By admin 
At long last, the high school football season has officially arrived in the greater Sacramento region.
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There is a full menu of games to ponder on Friday night, including two regional powerhouse programs kicking off seasons of promise in Texas, where football isn’t just a sport but a religion and way of life.
The Sutter Huskies and Oak Ridge Trojans of El Dorado Hills will room at the same hotel in Texas as they prepare for Lone Star state gridiron fun.
The defending CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V champion, Sutter takes on the Bishop Lynch Friars of Dallas. Oak Ridge, a Division I section finalist in each of the previous four seasons, will match wits and muscle against the Argyle Eagles, also of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Our Pick the Preps crew includes yours truly, a member of The Sacramento Bee’s sports staff since 1989 who’s here to tell you that football has never been better regionally; Matthew Bessette of ABC JAM Productions and the streaming NFHS Network; and Scott Tedmon, the decades-long regional basketball coach who does color commentary on football and basketball games on NFHS.
Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa at Bee No. 1 Folsom
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
On air: NFHS
JoeD: Folsom is coming off of a 14-1 season that included a fifth consecutive section Division I championship and a CIF State title, and the Bulldogs are loaded and snarling for more. Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa had the state record for consecutive wins in the 1970s and still towers as a powerhouse. Folsom wins 35-27.
MatthewB: A NorCal heavyweight tilt to kick off the season. Folsom has a 14-game winning streak on its home field that will be put to the test. The Bulldogs defend the blue turf, 41-28.
CoachT: I expect Folsom to have some opening-game jitters, but the Bulldogs will hit the gas in the second and win big, 38-21.
No. 2 Oak Ridge at Argyle-Texas
When: 5 p.m. Pacific on Friday (7 p.m. local time)
Online: NFHS
JoeD: What a whopper of an opener for the Trojans and coach Casey Taylor, who scheduled big when he was coaching Del Oro in a way to test his program. Argyle is formidable to say the least, having gone 170-16 combined since 2013. Argyle squeezes out a 21-20 victory.
MatthewB: The Trojans are no strangers to hitting the road early, but heading to Texas is a different sort of trip. Argyle is too much and wins, 30-24.
CoachT: Can the mighty Trojans possibly lose to Argyle, which is a brand of knitwear that originated in 17th-century Western Scotland? I say no. Oak Ridge in a face-mask smasher, 24-21.
No. 3 Grant at Central East-Fresno
When: 7 p.m. Friday
On air: NFHS
JoeD: The Pacers beat the Bengals 42-26 early last season and fell to Oak Ridge 9-7 in a section Division I semifinal. Central East never looked back, capping a 14-1 season with a CIF State championship, knocking off a 15-0 team in the finals. QB Jelani Dippel for Central East has to deal with Grant’s fierce defense, led by LB Julian Bruno. Grant wins, 24-23.
MatthewB: Grant’s Koby Shabazz and Bayon Harris of Central East are just two of the stars in a game that is loaded at the skill positions. The Pacers win it late, 27-24.
CoachT: This might be the best team the G has ever fielded. This week it’s Central East, and don’t take a directional school lightly. Grant won’t, and the Pacers win, 31-17.
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No. 11 Destiny Christian at No. 4 Inderkum
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday
On air: ABC JAM/NFHS
JoeD: Part of the fun here will be Inderkum coach Justin Reber going against DCA and its famed band leader, “Papa” Jim Reber. Papa Jim, plant the band behind your son’s bench on the Inderkum side. Both teams are fast with Division I college recruits. Inderkum wins, 28-20.
MatthewB: Both teams have understandably high hopes. This will come down to the quarterbacks, and Inderkum has one of the best around in Brody Cole. Tigers over Lions, 35-30.
CoachT: Both teams make sweet music on the field, and while DCA might win the battle of the bands, the scoreboard sings for Indy. Tigers take it, 28-24.
No. 13 Roseville at Antelope
When: 7:15 p.m. Friday
On air: NFHS
JoeD: Roseville returns seven defensive starters from its 2025 section title team, the first for the Placer County program since 1987, and welcome back to the coaching grind, Terry Stark. He is the first-year coach for Antelope, a 230-game winner, mostly at Inderkum, with the tricky and hard-to-stop wing-T rushing attack. Roseville wins, 24-17.
MatthewB: These teams are meeting for the 13th straight season with Roseville winning the last three meetings. Antelope starts its new era off with a massive win, 24-21.
CoachT: Stark’s group of Titans will be a factor before the season is all said and done, but this night belongs to the Tigers. Roseville in a tight one, 31-28.
No. 15 Casa Roble at No. 14 Placer
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
On air: ABC JAM/NFHS
JoeD: Two medium-sized regional powers meet for the sixth consecutive time in a season opener with the home team winning the previous five meetings. Placer quarterback Chase Rodarte comes from a family of former Hillmen players and coaches, including current Hillman assistant coach, Eric Rodarte. Placer wins, 30-28.
MatthewB: I’m looking forward to being on the call for this one as Placer is always an electric environment. Dunedin Tupou for Casa and Jesiah Aday for Placer fly to the football on defense. The Hillmen get it done, 21-20.
CoachT: I’m taking a page out of JoeD’s picker playbook. When in doubt, go with the home team. Placer prevails, 21-20.
West Park at Whitney
When: 7 p.m. Friday
On air: NFHS
JoeD: This is an intriguing matchup of Placer County programs as the visiting Panthers of Roseville must replace a host of starters, though the team is still strong in the trenches. Whitney of Rocklin kicks off the Brian Brickey coaching era, and he’ll match wits against Jason Tenner, West Park’s founding football coach. West Park wins, 20-17.
MatthewB: The teams open against each other for the third straight season, and there hasn’t been much separation of late. Whitney won last year 17-13 and West Park took it 10-7 in 2024. The Wildcats get it done here, 20-14.
CoachT: West Park wants payback after Whitney took down the Panthers last year. West Park never recovered, derailing a promising season. Coach Tenner’s crew seeks a playoff berth, and West Park gets out of the gates quickly, 27-17.
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