Summer break is over.
Students are back in the classroom. Football pads are popping. Practices are underway.
That can only mean one thing.
High school football season has officially arrived.
With it comes a new cast of stars, championship expectations and plenty of unanswered questions. How do you replace nearly an entire section finalist? Was a team that was “a year away” actually a year away? Can a new coach extend a championship run? And what does Year 2 bring after a surprise run to a section final?
For now, here are the biggest storylines entering the season.
Last stop: Ripon Christian, Escalon, Lathrop and Linden.
Ripon Christian’s ‘best’ team ever is gone. Who steps up?
“This is probably the best Ripon Christian football team ever.”
That’s how coach Phil Grams, who led the Knights to section championships in 2022 and 2023, described last year’s 10-3 team.
The problem?
Almost all of its production graduated.
All 23 receiving touchdowns. Thirty-three of 34 rushing touchdowns. A quarterback who threw for 1,804 yards and 22 scores.
And more than 621 tackles on defense.
Senior Josiah Van Vliet takes over at quarterback after attempting seven varsity passes. Junior Jax Booth and senior Mason Clark are expected to handle the backfield after combining for 17 carries and 95 yards.
Grams expects junior wide receiver and safety Stadler Postma to emerge as a first-team all-league selection despite not playing varsity last season. Senior center Jeremy Molloy and senior tackle Myles Pollard provide experience up front.
Senior defensive end Tom Giulian becomes a leader after recording 29 tackles.
Even for a three-time section champion in Grams, this may be his toughest challenge yet.
Then again, there’s a reason he’s won three of them.
A year ago, Escalon was ‘a year away’
Four straight section championships from 2019 to 2023.
Coach Andrew Beam once described Escalon as “lucky” to experience that much winning.
Then came 6-6 in 2024. Then 5-6 in 2025.
But before last season even began, Beam saw something coming.
He believed Escalon was “a year away.”
Before last season, Beam called Escalon “a year away.”
Outside of senior quarterback Logan Huebner and wide receiver Chase Cummings, much of the production came from underclassmen on the youngest team Beam had coached.
A year later, that young core returns.
Junior Dylan Ball leads the group after producing 1,500 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns. Junior wide receiver and defensive back Ian Trejo has impressed this summer, while 6-foot-8, 305-pound senior right tackle Caleb Boatman gives the Cougars a dominant presence up front.
Senior Jake Ferreira takes over at quarterback. Beam believes Ferreira can “do it all” and calls him one of the fastest players in program history.
It’s time to find out whether Beam was right.
Adrian Ramos set the standard; Year 2 will test it
Linden’s season appeared to be unraveling.
A 30-point loss to Calaveras. A one-point loss to Summerville. A potential second straight Mother Lode League championship suddenly became a third-place finish.
The Lions responded by making history.
Seeded No. 7 in the CIF SJS Division VII playoffs, Linden knocked off the No. 2 seed and No. 3 Summerville before falling to Calaveras in its first section championship appearance since 2004.
Quite the debut for first-year coach Adrian Ramos.
Year 2 brings a much different roster.
Program-record receiver DeAndre Smith graduated after 953 yards and 12 touchdowns. Running back Andrew Juarez and his 1,702 yards and 21 touchdowns must be replaced, along with all three quarterbacks from last year’s roster.
Defensively, senior linebacker Lincoln Ly is the lone returner among last year’s top 13 tacklers after leading the team with 92 tackles.
Yet Ramos insists “talent won’t be an issue.”
Senior running back Isaac Ruvalcaba returns after 485 yards and six touchdowns. Antoine Moore takes over as the No. 1 receiver after 525 yards and two scores, while sophomore Devin Hunger gets his opportunity at quarterback. Ramos calls Hunger a “five-tool type player” with everything needed to become elite.
“We’ve put last year behind us,” Ramos said. “That was a special group with great athletes. Their accomplishments will not help us win games this year, and our team understands that. With this team, the goals don’t change. We have plenty of talent on this current team, and they are ready to show everyone.”
The standard is established. Ramos knows when he wants this group playing its best.
“As the season goes on, we plan on playing our best football come October, November through December,” Ramos said.
New coach, new backfield, same expectations at Lathrop
Before 2024, Lathrop had never experienced a league championship.
Suddenly, the Spartans can’t stop winning them.
A 10-2 season and perfect league record delivered the first. Last season brought another.
Just as winning became the expectation, everything changed.
Ryan Teicheira left after five seasons to take over his alma mater, Sierra. Lathrop responded by promoting Justin Muschott, an assistant throughout Teicheira’s five-year tenure.
At least the Wing-T isn’t going anywhere.
Most of its production is.
Pablo Pena and Treydon Santos combined for 2,589 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns, while two other backs added 615 yards and six scores.
Replacing them falls on Dasani Brown and junior Jayden White, who combined for 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns last season. Junior quarterback Daryion Reyno also returns.
Senior linebacker Jonah Hernandez, senior defensive tackle Malachi Joseph and senior outside linebacker Ekam Sohal give the defense experience.
For Muschott, the opportunity is clear.
Be the coach who turns Lathrop’s breakthrough into something built to last.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County football 2026: Top storylines from the remaining leagues
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
