Photo By: Taylor Olivas 

As school rapidly begins, Friday nights are suddenly filled with the sights and sounds of a fresh football season.This year, the Thunder have another rigorous schedule during the pre season and as always; a tough schedule in the ever-competitive Sierra Foothill League.

Like never before, the SFL will include some of the top teams in the Sacramento area, with 4 of the top 5 teams in the area all hailing from the SFL. With Folsom, Granite Bay, Oak Ridge, and Del Oro all ranked in top 5, Rocklin has a tough road ahead but the Thunder are up to the challenge. With an unorthodox lineup of games this season, Rocklin is left with only four home games, an unfortunate change after six home games a year ago.

This year, Rocklin returns Junior Quarterback Cade Wyant, who stepped in for injured QB Mike Nolan in last year’s Quarry Bowl, along with leading tackler Blayden Brown and Lineman Tyler Geide. Not only are Blayden and Tyler poised for huge senior seasons, they have been named team captains for the Varsity squad. After a tough year filled with numerous close losses, the Thunder are striving to make the playoffs for the eighth time since 2009 with Coach Benzel at the helm.

First up for the Thunder is the always competitive Grant Pacers, lead by long time coaching legend Mike Alberghini who has lead Grant for an outstanding 27 years. Last year, the Thunder battled the Pacers but ultimately fell 21-20 in the closing moments. Again, both squads are set for outstanding seasons, with the Thunder beginning the season ranked ninth while Grant starts as the eighth ranked team in the Sacramento area.

As the Thunder prepared for this showdown, they have “focused on executing the fine details of the job as well as playing with purpose,” says quarterback Cade Wyant. This top 10 matchup is sure to be a competitive grudge match and it begins another season under the lights at Thunder Stadium.