Stone Ridge football a win away from first title game

As soon as it’s done with its film session, the Stone Ridge Christian football team caravans down Santa Fe Avenue to Castle Field.

The vehicles line up outside the Big Creek Lumber building and await the arrival of their coaches with the keys to the field. The next 10 minutes are a blur of noise and movement as each vehicle blasts a different genre of music and the players scramble to change into their football gear.

Castle Field, which opened for the first time last year, does have a makeshift locker room in its second season. The players, however, don’t want to waste a minute of practice time changing later. At a school that’s just beginning to carve out its football tradition, the routine scramble seems to be a player favorite.

The Knights’ enthusiasm for practice is easy to understand. Art De Jager took over a program with three wins in its previous two seasons. Two years later, Stone Ridge is 9-2 and a victory from playing for a section title.

The Knights will hit the road Friday night, but will enter their Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII semifinal as the favorites after dispatching their semifinal opponent, Delta, 49-0 earlier in the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

“I don’t think any of us expected this to come together quite so fast,” assistant coach Anthony De Jager said. “That’s a testament to the work ethic of our players. When we took over, we only had six or seven guys with varsity experience. But these guys consider themselves students of the game, and they’ve made up for that lost time.”

It’s safe to say the Knights have exceeded expectations this season.

A young Stone Ridge squad won three of its last four games in 2013 to make the playoffs for the first time in school history. Despite the success, De Jager’s squad lost just about every statistical leader, including 1,000-yard backs Estevon Herrera and Jaime Trevino.

“We knew we had our work cut out for us, replacing guys like Estevon and Jaime, but a lot of people have stepped up and taken advantage of the chance to play,” senior quarterback Luke Lange said. “I think the thing that’s really allowed us to take that next step is the play of our offensive line. Most of them were sophomores last year, and it took them a little while to figure things out.

“They came together at the end of last year and have been great this season.”

The football team is hoping to join the ranks of the Stone Ridge volleyball squad, which has established itself as a regular in the playoffs and will be making a second straight appearance in the Division VI section title match Friday night.

There’s no reason to think the football team can’t get there. With 29 players on the roster, De Jager’s squad accounts for almost one-third of the school’s 100 students and more than half of its available boys.

SRC earned its first-ever playoff win in the opening round. The Knights were a 20-13 loss to Elliot Christian away from their first conference title, and the two squads are heavy favorites to meet again in the Nov. 29 section final.

“It’s an exciting time on campus right now,” said running back Bailey Dahlhoff, who has rushed for 1,566 yards and 30 touchdowns. “It feels like it’s become a football school.

“We knew we had to work for it and had to step up in some places this season, but our success is a testament to great coaching and the commitment of the players.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2014 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Stone Ridge football a win away from first title game."