Round two of the playoffs kickoff on Friday for Buhach Colony, Merced and Atwater.
Los Banos pulled off a major upset last week in the first round when the No. 12 seeded Tigers blasted No. 5 Woodland 48-21.
The Wolves weren’t ready for the Tigers’ one-two punch of running back Justin Incaprera and receiver Landon Ramos, who combined for six touchdowns.
Los Banos is one of eight area teams still alive as the second round of the playoffs kick off on Friday night.
Here’s a look at each of the matchups.
Sac-Joaquin Section
No. 6 Roseville (7-4) at No. 3 Buhach Colony (10-0) — The Thunder had the first-round bye and will face a formidable team in the Tigers in the Division III quarterfinals.
Roseville is a lot like Buhach Colony in that it doesn’t have one running back that carries the load. Roseville is led by Joe Brijs, who has rushed for 686 yards and 15 touchdowns. Cole Errecart also rushed for 648 yards and four touchdowns.
Buhach Colony is led by Anthony Berry’s 605 rushing yards.
This one should be a grind-it-out affair with both teams looking to pound the ball.
No. 6 Merced (6-5) at No. 3 Casa Roble (7-3) — The Bears have an opportunity to do to Casa Roble what River Valley did to Merced last year, which was knock the No. 3 seed out in the quarterfinals.
Merced’s defense has been great all year, especially during the last two weeks when they gave up just 13 points combined. Linebacker Cody Chapman had 12 tackles last week.
The Rams have a balanced attack with quarterback Marciano Huston throwing for 1,733 yards and 23 touchdowns and running back Dylan Overstreet rushing for 744 yards and 10 touchdowns.
No. 5 Atwater (8-3) at No. 4 Sierra (8-3) — The Falcons hope to get quarterback Julius Peacock back this week after he sat out last week’s win over Kimball with a hamstring injury. Atwater coach Seneca Ybarra lists him as probable.
Sierra jumped out to a 61-0 lead over Golden Valley last week.
This one could be a shootout.
No. 12 Los Banos (6-5) at No. 4 Bradshaw Christian (7-3) — The Tigers have another long trip to Sacramento this week as they look to pull another upset in the Division V playoffs.
The big question will be how does the Los Banos defense handle the Pride’s double-wing offense that is looking to pound the ball on the ground.
The Tigers’ explosiveness on offense could work against them in this matchup. If they score on one or two plays, they could send their defense out there for long stretches of the game.
No. 7 Bear River (8-3) at No. 2 Hilmar (9-1) — The Yellowjackets are coming off a bye as they hope to begin their march to another long postseason run.
It’s hard for defenses to focus on any one guy to stop for Hilmar. The Yellowjackets have had 11 different players score at least one rushing touchdown this year.
No. 4 Le Grand (6-5) at No. 1 Denair (8-2) — These two teams played earlier this year with the Coyotes pulling out a 20-12 win on Sept. 20.
Sophomore Aaron Martinez has played well at quarterback for the Bulldogs, throwing for 1,830 yards and 17 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs defense will have their hands full with Denair running back Dylan De Silva.
No. 6 Vacaville Christian(7-4) at No. 2 Mariposa (6-4) — The Falcons have the longest drive of any Sac-Joaquin Section playoff team this week with a 165-mile trip.
Vacaville Christian has been successful despite a roster of just 21 players. The Falcons offense features three players who have rushed for seven touchdowns or more and a quarterback in Gabe Helmer, who has passed for 2,205 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Mariposa defense has surrendered just 17 points per game and is led by linebackers JC Davies (91 tackles) and Bodie Rodriguez (99 tackles).
Central Section
No. 11 Exeter (5-6) at No. 3 Dos Palos (10-1) — The Broncos avoided an upset last week with a late interception for a touchdown by Michael Merrell.
Broncos running back Ryan Ramirez has rushed for 14 touchdowns and quarterback Trent Calvert has passed for 2,486 yards and 32 touchdowns, which are both school records.
