Top 10 Sac-Joaquin Section high school football playoff first-round games

Based on Calprep.com predictions, here are the tightest games not to miss; notes, history on each game, program

Elk Grove senior WR-DB Jeremiah Williams (7) in game vs. Laguna Creek on Oct. 11, 2024. Elk Grove hosts Kimball in a first-round playoff game on Nov. 8. / Photo: Dennis Lee

First-round high school playoff games tend to be a little lopsided, wonky and one-sided.

According to calpreps.com, that's not necessarily the case in the Sac-Joaquin Section where of its 28 games (27 of them on Friday), only nine should be decided by three touchdowns or greater.

• SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION: Football playoff brackets

In fact, five are projected to be decided by three points or less and 11 by 10 points or fewer.

• SCORES/UPDATES: Sac-Joaquin Section

The most common margin is between 11 and 19.

• CALIFORNIA'S TOP TEAMS: Top 25 rankings (11/4/2024)

Here's a capsule look, with notes from SJS assistant commissioner Will DeBoard — a former Modesto Bee staff writer — of the top 10 games based on the calpreps.com projections.

1. Division 1: Edison (Stockton) 31, Downey (Modesto) 28

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Edison — QB Devin Rasumussen (150 of 239, 2,080 yards, 18 TDs), WR Langdon Horrace (43 catches, 821 yards, 5 TDs), DT Frances Taamu (12 sacks). Downey — QB Carson Lamb (2,992 passing yards, 35 TDs), WR Joseph Ramirez (35 catches, 13 TDs), LB-DE Noah Sacuskie (9.5 sacks).
FROM SJS: Downey (9-1), the eighth seed, is in the postseason for the 12th straight season. The CCAL runner-up Knights are here for the 22nd time in school history. Edison (4-6), the ninth seed, is in the SJS postseason for the seventh time in a row and 11th time in school history. The TCAL runner-up Vikings are looking for their second trip to the quarterfinals in a row. While these teams havenn't met In the playoffs, they've played this season with Downey prevailing, 35-20.

2. Division 2: Elk Grove 31, Kimball (Tracy) 28

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Elke Grove — QB David Hale (1,284 total yards, 23 TDs), RB Alphonso Moore (73 yards, 7 TDs), DE Lucan Amitunal (8 sacks); Kimball — DE Jaylin Rodgers (10 sacks), LB-RB Richard Zuniga (8.3 tackles per game), RB Jermaine Nance (1,429 rushing yards, 14 TDs).
FROM SJS: No. 9 Kimball (7-3) at No. 8 Elk Grove (6-4) — Kimball is in the playoffs for the fifth straight season and, also, the fifth time in school history. The Jaguars took third place in the TCAL to get here. Elk Grove is in the playoffs for the 13th straight season and 37th time in school history. The Thundering Herd, Delta League runner-up - they lost to Monterey Trail 21-20 for the league title - last won a Section title in 2019 (D2).

3. Division 4: East Union 33, Nevada Union 31

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: East Union — RB/MLB Brayden Camara, LB Hoku Ap'e, WR/CB Jackson Fay. Nevada Union — RB/LB Rhyder Eelkema, WR/FS Grady Kamba, OG/DL Craig Statler.
FROM SJS: No. 10 East Union (5-5) at No. 7 Nevada Union (6-4) — East Union returns to the postseason for the first time since 2022. The Lancers are looking for their first playoff victory since 2021. Nevada Union is here for the fifth straight year and 30th time in school history. The Miners, who finished fourth in the FVL, last won a Section championship in 2009 (D1). These teams met in the postseason once before, a 33-28 Nevada Union victory in the 2022 D4 first round.

4. Division 4: Yuba City 31, Sierra (Manteca) 26

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Yuba City — QB Jordan Martinez, DE-TE Austin Foley, WR Ramon Fernandez; Sierra — RB-MLB Brock Felt, WR-S AJ Chapman, QB-FS Zak Willson.
FROM SJS: No. 9 Sierra (5-5) at No. 8 Yuba City (6-4): Sierra is in the playoffs for the second time in a row and 12th time in school history. The Timberwolves last had a playoff win in 2019, when they won the D4 championship and went on to a state title. Yuba City is in the playoffs for the 12th straight year and 22nd time in school history. The Honkers took fifth place in the FVL.

