High School Football Roundup for Elk Grove: Week 4
Sep 19, 2024 01:38PM ● By Alejandro Barron
ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Local schools were in action on Sept. 13 under the Friday night lights as they all were in their final tune-up before beginning league play on Sept. 20.
Bradshaw Christian
The Pride took the win over the Sutter Huskies at home by a score of 28-21 to remain undefeated with an overall 3-0 record on the season. The offense was led by senior Ethan Rickert, who threw for 171 yards for a touchdown, while the ground game was led by senior Mateo Mojica, who rushed for 103 yards for a touchdown, according to MaxPreps. The Pride overall rushed for a combined 227 yards which included Mojica, Rickerts, senior Brandon Burden and senior Nathan Zeppieri. Rickerts connected the most with Burden, who received six passes that were good for 71 yards. Standouts on defense include senior Devyn McDonald II, who had 10 total tackles, junior Mason Pisarski with seven total tackles and junior Myles Damallie, who had seven total tackles. It was McDonald II, Damallie and junior Devin Hatcher who each had a sack on the night. In addition to the defensive statistics, McDonald II caught a touchdown pass from Rickerts for a total of three catches on the night for 45 yards. The Pride’s defense was able to limit the Huskies’ quarterback to 98 passing yards and their primary running backs to double-digit rushing yards. The reigning Sierra Valley Conference champions will start league play on Sept. 20 against the Galt Warriors, who have an overall record of 1-2 this season.
Cosumnes Oaks
In an away game against the Inderkum Tigers, the Cosumnes Oaks Wolfpack dropped the final game before the start of league play by a score of 42-6. The Wolfpack fall to 1-3 overall this season. They open league play against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd at home, as they look to improve from last season's third-place finish with a 4-2 record.
Elk Grove (bye)
This was a bye week for the Thundering Herd, which looks to reach a .500 record in its first league matchup at home against the Franklin Wildcats, as the Herd has a 1-2 overall record. The Herd fell in their first two matchups against the Manteca Buffaloes and the Downey Knights but was able to bounce back against the Golden Valley Cougars by a score of 42-10. Top performers on offense for the Herd include senior quarterback David Hale, who has rushed for 304 yards in three games played; senior Polo Cooper with 252 total kick-off return yards and junior Alphonso Moore Jr. with 185 rushing yards, according to MaxPreps. On defense, the leaders of the team in total tackles include senior Lucan Amituanai with 21, senior Makhai Barrett with 14 and junior Dominic Vazquez with 13. Cooper also has recorded a sack and interception while on defense.
Franklin
Continuing their undefeated run, the Franklin Wildcats took down the Davis Blue Devils by a score of 50-8 to improve to 4-0 overall on the season. The Wildcats had the luxury of trying out three quarterbacks on the night, but it was sophomore Braylon Robinson who took the majority of the snaps, which gave him 110 passing yards on 11 completions for a touchdown, but he did throw for an interception, according to MaxPreps. Robinson’s biggest targets were sophomore Caden Bowers, who caught five passes on 63 yards, and senior Tyler Cody and junior Deon Holston for two receptions for 36 and 25 yards, respectively. Along with those receivers, Jamal Fairley had two receptions for 18 yards, which included a touchdown. On the ground, seniors Allan Rogers II and Abraham Truett took charge and rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries for two touchdowns and 68 yards on two carries for a touchdown, respectively. Along with the rushing yards, Truett had 53 passing yards as the other quarterback of the three on the night for a combined 121 total yards. Defensively, seniors Aderian Adelabu and Kjargaard Brennan had 10 total tackles while senior Kyle Fong, junior Javon Ott and sophomore Jaeden Haselrig had eight total tackles to limit the Blue Devils to eight points. Along with eight tackles, Ott had a sack and caused a fumble while his teammates Carlton Whitted, Bowers and Deon Holston intercepted Blue Devil passes, with Bowers and Holston running the pick-six back touchdowns. The Wildcats will look to remain undefeated not only on the season but in league play with their first league matchup against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd on the Herd’s home turf on Sept. 20. The Wildcats have not defeated the Herd since the 2013 season.
