Prep football picks: 4 area teams remain on section championship weekend

Section championship weekend has arrived and while everyone is carving the turkey and nodding off while watching the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, four area football teams will be prepping for Sac-Joaquin Section finals. Six of the seven games will be played at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, while the D-VII championship will be at St. Mary's High School in Stockton. This week, Gold Mountain California News Media will pick all seven championship games, as reporters Jordan Georgeson, Matt Long and Bill Poindexter give their 2 cents on what they expect: Friday D-VI: No. 1 Bradshaw Christian (12-0) vs No. 3 Sonora (10-2), 11 a.m. Jordan: A small-school showdown starts a weekend of what should be some great championship football action. The Pride lost a heartbreaker to Hughson in last year's championship game and will be eager to right that ship. Meanwhile, Sonora will be looking to avenge a one-point loss to Bradshaw Christian in the semifinals a year ago. I think this one goes down to the wire, but I will take Bradshaw here. Bradshaw Christian 34, Sonora 28. Bill: Jordan didn't bury the lead here, he didn't mention the most important point of this week's picks at all: After picking 139 games this season, he and I are tied with Matt one game back. So with that in mind, this week's finalists should be picking who wins between we three. Considering the Wildcats beat Division III top seed Oakdale and lost by one to Division No. 1 Hughson ... Sonora 34, Bradshaw Christian 28. Matt: Bradshaw Christian has steamrolled most of its opponents but beat Oakdale and nearly defeated Hughson, which is no small feat. Gosh dang it why does this have to be so hard? Got to go with Bradshaw Christian here. Bradshaw Christian 34, Sonora 28. D-IV: No. 1 Twelve Bridges (12-0) vs No. 2 Patterson (7-5), 3 p.m. Jordan: Two teams that fell in section championship games last season are looking to make amends. Twelve Bridges has won 11 of its 12 games by double digits. Running back Braeden Ward is averaging 179 yards per game and has more than 2,100 yards rushing and 32 touchdowns. Patterson has a dynamic quarterback in Max Medina and the Tigers can score, but can they stop the Rhinos? I say no. Twelve Bridges 49, Patterson 31. Bill: The Raging Rhinos are something to watch on both sides of the ball, and on their energetic sideline. Credit for playing in the Valley Oak League only goes so far when you've lost five games. Twelve Bridges 42, Patterson 27. Matt: Well, I didn't pick the Raging Rhinos last week and it hurt me. Seeing as how this is probably the last week of picking games, I won't make the same mistake twice. Twelve Bridges 42, Patterson 28. D-II: No. 1 Rocklin (10-2) vs No. 3 Grant (9-3), 7 p.m. Jordan: This is a rematch of last year's NorCal championship game and two teams looking to repeat as section champion. Rocklin is looking to go back-to-back in D-II, while Grant is looking for its third consecutive section title after winning the last two D-III crowns. I think Rocklin pulls it out in a close one. Rocklin 31, Grant 28. Bill: Rocklin made me look silly - OK, I made myself look silly by picking Manteca last week. But beating Grant? Sure. Rocklin 31, Grant 28. Matt: If memory serves me, I picked Rocklin to win last year's game between these two teams and we know how that game played out. I'd like to pick Rocklin again, but last year's game wasn't close. I'm going with Grant. Grant 38, Rocklin 21. Saturday D-VII: No. 1 Summerville (11-1) vs No. 2 Stone Ridge Christian (10-2), St. Mary's High School, 3 p.m. Jordan: One of my groomsmen and college friends went to Summerville High School, and that is enough for me to pick the Bears in this one. Summerville 31, Stone Ridge Christian 17. Bill: I'm rolling the dice on a common opponent: Summerville lost to Calaveras by one; Stone Ridge lost to Calaveras by 20. Summerville 27, Stone Ridge 20. Matt: I've got the Summerville Bears winning this game. Summerville 41, Stone Ridge 20. D-V: No. 1 Hughson (12-0) vs No. 2 Sutter (11-1), 11 a.m. Jordan: In my opinion, this is the most exciting game on Saturday. Hughson is looking for a three-peat as section champion behind Arizona-bound quarterback Robert McDaniel, while Sutter is looking for its first Sac-Joaquin Section title to go with its 14 from the Northern Section. It's Huskies vs. Huskies and my money is on the Huskies, who will stop the Huskies on a two-point conversion to win. Hughson 28, Sutter 27. Bill: Hughson's quarterback is going to Arizona? Wait, I thought athletes had to attend prestigious programs and "see better competition" so "they can be seen" by recruiters to go anywhere in college. Hughson 31, Sutter 21. Matt: Sutter likes to do it on the ground, while Hughson has a bit more balance. Again, since I need to make up some ground on my comrades, I'm going with Sutter in this one because they control the line of scrimmage and make the least mistakes. Sutter 31, Hughson 30. D-III: No. 1 Oakdale (9-3) vs No. 3 Vanden (10-2), 3 p.m. Jordan: These two have only met twice in the last 20 years and both were Oakdale playoff victories. I think the Vikings turn the tables here and pick up another D-III crown. Vanden 34, Oakdale 31. Bill: Vanden toughed it out at West Park last week so big credit there. Oakdale has lost to Division VI finalist Sonora and VOL giants Central Catholic (Division I) and Manteca. Oakdale 35, Vanden 26. Matt: I have to admit I'm impressed with what Vanden has done in the playoffs, but Oakdale, gosh darn it, like Sutter, I guess, I just like teams that you know are going to run the ball and you just can't keep them from doing it. Those one-dimensional teams are oddly tough to beat. Oakdale 44, Vanden 21. D-I: No. 1 Folsom (11-1) at No. 2 Oak Ridge (8-4), 7 p.m. Jordan: It's Folsom and Oak Ridge in the D-I championship game for the third year in a row. The championship matchup has been closer than the regular season one in the previous two seasons, which I think is the case again this year but Folsom will be raising a blue banner once again. Folsom 38, Oak Ridge 24. Bill: What is there to say? Folsom 48, Oak Ridge 18. Matt: I mean, every year on paper it's the Bulldogs, and every year it seems like Oak Ridge is within a score in the fourth quarter. The Trojans have been trying to beat the Bulldogs since 2006 and haven't been able to. That's 22 straight games for those counting. Ryder Lyons played his worst varsity game, his words, not mine, in the meeting earlier this season and Folsom won by 28 points. Lyons threw for 291 yards and five touchdowns. That's pretty bad, huh? Folsom 38, Oak Ridge 31. Records: Bill 109-30, Jordan 109-30, Matt 108-31.