HAWKS HEADED TO THE PLAYOFFS
One local football team will start the playoffs at home on Friday, while the other local hopeful is staying home.
When the Sac-Joaquin Section released its postseason football brackets on Sunday, Lodi (6-4) was left out. The Flames went 2-3 in TriCity Athletic League play, with wins over West and Tokay.
“If we would have got in, we would have been pumped,” Lodi coach George Duenas said. “But we should have beat Tracy. We didn’t have a signature win.”
Meanwhile, Liberty Ranch (5-5) went 3-2 in the Sierra Valley Conference, and was rewarded with the No. 7 seed in Division V. The Hawks will host Foothill (7-3) on Friday. Foothill was third in the Prioneer Valley League.
“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to host a playoff game. We’re happy to be part of the playoffs, it’s been a couple of years for us,” Liberty Ranch coach Anthony Linebaugh said. “That was a team goal for us. It was a roller coaster for us — we had a tough preseason, the grind of the league season. We have a very tough draw with foothill, so we’re just trying to get ready.”
Linebaugh said the Hawks will face a unique challenge against Foothill, and the team has already started watching film.
“They employ multiple formations. They will go under center, they’ll spread the defense out to get their playmakers some space,” Linebaugh said. “On defense, they
move around and mix things up, they will force you to find ways to beat them. They’ll bring a lot of defenders to the ball.”
He said the team didn’t really know what to expect in the brackets. The section relies on CalPreps rankings to help the seeding process, with league champions automatically qualified and the rest filling into divisions based on enrollment.
“I was told different things, so I was just happy we were in,” Linebaugh said. “We’re blessed to host, but if we were going on the road, we’d be prepared.”
Like the Hawks, the Flames weren’t sure what to expect. Assistant commissioner Will DeBoard confirmed via email on Monday that the Flames were the first team out in Division II.
“Lodi was one team away from making the playoffs, but that team was Tracy, which beat them 48-35,” DeBoard said. “And there was a decent-sized gap between Tracy and the next team. Had Lodi beaten Tracy, they were going to make the playoffs. But it wasn’t like there was another team out there comparable to them that was chosen over them; Tracy was the last one in.”
Duenas said he told his players before the final stretch of three games (West, Tracy and Tokay) that they would have to win out to have a guarantee at the playoffs. The Flames took care of West (37-13) and Tokay (28-14), but lost to Tracy (48-35).
But despite the disappointment of missing the postseason, the Flames improved from their 3-7 campaign in 2018, and notched their first winning season since going 9-4 under Todd Dillon in 2010.
“Hey man, I mean, to be able to almost steal one from the big three, that was big,” Duenas said. “At times we looked good, at times we looked bad, but I was really pleased with the kids. We set a good foundation, and our JV team did well.”