Laguna Creek
The pre-season has not treated the new addition to the Delta League, Laguna Creek Cardinals, all that well. They fell to 1-3 overall on the season with a loss to the Lodi Flames 33-20, as they’ve been defeated by Vista Del Lago and Manteca, and their lone win came against Tokay. The Cardinals have not added defensive statistics, nor have the Flames added offensive stats on MaxPreps, but in past games, the Cardinals have struggled to limit the opposition’s offense: Manteca rushed for a total of 260 yards, Vista Del Lago passed for 215 yards and Tokay passed for 206 yards. Offensively, the Cardinals were led by senior Owen Burke who threw for 191 passing yards for a touchdown to junior Ryan Eddy, who had nine receptions for 102 yards, according to MaxPreps. On the ground, sophomore Kyle Draper led the offense with 106 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. They’ll look to bounce back against a familiar rival, the Monterey Trail Mustangs, the other new addition to the Delta League this year. They both look to start league play on the right foot at the Mustangs’ home turf on Sept. 20. The last time the Cardinals beat the Mustangs was in the 2008 season.
Monterey Trail
Last season, the Monterey Trail Mustangs began 0-3 in preseason and went on to defeat the Laguna Creek Cardinals in their first league game, then went on to go undefeated in league. They’ll be looking to replicate this same formula; they’ve now fallen to 0-4 with their loss to the California Grizzlies in the preseason and will look to pick up their first win of the season against the Cardinals in their first Delta League game since 2017. The Mustangs fell by a score of 35-21 where they surrendered 234 passing yards along with a total of 146 rushing yards from the Grizzlies. Quarterback Arjun Banerjee of the Grizzlies threw two touchdown passes along with running back Jhadis Luckey rushing for 99 yards for three touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. Among those who were trying to stop the Grizzlies offense were Gabe Coronado with nine total tackles, Ian Guerrero with nine and Kharter Turk with six. Ulijah Usher had a sack as well, along with four total tackles. Offensively, quarterback Christian Coronado threw for 62 yards on eight completions on 15 attempts, while he had two rushing touchdowns. On the ground it was senior D’Adrien Sanders who took charge as he rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries. This wasn’t enough, though, as the Mustangs fell to 0-4 to start a season for the first time since the 2021 season. The Mustangs have not lost a league game since 2017, the last time they were in the Delta League, as they went undefeated in the Metro League from 2018 to 2023. The Mustangs are also looking to continue their dominance over the Cardinals, as they have not lost a game to them since 2008.
Pleasant Grove
Heading into their matchup against the 1-2 Lincoln Trojans, the Eagles were 3-0 with three shutouts. That defense could not stop the offensive production of quarterback Julian Perez and the Trojans, as he threw for 304 yards on 25 attempts for 18 completions, according to MaxPreps. Perez threw for three touchdowns, while running back Jordin Thomas rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries for two touchdowns, which resulted in 43 points. It was a rough night for Eagles quarterback Cole Davis, who’s had a great season so far, as he threw three interceptions but did have 289 passing yards, although he completed 28 of his 48 attempts. He did, however, throw a touchdown pass, while the ground game was limited to a total of 94 yards. Bobby Mitchell and Donald Oropeza each had a rushing touchdown. The Eagles are now 3-1 and set to face the Sheldon Huskies, who share a stadium at Sheldon High School, so both will be in familiar territory on Sept. 20 for the opening of their Delta League schedule.
Sheldon
Starting the season 2-0, the Sheldon Huskies have since dropped their last two games to fall to 2-2 ahead of their first Delta League matchup. The Huskies took the loss against the Sierra Timberwolves from Manteca by a score of 24-14. Freshman quarterback Gavin Workman passed for 287 yards as he completed 13 of his 36 attempts for two touchdowns but with four interceptions, according to MaxPreps. The Huskies rely on passing, as the team rushed for a total of 21 yards on 17 carries from four different players. Workman’s primary target was senior Zion Johnson with seven receptions for 125 yards with a touchdown catch, while the other touchdown was caught by senior Jayden Tate on two receptions for 86 yards. On defense, seniors Da’marea Harden and Alex Gomez each had a sack and nine total tackles, while Derrius Hatcher had 11 total tackles to lead the team. The Huskies can now turn their attention to league play against the Pleasant Grove Eagles on Sept. 20 as the home team, as they share the stadium at Sheldon High School. The Huskies also began last season 2-2 ahead of league play and ended with a 5-6 overall record and a fourth place Delta League season finish with a 3-3 record. They look to improve on that as the regular season begins.
