Josiah Johnson completed 22 of 35 passes for 388 yards and six touchdowns and also rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries to lead Sacramento High to a 58-21 win over McClatchy in the annual Bell Game today in Oak Park.
It was the 78th game between the two longtime city rivals, a series that McClatchy still leads 42-33-3.
Johnson, in only his second season as a quarterback, came into the game as the Sac-Joaquin Section leader in total offense with 3,448 yards.
Damen Wheeler caught seven passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns and sophomore Lonnie Powell had three catches for 84 yards and two scores.
It was the Dragons' (8-2, 6-1) fourth consecutive win over the Lions (3-4, 3-7), enabling them to keep the large, perpetual Bell trophy on their campus for the next 12 months.
"We had a good crowd and there was a lot to celebrate," said Sac coach Paul Doherty. "Give McClatchy credit. Nick Modar, their quarterback, had a heckuva game.
He completed seven or eight deep balls on us, despite our heavy pressure."
Doherty also had praise for McClatchy coach Malcolm Floyd, the former NFL receiver who also played at the Land Park school.
"McClatchy is as well coached as Rocklin, Grant, Del Oro or any of those schools," Doherty said. "They just don't have the horses."
With the win, Sacramento finishes the regular season with its most wins since 1993, and it helped the Dragons, a No. 7 seed, earn a home Sac-Joaquin Section Division III playoff game next Saturday against El Camino.
Doherty believes it will be the first football game to be played on the campus of Sacramento's oldest high school.
The Dragons used to call Hughes Stadium home before moving games to their campus several years ago to build school spirit and to save on expenses.
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