Will Rocklin take the SFL crown once again?

The lights will soon be back on during Friday nights as the 2022 season kicks off this Friday and a number of teams in the south Placer area hope to compete well and capture league championships. Below, I share my thoughts on how teams will perform. Sierra Foothill League The biggest question for the entire Sac-Joaquin Section is who will be number one, Folsom or Rocklin? It's highly likely that the Bulldogs and the Thunder will be the top two teams again as they both have a large number of players returning who were stars in 2021. Regardless of how well Rocklin plays, or any team for that matter, nobody is going to stop the Folsom receiving duo of Rico Flores and Walker Lyons. There's obviously more than two players who will make an impact for Folsom and the same can be said for Rocklin, who also has a slew of talent returning on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Joey Roberts has potential to throw for at least 250 yards per game and the running back combination of Mason Silva, Eli Hardy and Elias Brown will be tough for teams to handle. One could make the argument that Derek Houston isn't only one of the best linebackers in the section but defensive players in general. Behind those two juggernauts is a battle for third-place, which I see being between Granite Bay and Del Oro. The Golden Eagles were able to hold it together, despite their quarterback Ryan Lewis going down midseason, and finished a respectable 7-5 with a playoff win in 2021. The Grizzlies played very well up until losing to Monterey Trail in the section playoffs. Ironically, both teams will begin Sierra Foothill League action against each other at Del Oro on Sept. 30. Whitney will be good enough to make the playoffs and I expect them to defeat either Granite Bay and Del Oro. There's an outside chance they could squeak into third or fourth, especially with the acquisition of Isaiah Bickham from Sheldon. Look for the Wildcats to be a threat, especially once the postseason begins. This is what I predict for the Sierra Foothill League. Folsom 9-1 Rocklin 8-2 Granite Bay 6-4 Del Oro 6-4 Whitney 5-5 Oak Ridge 3-7 Capital Valley Conference No team will stop Antelope until possibly the section playoffs. The Titans will still have their star senior running back Curron Borders, who will almost certainly go off for another 2,000 yard season. Yuba City will also be a tough team to beat as quarterback Nick Afato and Brandon Sanders will lead the Honkers to success. Woodcreek is in an interesting position because 2021 was the best the Timberwolves had performed since 2018. Trend wise, people may expect them to be under .500 but I don't see a big drop off with the talent they have and expect them to be back in the postseason. Keep in mind that Woodcreek only lost to Antelope and Yuba City by a combined 10 points last season. Watch for them to play well once again, defeating multiple league opponents, despite being without certain talent and having a new quarterback under center. Roseville will be bunched somewhere in the league's middle and I expect them to fight for fourth-place and a playoff spot. Offensively, the Tigers should put up a minimum of 20 points per game on the board with players such as Brandon Graydon, Nick Macaluso and Liam Crow, but defensively, I see them struggling against the league's better teams. Here are my thoughts for the Capital Valley Conference. Antelope 10-0 Yuba City 7-3 Woodcreek 6-4 Inderkum 5-5 Roseville 5-5 Bella Vista 2-8 River Valley 1-9 Foothill Valley League The Foothill Valley League is shaping up to be very intriguing as the West Park Panthers will replace Rio Linda High. The Panthers are riding off a ton of momentum from winning their last six games of the regular season before losing to Placer in the first round of section playoffs. West Park has an advantage that no other team has in the league; they didn't lose anyone to graduation and this will be their first season with seniors on the team. Taking that into account, along with the fact they have improved vastly during the offseason, they look like a true contender. The only problem is they have to go up against two talented squads in Lincoln and Placer. While both the Zebras and the Hillmen are graduating talent on both sides of the ball, they also have a large number of talent returning. Players such as Kosta Aleksic and Jaden Suggs of Placer and Ryan Henning of Lincoln will make it hard for any defense to hold them to under 100 yards a game. Still, the Panthers do have a plethora of talent on defense and can potentially stop one of those teams. For Oakmont, several solid players graduated but the brilliant coaching mind of Jake Messina, along with talent in George Tsetsegmaa and Kyle Stahlecker, will help the Vikings win some games. They also have many talented players who are up from junior varsity and I could see them taking down teams such as Nevada Union and Ponderosa. Here is what I expect will happen. Placer 7-3 Lincoln 7-3 West Park 6-4 Ponderosa 5-5 Oakmont 4-6 Nevada Union 4-6 Sacramento Metropolitan Athletic Conference Valley Christian Academy had four wins for the first time since 2008 last season and the academy can get back there again in 2022. The Lions still have a plethora of talent offensively, such as Matthew Larson, Thomas Rominger and Chase Clary, along with Chris Donkor and Rodrickson Williams on defense. These players will be enough to lift them over multiple teams in non-league competition along with teams such as Encina Prep and Western Sierra. The issue is that Woodland Christian is still insanely talented with Caden Pascoe and Billy Hinkle and Foresthill still has a lot of pieces. Western Sierra Collegiate Academy will also find a way to win a couple of games but will have a tough time in league action. This is how I see it.. Woodland Christian 9-1 Foresthill 7-3 Delta 6-4 Valley Christian Academy 4-6 Encina Prep 3-7 Western Sierra Collegiate Academy 3-7