3 Merced County football teams play in section quarterfinals. A look at matchups
The Sac-Joaquin Section high school football playoffs kick off Friday night, and three Merced County teams are looking to go on a run and claim a blue banner. Here’s a look at the quarterfinal matchups (all games scheduled for 6 p.m. kickoff): Division 3: Merced at Vanden After going 2-2 during nonleague play, the Bears have been on a roll. Merced, which won six straight games to claim the Central California Conference championship, now heads to Fairfield for a Division 3 quarterfinal matchup. Merced features a powerful running attack, with seniors Anthony Tacheira (530 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Dougie Andrews (774 yards, 8 TDs) running behind a solid offensive line. Vanden is 9-1 and won the Monticello Empire League with a 6-0 record. The two teams met in the Division 3 quarterfinals in 2025, with the Vikings edging the Bears 26-25 in Merced. Division 5: Casa Roble at Hilmar Top-seeded Hilmar takes its perfect record (10-0) into a first-round matchup against eighth-seeded Casa Roble of Orangevale. The Yellowjackets, having won the Trans-Valley League title at 6-0, are the clear favorites to take home the Division 5 title. The Hilmar offense has been unstoppable this season. It’s led by senior quarterback