Golden Valley is in the playoffs for first time since 2007. Merced, Hilmar earn byes.

For the first time since 2007, the Golden Valley High football is in the playoffs.

There might have been some nervous moments after closing the season with back-to-back losses, including a 41-7 defeat to Merced in the 25th annual Battle for the Mayor’s Cup on Friday night.

The Cougars (6-4) were actually tied with Del Campo for the last spot in Division III with the same 8 rating by the CalPrep.com computers. It took a Sacramento 23-20 win over Christian Brothers on Saturday afternoon to lower Del Campo’s rating a tick, which clinched the playoff spot for the Cougars.

“We knew we had to keep it close with Merced, and they got on us early and kept coming at us. Kudos to them, they were tough,” said Golden Valley coach Rick Martinez. “After the game, we told our kids we’re 6-4. Our body of work will speak for itself and lo and behold, we’re in the playoffs. We’ll take it.”

With three teams getting bumped up to Division III, Golden Valley was moved down to the Division IV for the playoffs. The Cougars will be the No. 7 seed and will host No. 10 Cordova (5-5) in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

How long has it been since GV played in the postseason? Veterans Stadium wasn’t even around. This will be the first time the Cougars have hosted a playoff game on campus.

“Making the playoffs means a lot,” Martinez said. “I’ve said it before, one of the things I noticed about this team is the chemistry. I think that chemistry carried us through this season.”

One of the three teams bumped up to Division III is Merced (10-0) as the Central California Conference champions. The top four seeds in each bracket receive a first-round bye. The other two 10-0 teams in the Division III field Capital Christian and Placer were given the top two seeds.

The Bears will host the winner of No. 6 Sacramento (5-5) and No. 11 River Valley (5-5) in the quarterfinals on Nov. 9.

Buhach Colony (8-2) is the No. 8 seed in Division III and with host No. 9 Ponderosa (7-3) in the first round at Dave Honey Stadium.

Pacheco (8-2) is in the same Division IV bracket as Golden Valley and will host No. 9 Sierra (5-5) in the first round in a rematch of a game earlier this season won by the Panthers 36-14.

Los Banos (7-3) also earned a No. 8 seed in Division V after earning a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship on Friday night with a 28-21 win over Pacheco. The Tigers will host No. 9 Orestimba (7-3).

Hilmar (8-2) is the No. 2 seed in Division VI as the Yellowjackets try to win a second straight section championship. Hilmar will have a bye in the first round as they await the winner of No. 7 Hughson and No. 10 Amador in the quarterfinals.

Gustine (5-5) is the No. 4 seed in Division VII and will open against No. 5 Millennium (5-5) in the first round.

In the Central Section, Chowchilla and Dos Palos will both begin their playoffs next week. The Tribe (7-3) earned the No. 7 seed in Division III and will host Highland of Bakersfield on Friday night.

Dos Palos (5-5) is the No. 9 seed in Division V and will open at No. 8 Bishop Union.

This story was originally published October 27, 2018 at 5:50 PM.