Bradshaw Christian
The Pride took the win over the Sutter Huskies at home by a score of 28-21 to remain undefeated with an overall 3-0 record on the season. The offense was led by senior Ethan Rickert, who threw for 171 yards for a touchdown, while the ground game was led by senior Mateo Mojica, who rushed for 103 yards for a touchdown, according to MaxPreps. The Pride overall rushed for a combined 227 yards which included Mojica, Rickerts, senior Brandon Burden and senior Nathan Zeppieri. Rickerts connected the most with Burden, who received six passes that were good for 71 yards. Standouts on defense include senior Devyn McDonald II, who had 10 total tackles, junior Mason Pisarski with seven total tackles and junior Myles Damallie, who had seven total tackles. It was McDonald II, Damallie and junior Devin Hatcher who each had a sack on the night. In addition to the defensive statistics, McDonald II caught a touchdown pass from Rickerts for a total of three catches on the night for 45 yards. The Pride’s defense was able to limit the Huskies’ quarterback to 98 passing yards and their primary running backs to double-digit rushing yards. The reigning Sierra Valley Conference champions will start league play on Sept. 20 against the Galt Warriors, who have an overall record of 1-2 this season.
Cosumnes Oaks
In an away game against the Inderkum Tigers, the Cosumnes Oaks Wolfpack dropped the final game before the start of league play by a score of 42-6. The Wolfpack fall to 1-3 overall this season. They open league play against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd at home, as they look to improve from last season's third-place finish with a 4-2 record.
Elk Grove (bye)
This was a bye week for the Thundering Herd, which looks to reach a .500 record in its first league matchup at home against the Franklin Wildcats, as the Herd has a 1-2 overall record. The Herd fell in their first two matchups against the Manteca Buffaloes and the Downey Knights but was able to bounce back against the Golden Valley Cougars by a score of 42-10. Top performers on offense for the Herd include senior quarterback David Hale, who has rushed for 304 yards in three games played; senior Polo Cooper with 252 total kick-off return yards and junior Alphonso Moore Jr. with 185 rushing yards, according to MaxPreps. On defense, the leaders of the team in total tackles include senior Lucan Amituanai with 21, senior Makhai Barrett with 14 and junior Dominic Vazquez with 13. Cooper also has recorded a sack and interception while on defense.
Franklin
Continuing their undefeated run, the Franklin Wildcats took down the Davis Blue Devils by a score of 50-8 to improve to 4-0 overall on the season. The Wildcats had the luxury of trying out three quarterbacks on the night, but it was sophomore Braylon Robinson who took the majority of the snaps, which gave him 110 passing yards on 11 completions for a touchdown, but he did throw for an interception, according to MaxPreps. Robinson’s biggest targets were sophomore Caden Bowers, who caught five passes on 63 yards, and senior Tyler Cody and junior Deon Holston for two receptions for 36 and 25 yards, respectively. Along with those receivers, Jamal Fairley had two receptions for 18 yards, which included a touchdown. On the ground, seniors Allan Rogers II and Abraham Truett took charge and rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries for two touchdowns and 68 yards on two carries for a touchdown, respectively. Along with the rushing yards, Truett had 53 passing yards as the other quarterback of the three on the night for a combined 121 total yards. Defensively, seniors Aderian Adelabu and Kjargaard Brennan had 10 total tackles while senior Kyle Fong, junior Javon Ott and sophomore Jaeden Haselrig had eight total tackles to limit the Blue Devils to eight points. Along with eight tackles, Ott had a sack and caused a fumble while his teammates Carlton Whitted, Bowers and Deon Holston intercepted Blue Devil passes, with Bowers and Holston running the pick-six back touchdowns. The Wildcats will look to remain undefeated not only on the season but in league play with their first league matchup against the Elk Grove Thundering Herd on the Herd’s home turf on Sept. 20. The Wildcats have not defeated the Herd since the 2013 season.
