The wettest and rainiest night of the year proved to be both a bad omen and a huge hindrance to the Woodland Christian football team as the downpour that made its way through the area washed away any chance the Cardinals had to repeat as section, regional and state champions.

Amid gusts of wind, a muddy field and rain that never let up, the Cardinals’ bid to repeat as champions ended Friday night at the hands of Sonora, who were able to thrive in the wet and wild environment to get back on the bus home with a resounding 28-0 win, advancing them to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI Championship game.

Unfortunately, the weather elements that seemed to magnify the visiting Wildcats’ biggest strength—running the ball up the gut with authority—held the Cardinals’ usual high-octane passing attack in check as they faced a battle on two fronts.

“I was not expecting us to be unable to throw or catch the ball,” Cardinals head coach Mike Paschke said. “Having the passing game taken away from us was really unfortunate. That’s how we won a lot of our games this year. The weather really made us one-dimensional. The rain made both teams one-dimensional, but everything Sonora likes to do is hand the ball off under center and run. I thought we had a good game plan, but for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out. There wasn’t anything we could have done differently.

“Last year, we were more run-heavy, and this year, we were pass-heavy, so we just couldn’t throw the ball in these conditions. We struggled right out of the gate with turnovers and were immediately behind the Eight-ball.”

The Cardinals came into the semifinals knowing how hard the jump up into D6 playoffs was following a tough, battle-testing 21-7 win over No. 7 seed Liberty Ranch last week. Two late touchdowns from star senior Devin Herrera and a stout defensive performance sealed the deal for the Cardinals, who advanced to the section semifinals for the fourth year in a row.

No. 3 seed Sonora came into the showdown following a 64-7 beatdown over Calaveras last week after also enjoying a first-round bye alongside the Cardinals the week before.

The Wildcats earned the No. 3 seed after a 9-2 season overall, going 4-2 in the Trans Valley League, finishing in second place behind Division V No. 1 seed Hughson.

“They were good and very well coached,” Paschke said. “One of the best-coached teams we have seen all year. Their tailback just churns and punishes people for even trying to tackle him. Sonora beat the No. 1 seed in Division III in Oakdale and will now take on Bradshaw Christian, who are just as good. That is going to be a heck of a game.”

The Wildcats jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after getting the ball back on an interception on the defense’s second drive, which eventually led to a 46-yard rushing touchdown by running back Tommy Sutton.

After trading punts, the Wildcats pounced on another throw from Cardinals quarterback Isaiah Hunt for the defense’s second interception of the night. This led to Sutton doubling his touchdown total via a 3-yard run to make it 14-0.

With the field now looking like a demolition derby arena, the Cardinals had the monumental task of not only battling back from a 14-0 deficit but also battling the elements and field conditions.

After another stalled drive and trading of possessions, both teams went into halftime with completely different priorities.

The Wildcats received the second-half kick and mounted a nice drive, highlighted by a 40-yard-plus play to set them up inside the red zone. Once inside the 5-yard line, they’d punch in a 2-yard run to go up 21-0.

The Cards’ next drive ended on a turnover on downs, which then directly led to another long Wildcats drive, topped off with a 2-yard touchdown from Brody Speer to make it 28-0.

While there were still 11 minutes in the game, the Cardinals found it hard to get going on offense before punting the ball back to the Wildcats. They were able to recover a fumble with about seven minutes left in the game to give the home crowd something to cheer about, but with limited time left and half the playbook actually feasible due to the conditions, the game felt like a foregone conclusion.

“I didn’t think the rain was going to affect us as badly as it did,” Paschke recalled. “It’s my fourth year here, so I guess I haven’t seen it all. We prepared a lot this week to throw the ball because that’s where we thought we could attack them. To have that taken away is really tough.”

After a few more possessions were traded off, the Wildcats got control of the ball and ran the final few minutes off the clock before composing themselves for the traditional handshakes and then gleefully sliding into a mud patch near midfield.

“After the game, it was really about the seniors,” Paschke said. “I’ve been with a lot of these kids since they were 9 years old. I came up and learned with them. This was a great group of young men. This group of men will be successful in life beyond football. I’m so grateful they won a state championship last year. As a coaching staff, we are really close to them and pour everything we have into the kids. They are godly men who will be really good fathers someday.

“It makes it easier for us when the kids are policing themselves,’ he continued. “We set the rules, but they have to want to follow them. We can mold them, but they shape themselves. When you have it good at the top, it’s easy. From top to bottom, we had great leadership this year.”

Sonora will meet D6 No. 1 seed Bradshaw Christian next Friday for the section championship. That game is set for Friday, Nov 29, at 11 a.m. at Sac City College.