense last year was star defensive lineman Markus Hoffman, who had a team-leading 10.5 sacks on the season. Hoffman is back for his senior year and has already surpassed last year’s mark with 12.5 to once again lead the Trojans.
Peterson admitted that it’s no secret his team will rely heavily on the speed and agility of senior Jeremiah Bertalotto to end the Bulldogs’ five-quarter scoreless streak against the Trojans.
“He’s so dynamic. He makes plays all over the field. His all-purpose yards are insane and they continue to grow each week,” Peterson said following the Sheldon win. “Now, he’s proving that he can do it in the playoffs. I think we need him to have another big week this week in order to be successful against Oak Ridge.”
Bertalotto has 11 total touchdowns on the year and has scored in six straight games. In four games he has scored multiple touchdowns, with the Bulldogs earning double-digit wins each instance.
The winner of Friday night’s game will go on to the semifinals to take on the winner of Edison (Stockton) and Central Catholic (Modesto).
Division 5: No. 6 Pioneer (8-3) at No. 3 Hilmar (7-3), Thursday, 7 p.m. — The Yellowjackets begin their quest for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 title on Thursday at McSweeney field against a Patriots team that was runner-up to second-seeded Casa Roble (Orangevale) in the Golden Empire League.
Pioneer is coming off a 35-14 win over No. 11 Ceres, while Hilmar had a bye.
Casa Roble, who takes on No. 7 Lathrop this week, likely would be Hilmar’s semifinal opponent.
But first things first.
“I know it sounds so cliche, but we’re really taking this one game at a time,” said Hilmar head coach Frank Marques, who has guided the Yellowjackets to four section titles — and the 2017 state crown — in 10 trips to the section championship game. “This team is not very flashy, but it’s one of the hardest-working groups I’ve ever had.”
Hilmar, the 2022 Trans-Valley League champion, entered this season with a young and inexperienced roster. But after a formidable preseason slate and a run through the toughest small-school league in California, the Yellowjackets are far more seasoned than they were in August.
“That’s why I’m excited,” said Marques, in his 21st season at the helm. “The players have gone to work to make us competitive. We’re not the same team we were 10 weeks ago. You can see it in their eyes. I could tell right before we walked in to play Hughson (a 24-23 victory). They were ready. And it takes a while to get a team to that point.
"We’re at that point.”
— Joe Cortez
Division 6: No. 5 Colfax (7-4) at No. 4 Hughson (7-3), 7 p.m. — The defending Division 5-AA state champion Huskies kick off their postseason Friday against the Falcons at Husky Memorial Stadium.
“I love this time of year,” said Hughson head coach Shaun King. “This is when it gets exciting.:
King should know. Less than 12 months ago, he led the Huskies to section, NorCal and state titles, beating Twelve Bridges in double-overtime and coming from behind to beat Orestimba before holding off Summerville 14-13 in the section final.
And just when Huskies fans thought it couldn’t get more exciting, the Huskies overcame an 18-point, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Ripon Christian 31-28.
Finally, HHS beat Muir (Pasadena) 9-6 on a muddy field to claim the school’s first state title.
“We’ve got 40 guys who all got rings from last year’s team,” said King. “They know what to expect at this time of year. They know that each Friday night could be our last Friday night. And last year there were quite a few that looked like it would be our last. It definitely gives us an advantage.”
Colfax is the fourth-place team out of the rugged Pioneer Valley League, which features undefeated Twelve Bridges (the No. 1 seed in D-5), Sutter (the top seed in D-6) and Center (the No. 5 seed in D-5).
To repeat as section champs, Hughson will have to knock off Colfax (winner of five section titles in 11 finals appearances) and most likely Sutter (six trips to the NorCal final since 2012) and Sonora, which lost to eventual state champ Escalon 35-34 in last year’s D-5 final.
Colfax defeated No. 12 Amador (Sutter Creek) 38-14 in their opening-round matchup. Hughson had a bye.
— Reporter Joe Cortez contributed to this report.
