Playoffs are finally here

The postseason football brackets were released Sunday and the three local teams in our area all qualified. Folsom High, seeded first in Division I with a 9-1 record, and Oak Ridge, the third seed, both earned a bye week and will open the playoffs at home Nov. 11. Folsom will either see the Sheldon, the eighth seed, or Lincoln of Stockton, the ninth seed. "We feel good about being the No. 1 seed; we felt we earned it," Folsom coach Paul Doherty said. "We thought Monterey Trail might have gotten the third seed, Central Catholic the four and Oak Ridge the five, but it really doesn't matter. You have to beat everyone to win. "We thought we might see Lincoln of Stockton so we went down and saw them play St. Mary's on Friday. St. Mary's is very good, and Lincoln is still loaded. We played them last year and their quarterback is back and they also play a second quarterback who is more of a pocket passer. They've also got a legit running back." Folsom played Lincoln last year in the first round of the playoffs, a 38-14 victory. Those who attended the game will recall the fog, if not the game, as a thick fog rolled in before kickoff and made things hard for the players to see, let along the crowd. Oak Ridge The Trojans finished the season with an 8-2 record, a huge improvement from 3-7 a season ago. Not only was it a strong season for the Trojans, but they finished it with perhaps their biggest win of the season, a 35-21 victory over Del Oro that made it a three-way tie for second in the Sierra Foothill League between those two teams and Rocklin. All three teams finished 3-2 in league play; all three losing to Folsom with Oak Ridge also losing to Rocklin, the Thunder losing to Del Oro, and the Golden Eagles to the Trojans. "We're excited," Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor said. "We feel we're deserving of the three seed. We've played well and are battle tested." The Trojans will open the playoffs at home against either sixth-seeded Elk Grove or 11th-seeded Johnson. Ironically, the Trojans' biggest and most exciting win a season ago came against Elk Grove, a 28-27 victory in the final seconds. Vista del Lago The Eagles (6-4 on the season) finished second to Christian Brothers in the Capital Athletic League, as last Friday's 37-35 loss stung badly, and cost them the No. 4 seed in the Division III playoffs and a bye week. Members of the coaching staff thought the Eagles might draw a home game against Roseville to open the playoffs, but head coach Kyle Landes had a feeling it might be Yuba City and he was right. The Eagles, seeded sixth in the Division III playoffs, play host to Yuba City on Friday night. "It's interesting for me and makes it special since that's where I'm from and where I played," said Landes, class of 2010 at Yuba City. "It's the playoffs now so everyone is back to zero and you just have to go out and play and win."