5. Division 5: El Dorado (Placerville) 28, Lincoln 27

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: El Dorado — QB/CB Jason Wilson, WR/DB Jack Tilman, WR/LB Leon Valdez; Lincoln — WR/DB Michael Neely, RB-LB Lane Tingery, QB-LB Eli Duff
FROM SJS: No. 9 Lincoln-L (7-3) at No. 8 El Dorado (5-5): Lincoln-L returns to the playoffs after a year hiatus. The Zebras, in the playoff for the 18th time in program history, also made the quarterfinals in 2022. El Dorado is back in the postseason for the first time since 2017. The Cougars' last playoff win came all the way back in 1987; they've lost their last six playoff games.

6. Division 5: Oakmont 28, Dixon 22

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Oakmont — RB-LB Quin Duran, MLB-TE Mac Hughes, WR-DB Jayden Beasley; Dixon — RB-DE Jackson Cummins, MLB-TE Max Graef, QB Coleton Shipley.
FROM SJS: No. 10 Dixon (5-5) at No. 7 Oakmont (7-3): Dixon is in the postseason for the fourth straight year and 24th overall year. The Rams placed third in the Golden Empire League. They boast two Section championship banners, with the last one coming in 1974 (D3). Oakmont returns to the postseason for the first time since 2019. The Vikings
are looking for their first playoff victory since 2002; it was also '02 when they had their last home playoff game.

7. D5: Casa Roble (Orangevale) 28, Foothill (Sacramento) 17

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Casa Roble — RB-LB Braylen Blevins, NG-OL Darren Dalton, QB Aidan Lopez; Foothill — RB-MLB Anthony Hood; DB-WR David Lewis; DE-RB Clifton Currie
From SJS: No. 12 Foothill (6-4) at No. Casa Roble (6-4): Foothill is in the playoffs for the fifth straight year and 209th such appearance in school history. The Mustangs shared the Greater Sacramento League title with Armijo and Fairfield and are looking for their first playoff win since 2019. Casa Roble won the D5 championship last year and is in the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. The Rams program is here for the 18th time in school history.

8. Division 6: Ripon 28, Liberty Ranch 22

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Ripon — WR-RB-LB Brett Shaw, LB-RB Logan Lefebvre, OLB-WB Nathan Curless. Liberty Ranch — RB-CB Joseph Brown, QB-LB Wyatt Blevins, WR-CB Lucas Temple.
FROM SJS: No. 10 Ripon (4-6) at No. 7 Liberty Ranch 7-3): Ripon last made it to the playoffs in 2022, and the last four times it made the playoffs, it got to the quarterfinals. The Indians are here for the 23rd time in school history. Liberty Ranch is in the playoffs for the fourth straight season and eighth time in school history. The Hawks placed third in the Sierra Valley Conference; their last playoff victory was last year and they are looking for their second straight quarterfinal appearance.

9. Division 6: Ripon Christian 28, Bear River (Grass Valley) 21

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Ripon Christian — WR-DB Amos Cady, TE-MLB Aaron Van Hofwegen, QB-DB Mason Tameling. Bear River — RB-OLB Lincoln Williams, RB-MLB Elijah Hickman, QB Jayden Brock.
From SJS: No. 9 Bear River (8-2) at No. 8 Ripon Christian (4-6): Bear River is in the playoffs for the second straight year. The Bruins are here for the 22nd time in school history and claim three Section titles; their last SJS championship was the 2017 D5 banner. Ripon Christian, the seventh-place team in the TVL, is here for the sixth straight year. The Knights have won one Section championship - the D7 title game in 2022.

10. Division 7: Golden Sierra 30, Gustine 28

GAME DETAILS/PICK 'EM CHALLENGE
TOP PLAYERS: Golden Sierra — RB-LB Gavin Miller, FB-MLB Jason Sasser, QB-FS Andrew Gerondakis.
FROM SJS: No. 9 Golden Sierra (4-6) at No. 8 Gustine (4-6): Golden Sierra is in the playoffs for the second straight year. The Grizzlies, the SDL sixth-place team, are in the playoffs for the 16th time in school history. Gustine is in the playoffs for the fourth straight time and for the 16th time in school history. The Reds placed fifth in the Southern League and last won a playoff game in 2018.