Rocklin runs out of gas against No. 1 seed Manteca in Sac-Joaquin Section Division 2 semifinal

There will not be an all-Sierra Foothill League championship game in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II football playoffs. No. 4 seed Rocklin High School led for much of Friday night's semifinal, but top-seeded host Manteca took the lead on a 44-yard touchdown run by Florida State-bound Blake Nichelson midway through the fourth quarter and kept the ball away from the Thunder in the final minutes for a 34-28 victory at Guss Schmiedt Field. Manteca (10-1) will meet No. 6 Granite Bay (9-4) for the championship. The Grizzlies gained revenge on No. 2 Del Oro (9-3) with a 21-16 victory Friday night in the other semifinal. "It's a terrific group of kids," Rocklin coach Jason Adams said. "They made it really, really enjoyable to be around, way back in January working out. The amount of growth individually and collectively is off the charts. It's kind of our job to challenge them and hold them accountable, and it's a beautiful thing when they start to hold each other accountable, the way they treat each other, the way they prepare, whether it's film or workout or practice tempo. It's a special group of guys, and they got everything out of high school football they could get out of it." The Thunder overcame an early deficit to lead most of the way. Senior running back Elias Brown rushed for 77 of his 121 yards in the first half and gave Rocklin leads of 14-7 in the second quarter and 21-13 at halftime on a 1-yard touchdown run and a 46-yard scoring catch from quarterback Joey Roberts. Brown's 42-yard touchdown ramble extended the Thunder's lead to 28-19 with 2:11 left in the third quarter, but Rocklin ran just six offensive plays the rest of the way. Manteca, meanwhile, had plenty of fuel in its tank. The Buffaloes plowed 55 yards in nine plays on a drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters with Alijah Cota scoring his third touchdown of the night on a 4-yard toss from quarterback Hudson Wyatt. The Buffaloes forced a Rocklin three and out and then went 71 yards in seven plays with Nichelson exploding for a 44-yard go-ahead touchdown. Manteca ran 35 plays to Rocklin's 17 in the second half. After gashing the Buffaloes for 140 yards rushing and 227 total yards in the first half, the Thunder was held to 50 yards rushing in the final two quarters. Manteca outgained Rocklin overall 430-345. "We knew it would be won or lost at the line of scrimmage," Adams said. "They ultimately wore us down." Nichelson, who's been listed on the Manteca roster at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds since his sophomore year, piled up more than 4,300 yards rushing and receiving and a whopping 75 touchdowns over the last two seasons. That was before Friday night's game, and the Thunder kept him bottled in the first half. Cota scored the Buffaloes' first two touchdowns on runs of 7 and 6 yards. But the trio of Nichelson, Cota – another bruiser at 6-3, 230 – and junior Bryson Davis was too much. Nichelson rushed for 146 of his 170 yards in the second half and totaled five receptions for 80 yards. Davis rushed for 80 yards in 13 carries, and Cota carried 11 times for 64 yards. Manteca had 226 of its 331 yards rushing in the second half. "They got a hat on a hat, and you then have to get off a block real quick and you have to get to the guy they're giving it to," Adams said. "Our guys are pretty good at getting hands on and then being able to shed a block, but when the fullback is hitting the line of scrimmage really fast and he's a pretty big kid, you need more than one body to stand him and get him going backward." Rocklin hoped for one more possession in the final minutes, but Manteca marched from its 41 to the Thunder 7 on eight running plays, gaining three first downs along the way, before going into victory formation. "We just couldn't get the ball back," Adams said. "Sometimes, you just gotta tip your hat to the other team. They're really, really good offensively. That defense we have we're extremely proud of." MANTECA 34, ROCKLIN 28 Rocklin 7 14 7 0 – 28 Manteca 7 6 6 15 – 34 Manteca – Alijah Cota 7 run (Matt Kong kick) Rocklin – Mason Silva 13 run (Logan Pandis kick) Rocklin – Elias Brown 1 run (Pandis kick) Manteca – Cota 6 run (kick failed) Rocklin – Brown 46 pass from Joey Roberts (Pandis kick) Manteca – Blake Nichelson 2 run (pass failed) Rocklin – Brown 42 run (Pandis kick) Manteca – Cota 4 pass from Hudson Wyatt (Kong kick) Manteca – Blake Nichelson 44 run (Cota run)