By admin 
Kickoff for Sacramento-area high school football teams is less than two weeks away, on Aug. 28-29, and then it’s a full sprint to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
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This Friday and Saturday, area teams engage in a warm-up act, competing in scrimmages and jamborees that include live tackling, a scoreboard, referees and a coaching evaluation.
Here’s a peek at some scrimmages of note.
Encina, Mira Loma, Venture, West Campus at Florin
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Outlook: This is an 8-man showcase as the section prepares for Year 2 of this level of the sport as 8-man has saved programs from going under. Mira Loma went 12-0 last season and returns a lot of players for coach Jesse Collins.
Grant at Del Oro
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Powerhouse programs that have combined to win 21 CIF section banners and reach eight CIF State finals since 1991 meet in Placer County in what figures to be a spirited and physical scrum of teams fierce in the trenches and skilled at the skill positions.
Oak Ridge at Lincoln-Stockton
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills finished last season Sacramento Bee-ranked second and will be a preseason Bee Top 3 team under coach Casey Taylor. Lincoln is a Division I program with speed and size.
Elk Grove at Granite Bay
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: The head coaches are longtime friends, John Heffernan of Elk Grove and Joe Cattolico of Granite Bay. Both run the ball a ton but will pass here and this season.
Sacramento at Mesa Verde
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Mesa Verde’s sparkling new turf on its Citrus Heights campus will be a fast track for the upstart Mavericks and for the speedy Dragons of Oak Park under first-year coach Josiah Johnson, a record-setting passer with the school.
Laguna Creek at Destiny Christian Academy
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Both teams are in retool mode but return key pieces, and both figure to be fast and physical. Antuan Simmons, a Bee All-Metro defensive back for Valley in the mid 1990s before playing at USC, enters his first season as DCA’s head coach and will match wits against longtime Laguna Creek coach Ryan Nill.
Vista del Lago at West Park
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Vista del Lago of Folsom and the host Panthers of Roseville must replace scores of starters from last season. This is the first step.
Bradshaw Christian, Burbank, Jesuit at Sheldon
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Small-school power Bradshaw Christian tests its run-heavy offense against the speedy Titans of Burbank and the Huskies of Sheldon and their strength against the Marauders of Jesuit, often known as Big Red.
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Cordova at River City
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday
Outlook: This was scheduled for Cordova High, but the installation of a new field turf remains a work in progress. Cordova and River City are in rebuild and reload mode.
Twelve Bridges at Woodcreek
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Two Placer County heavyweights led by highly regarded coaches clash. Kyle Stowers coached Woodcreek of Roseville to the first section title in the 31-year history of the school in 2025, and Chris Bean has led three successive Raging Rhinos teams to 10-0 regular seasons, including a 14-1 team that reached a CIF state final in 2024.
Manteca at Monterey Trail
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Both teams run the ball at will, so this scrimmage may not last more than 30 minutes. OK, not true. They’ll smash heads for a good long while as the powerhouse programs seek more playoff success.
Antelope, Placer, Bear River at Bear River
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Antelope welcomes a new era with 231-game winning coach Terry Stark taking over the Titans program, having last coached at Inderkum in 2018. Placer coach Joey Montoya, like Stark, runs the Wing-T offense, and Bear River has been a decades-long small-school playoff regular.
Casa Roble, Roseville, Whitney, Wheatland at Bella Vista
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Casa Roble reached its third consecutive CIF Sac-Joaquin Section final in 2025 under coach Chris Horner, Roseville and coach Adam Reinking won its first section crown since 1987, and Whitney and Wheatland have shown promise in fall camp with aim to return to the playoffs. Bella Vista returns the Sacramento-area’s leading rusher in 2025 in Dvaughn Norwood.
East Nicolaus, Inderkum, Rio Linda, Tokay-Lodi, Yuba City at Lincoln
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Inderkum drips of talent and seeks a Division I section title run under coach Justin Reber, Rio Linda has an offensive line that averages 275 pounds, Yuba City has a lot of returning players, East Nicolaus is a small-school power from the CIF Northern Section, and the host Lincoln Zebras are a motivated playoff program.
Rio Americano at Folsom
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Outlook: Folsom is Folsom, the five-time defending CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champions and a 2025 CIF State winner bustling with talent and experience under coach Paul Doherty and staff. Rio Americano is a solid program under coach Bob Ghazanfari testing its mettle against the best.
El Camino, Franklin-Stockton, San Juan, Stagg at Kennedy
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Outlook: Teams in the process of rebuilding their programs by expanding rosters and through the weight room meet in Greenhaven in south Sacramento. San Juan competed in 8-man football last season and is back in 11-man ball.
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