Santa Rosa Academy wins first football league championship

Santa Rosa Academy football players celebrate the program's first league championship.

The Santa Rosa Academy football team clinched its first football league championship in school history Thursday night with a 35-14 victory over Trinity Classical Academy.

The Rangers (8-2 overall, 4-1 in the Cottonwood League) built a lead early, entering halftime up 21-14 before shutting down the Knights in the second half to seal the milestone win. Santa Rosa Academy will be the league’s No. 1 representative when the CIF Southern Section playoffs are announced on Sunday.

The Rangers have been perennial playoff contenders, despite playing larger programs that are ranked in higher divisions.

"It's awesome to witness a group of young men who compete in every aspect of football for each other in order to achieve a league championship. Simply amazing," said coach Perry Jones.

Jones also praised the entire Ranger football family.

"This is a proud day for the entire Ranger football family,” he said. “I have so much appreciation for our coaches and our team moms who have spent countless hours making this dream for these boys come true. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Editor’s note: This story will be updated with scoring and individual statistics when they are available.