Defenders No. 13 Alina Sandoval (left) and No. 6 Ellanor Dees set up for play.

ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - Oct. 28 marked the beginning of the California Interscholastic Federation Sac-Joaquin flag football playoffs. Teams are competing for a spot in the section championship. Five teams from the Delta League competed in the first round of the playoffs. Laguna Creek High School, Monterey Trail High School, Sheldon High School and Pleasant Grove High School competed in Division 1, while Elk Grove High School competed in Division 2.

Laguna Creek was the fifth-place team in the league and played first-seed Oak Ridge High School. From the beginning, it was hard for Laguna Creek to get anything going. Oak Ridge had the momentum from the start and kept it up, ending Laguna Creek’s season with a 55-0 flailing.

No. 2 Calista Pham makes calls on defense.

Fourth-place Monterey Trail was able to draw a home game against Inderkum High School. Monterey Trail took control of the game by scoring and stopping Inderkum’s offense. Keeping a comfortable lead, the Mustangs won the game 26-6, advancing to the second round where they will take on Oak Ridge.

Elk Grove traveled on the road to play St. Francis High School. And although Elk Grove placed third in the Delta League, the Thundering Herd had to play a play-in game to qualify for the first round. Elk Grove beat Bear Creek High School in that play-in game. Like Laguna Creek, Elk Grove was tasked with facing a high seed in the first round. The Thundering Herd did not give up or quit but did their best to stay in the game. However, they were unable to win, falling to St. Francis 33-13.

No. 3 Saniah Wiley runs past defenders.

Pleasant Grove took on Edison High School, where Pleasant Grove wanted to wash the taste of losing the league championship out of their mouth. And the Eagles did. Taking control of the game quickly and not letting up on both sides of the ball, the offense put up 45 points while the defense allowed none. The Eagles move on to play West Park High School in the next round.

The Delta League Champions Sheldon High School played Rodriguez High School where Sheldon looked to keep their six-game win streak rolling. From the start of the game, the Huskies showed why they are league champs. Applying pressure fast, forcing turnovers and turning them into points, Sheldon ultimately exploded for a dominant 51-0 win. They look to take that momentum into the second round against Grant High School.     

Quarterback No. 5 Aaliya Javed reaches to put the ball out over goal line.