Bruins, Trojans ready to rumble

By Mike Bush
From page A11 | Leave Comment

Tonight, Ponderosa takes on long-time intra county rival Oak Ridge in an important Delta River League football game. The winner clinches at least an at-large Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth. The loser, with two games left, can still reach the playoffs but must win at least one more league game.

Golden Sierra, 3-0 in the Sierra Delta League, is another county school battling for a postseason berth. Union Mine plays at Galt in the battle of winless Sierra Valley Conference teams and El Dorado plays at Liberty Ranch Saturday night.

Ponderosa (5-2, 1-1) at Oak Ridge (6-1, 1-1)

Records don’t matter when these two squads play in El Dorado Hills tonight.

“This is a matchup our kids look forward to every year.,” said Ponderosa head coach Jason Tenner. “I believe there is a mutual respect and this game is always a hard-fought battle. The atmosphere at football games between our schools is always electric. I expect a packed house and a real good football game. Whichever team executes and avoids costly mistakes will come out on top.”

An interesting aside is that Bruin Brett Jonutz’ dad, Darren, is the Trojans’ Defensive Coordinator.

“It’s one of the best Ponderosa teams they’ve had in a while. They do a lot of things on offense, mix it up, and have a physical defense,” Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere said.

Two talented quaterbacks to watch: Troy’s Jason Samuels and Bruin Jake Bist.

This matchup is also the inaugural Tackle Hunger Football game (see accompanying story below). For every dollar donated tonight, the Food Bank can provide $5 worth of food assistance to our at risk population in the county.

Rio Vista (4-4, 2-2) at Golden Sierra (3-0, 4-3)

Grizzlies head coach John Hilton said tonight’s game against the Rams is “going to be a challenge.”

“Rio Vista is a team that has been improving each week,” Hilton said. “They run a very disciplined Wing-T offense and have some excellent backs that are hard to bring down. Defensively they fill the box and come after you. So we definitely have our hands full.”

Hilton is proud of how his players have grown since their bye week prior to Sierra Delta League action.

“Since our bye week, the team has really done things to build trust among the players,” Hilton said. “They are paying attention more to detail and hold each other accountable for their actions. This team is starting to care for everyone.”

Golden Sierra must continue the momentum from its huge win over Highlands last Friday to beat an upstart Rio Vista team to continue to improve its playoff chances.

Union Mine (0-7, 0-3) at Galt (0-7, 0-3)

Either the Diamondbacks or Warriors will walk off Erv Hatzenbuhler Field with their first victory of the season. Expect these teams to battle.

El Dorado (0-3, 2-5) at Liberty Ranch (4-4, 2-2)

The Cougars are still looking for their first Sierra Valley Conference victory. Both teams come in after losses — El Dorado was blanked by Cosumnes Oaks, 43-0; Liberty Ranch fell to River City, 20-17. The Cougars could benefit from an extra day to prepare for this one.

Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter.