The undefeated Hillmen will hit the road tonight to take on Patterson in a battle of unbeatens tonight in round two of the Sac Joaquin Division III playoffs. Last week, the Hillmen (11-0) defeated River City in the opening round, piling up 487 yards on the ground, and coming up with some key defensive stops late in the game to secure a 55-41 victory. Owen Scott (309 yards, four touchdowns last week) will look to continue his torrid run which has seen him rack up 911 yards of offense and 13 touchdowns in the last three games. Fullback Jared Halbert who went over 1000 yards for the season last week with his 100 yard, four touchdown performance against River Valley has also been a key cog in the ground attack. Waylen Cozad who returned from injury with several bruising blocks and some nice runs, give the Hillmen a potent trio on the ground as they gear up for a playoff run. The offensive line which once again controlled the line of scrimmage against River Valley much like they have all year, will be key tonight against Patterson. One of the biggest keys for the Hillmen offensively will be protecting the football. Patterson (11-0) forced nine fumbles and recovered seven in their 73-42 victory over Yuba City. Defensively, Placer will look to build off of their strong second half performance last week, which included strong play up front by the defensive line and big plays from the linebackers and the secondary. They will be faced with the task of containing Patterson’s athletic backfield of Michael Lawson (709 yards rushing, 13 touchdowns, 492 yards receiving seven touchdowns), Jamal Broussard (794 yards, 8 touchdowns), and Alec Espos (407 yards rushing, four touchdowns, 407 yards receiving, five touchdowns). It figures to be an exciting night of football! Kickoff is set for 7 pm. If you can’t make it out to the game, tune in to KAHI 950 to hear all the action. Follow us on Twitter for live in-game scoring updates!
Odds and ends from 2015 playoffs
CIF Division III Playoff Bracket