Perhaps Yuba City football’s toughest stretch of the regular season hits tonight (Friday) when the Honkers head up to Auburn to encounter a team it has never beaten before (in the Maxpreps era) in their neighborhood: Placer High welcomes in YC in a top-5 MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Division IV matchup.
This week has YC and Placer No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, while Twelve Bridges sits atop the division. TB took down Placer, 49-27 last week to move to 5-2 overall and atop the Foothill Valley League with YC at 2-0.
YC hosts Twelve Bridges next week on the night before Halloween in the finale of this treacherous two-game test for head coach Jonah Lessard and company.
YC is likely to rely heavily on a backfield full of dynamic individuals who can break one on any given play. Cody Haase has been coming on of late with over 600 rushing yards in seven games, to go with 15 touchdowns. Haase is averaging 8.9 per carry for YC (6-1, 2-0). Hank Watson and Elijah Smith complement the team’s leading rusher with 361 and 279 yards, respectively through seven games.
YC will throw it behind senior quarterback Judah Allen. YC’s starter comes in at nearly 160 yards passing per game and a 60-plus completion percentage.
What about the defense?
The Honkers have held their last four opponents to under 10 points, including reigning D-IV champ Roseville, whom they beat 35-7 in Placer County two weeks ago.
Next week, YC will look to avenge one of its worst losses in recent memory when Twelve Bridges comes to Honker Stadium for the first time since its 56-0 beatdown of YC in 2024. The Raging Rhinos have at least 10 holdovers from the 2024 squad that advanced to the 2A state final, including several upfront behemoths and a receiver who figures to have a big role in the game. Dylan Amos was just a sophomore and amassed 64 yards in five games in 2024. He is the second-leading pass catcher this year with 24 receptions for 372 yards. and four scores.
YC ends the regular season Nov. 6 at home against Nevada Union for senior night. Playoff brackets and SJS bowl matchups are announced Nov. 8 via the section website. Teams do not have to meet the four-win threshold to earn a bowl game bid.
Sutter (7-0, 4-0 Golden Empire) vs. Rio Linda (4-3, 3-0 GEL)
The Huskies (7-0, 4-0) can clinch at least a share of the Golden Empire League title tonight at home when it hosts Rio Linda (3-1) at Wayne Gadberry Field (SUHS).
Sutter has been rolling through the GEL, posting two shutouts and a six-point effort a week ago when it blistered El Camino 49-6. Sophomore Caiden Armstrong (1.5) and senior Kota Bristow (0.5) combined for 2.5 sacks last week to help a depleted D-line still trying to recover from the loss of Troy Bowens a few weeks ago.
Rio Linda won its first three games in league, including a three-point squeaker last week over Casa Roble. The Knights relied on a balanced effort with QB Baltazar Tate completing 8-of-9 passes for 89 yards and a score and Zayden Anderson leading the ground game with 165 yards. Rio Linda dropped its two previous matchups with Sutter, 50-0 and 51-16 in 2025 and 2024.
East Nicolaus (8-0, 4-0 Sac Valley) vs. Colusa (3-4, 1-3 SVL)
The other area unbeaten, East Nicolaus, celebrates senior night Friday night when it hosts Colusa. The Spartans have been on a tear, winning their first eight games, en route to its first undefeated regular season since 2018. Justin Welch led East Nic on the ground with 185 yards and two scores in the team’s 21-0 win over previously unbeaten Winters. East Nic and Winters opened one-two, respectively in the Northern Section Division IV playoff points scenario on Monday.