Niendorf: Ripon Christian football takes down Orestimba during SJS Div. VIIA semifinals
RIPON – Ripon Christian senior fullback Grant Sonke is all about helping his fellow man, or opposing defenders for that matter, when he takes the field on Friday nights.
During Ripon Christian’s 35-14 Sac-Joaquin Section Division VIIA championship victory over visiting Orestimba, Sonke rushed for more than 100 yards — often carrying helpless defenders an extra five yards before collapsing to the ground from too much weight.
Time and time again (20 rushes, 104 yards, 1 touchdown) Sonke refused to go down after a couple of hits to his well-conditioned body. Just how much soreness he’ll wake up to on Saturday morning is only known by fullbacks of his caliber.
“That’s my job; it’s what I was built to do,” Sonke said. “It’s my God-given talent. I feel sore now, but in the moment it feels amazing.”
Like teammate Luke Crivello said, Sonke’s ability to maintain his balance is well-documented on film.
“He’s the real deal,” said Crivello, who had a 39-yard touchdown reception to open the Knights’ scoring. “I’ve seen him carry four or five (guys) this year, and I’ve seen him carry them into the endzone, too. He’s like the Derrick Henry of our league right now.”
Sonke may have had a bit of an edge to him playing against Orestimba and the Southern League’s most valuable player, senior running back Juan Esquivez. Make no mistake, the MVP honor is deserved considering the two-way starter is either carrying the football or tackling it as a middle linebacker on every play of the game.
That was the case Friday until Esquivez was knocked out of the game on a 60-yard kickoff return late in the third quarter that gave Orestimba the ball at the Ripon Christian 25-yard line. Up to that point, Esquivez had 147 yards rushing, two touchdowns and three receptions.
Without him, the Warriors (9-4) knew their season was all but over.
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As it stands, Ripon Christian won its second-consecutive section championship after earning its first in school history last season. The Knights were 0-3 in their previous appearances in title games.
Ripon Christian (12-1) joins Woodland Christian (12-0) as Division VII Champions. Under the new format where there are two section champions in Division VII, both teams will play each other next weekend for a NorCal championship.
Not Your Average Line
Like a good fullback would do, Sonke spread plenty of credit to his linemen for not only opening quality running lanes against Orestimba, but also for putting in the work fans never see.
“I can’t say enough about them,” Sonke gushed. “Last year they were a young team, and this year they showed up and matured nicely. I love those guys. They put in the work this offseason and outworked every team in the section. I’m so proud of them.”
Ripon Christian rushed for 229 yards behind that line with five different ball carriers averaging 4.7 yards per carry. That average went up in the second half to 5.1 yards as the line wore down the Orestimba defensive front.
Ripon Christian coach Phil Grams praised them, and Sonke’s ability to get the difficult yards.
“He’s incredible,” said Grams, “he’s the true MVP of our league.”
Quick Turn of Events
Orestimba proved it wouldn’t be a pushover like it was during a 42-14 loss to the Knights when they met on Oct. 6. In fact, the Warriors led 14-7 for much of the first half thanks to Esquivez.
However, the Knights managed to tie it at halftime, 14-14, on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Preston Zuidervaart.
The second half was devastating for Orestimba, however, when it fumbled on its first two possessions right after halftime. It took the Knights just five plays combined to convert those turnovers into 14 points and a sudden 28-14 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter.
It was Sonke who stripped a receiver of the ball, which was later recovered by teammate Amos Cady at the Orestimba 27-yard line. Minutes later, the second turnover was a fumble recovered by an alert Logan De Jong at the Warriors’ 38-yard line.
Shout Out to Shutouts
It’s difficult to comprehend just how effective Ripon Christian’s defense has been this season.
Through 13 games, the Knights have shut out nine opponents on their schedule. That’s one shy of the state record set in 1985. In fact, Orestimba was the first team to score on the Knights since Oct. 6. Over that span, the Knights have outscored their opponents by a combined margin of 231-0 points.
I asked Ripon Christian defensive coordinator Jake Beukelman why his unit, which employs a 3-5-3 look, has been so defensive.
“It’s a testament to not only our starters, but our twos and threes,” said Beukelman, who partners with assistant head coach Eddie Erdelatz on the defensive side. “It’s a proven system, which has taken years to perfect. We send our pressure from different spots.
“I’d like to think we could shut out everyone,” Beukelman added. “We’ve had a special group of kids this year. Preston (Zuidervvaart) has a great knowledge of the game at middle linebacker. The biggest thing is he gets to the right spots, but also helps everyone else get to the right spots.”
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Great Grandkids
Grams doesn’t have great-grandchildren, just grandchildren who are great. At least great enough for Grams to give up his coaching position at Wisconsin’s Lawrence University during the pandemic four years ago.
Prior to Lawrence, Grams spent time coaching at Capital Christian and then as assistant head coach at Granite Bay. So how did he end up at Ripon Christian after more than two decades of coaching?
Evidently, it was during one of the trips back to California that he and his wife discussed the idea of returning to the Golden State to be closer to the rapidly expanding base of grandchildren. He resigned from Lawrence before having any job offer but soon landed with the Knights.
“The cost of living was low in Wisconsin, and the people were great,” Grams said. “We were just missing our kids. We knew it was God’s plan.”
I asked longtime area coach Steve Anastasio, a coach of more than three decades, what makes Grams a quality hire.
“Every coach is here for the right reasons,” Anastasio said. “The players are all-in, and the players are dedicated to the sports programs here especially with weight training. Coach Grams brings out the best in them.”
Electric Field
Grams agreed it’s fun to watch his players take the field, comparing them to dinosaurs of yesteryear.
“They love playing football,” Grams said. “I describe them like velociraptors because you have teenagers who want to test the fences like velociraptors. On Friday nights we just turn off the electric fences.”
Patriot Games
While patrolling the sidelines Friday, I kept hearing the announcer say what I thought were the names of two future NFL Hall of Famers. Upon looking at the roster, running back Brady Grondz was responsible for 76 yards rushing on 18 carries. When his name is announced quickly, it sounds like Brady Gronk, as in Tom Brady and Rob “Gronk” Gronkowski.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Ripon Christian football defeats Orestimba during SJS semifinals