Laguna Creek
The pre-season has not treated the new addition to the Delta League, Laguna Creek Cardinals, all that well. They fell to 1-3 overall on the season with a loss to the Lodi Flames 33-20, as they’ve been defeated by Vista Del Lago and Manteca, and their lone win came against Tokay. The Cardinals have not added defensive statistics, nor have the Flames added offensive stats on MaxPreps, but in past games, the Cardinals have struggled to limit the opposition’s offense: Manteca rushed for a total of 260 yards, Vista Del Lago passed for 215 yards and Tokay passed for 206 yards. Offensively, the Cardinals were led by senior Owen Burke who threw for 191 passing yards for a touchdown to junior Ryan Eddy, who had nine receptions for 102 yards, according to MaxPreps. On the ground, sophomore Kyle Draper led the offense with 106 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns. They’ll look to bounce back against a familiar rival, the Monterey Trail Mustangs, the other new addition to the Delta League this year. They both look to start league play on the right foot at the Mustangs’ home turf on Sept. 20. The last time the Cardinals beat the Mustangs was in the 2008 season.
Monterey Trail
Last season, the Monterey Trail Mustangs began 0-3 in preseason and went on to defeat the Laguna Creek Cardinals in their first league game, then went on to go undefeated in league. They’ll be looking to replicate this same formula; they’ve now fallen to 0-4 with their loss to the California Grizzlies in the preseason and will look to pick up their first win of the season against the Cardinals in their first Delta League game since 2017. The Mustangs fell by a score of 35-21 where they surrendered 234 passing yards along with a total of 146 rushing yards from the Grizzlies. Quarterback Arjun Banerjee of the Grizzlies threw two touchdown passes along with running back Jhadis Luckey rushing for 99 yards for three touchdowns, according to MaxPreps. Among those who were trying to stop the Grizzlies offense were Gabe Coronado with nine total tackles, Ian Guerrero with nine and Kharter Turk with six. Ulijah Usher had a sack as well, along with four total tackles. Offensively, quarterback Christian Coronado threw for 62 yards on eight completions on 15 attempts, while he had two rushing touchdowns. On the ground it was senior D’Adrien Sanders who took charge as he rushed for 108 yards on 21 carries. This wasn’t enough, though, as the Mustangs fell to 0-4 to start a season for the first time since the 2021 season. The Mustangs have not lost a league game since 2017, the last time they were in the Delta League, as they went undefeated in the Metro League from 2018 to 2023. The Mustangs are also looking to continue their dominance over the Cardinals, as they have not lost a game to them since 2008.
Pleasant Grove
Heading into their matchup against the 1-2 Lincoln Trojans, the Eagles were 3-0 with three shutouts. That defense could not stop the offensive production of quarterback Julian Perez and the Trojans, as he threw for 304 yards on 25 attempts for 18 completions, according to MaxPreps. Perez threw for three touchdowns, while running back Jordin Thomas rushed for 138 yards on 25 carries for two touchdowns, which resulted in 43 points. It was a rough night for Eagles quarterback Cole Davis, who’s had a great season so far, as he threw three interceptions but did have 289 passing yards, although he completed 28 of his 48 attempts. He did, however, throw a touchdown pass, while the ground game was limited to a total of 94 yards. Bobby Mitchell and Donald Oropeza each had a rushing touchdown. The Eagles are now 3-1 and set to face the Sheldon Huskies, who share a stadium at Sheldon High School, so both will be in familiar territory on Sept. 20 for the opening of their Delta League schedule.
Sheldon
Starting the season 2-0, the Sheldon Huskies have since dropped their last two games to fall to 2-2 ahead of their first Delta League matchup. The Huskies took the loss against the Sierra Timberwolves from Manteca by a score of 24-14. Freshman quarterback Gavin Workman passed for 287 yards as he completed 13 of his 36 attempts for two touchdowns but with four interceptions, according to MaxPreps. The Huskies rely on passing, as the team rushed for a total of 21 yards on 17 carries from four different players. Workman’s primary target was senior Zion Johnson with seven receptions for 125 yards with a touchdown catch, while the other touchdown was caught by senior Jayden Tate on two receptions for 86 yards. On defense, seniors Da’marea Harden and Alex Gomez each had a sack and nine total tackles, while Derrius Hatcher had 11 total tackles to lead the team. The Huskies can now turn their attention to league play against the Pleasant Grove Eagles on Sept. 20 as the home team, as they share the stadium at Sheldon High School. The Huskies also began last season 2-2 ahead of league play and ended with a 5-6 overall record and a fourth place Delta League season finish with a 3-3 record. They look to improve on that as the regular season begins.
