RLHS Sports Recap: Sept. 28–Oct. 3, 2026
By John Todd | Rio Linda Online
Published Oct. 5, 2026
Rio Linda High School celebrated homecoming week with a convincing football victory Friday night, while the Knights’ girls flag football team split its two games and remained firmly in the Golden Empire League race.
Football: Knights Run Away From Natomas
Homecoming belonged to the Knights.
Rio Linda rolled past Natomas 52–16 Friday night, improving to 3–3 overall and 2–0 in the Golden Empire League and putting the Knights in first place in the posted league standings.
After opening the season 1–3, Rio Linda has now won two straight league games, following its 35–0 shutout of Dixon with Friday’s 36-point homecoming victory.
The Knights did most of their damage on the ground.
Rio Linda finished with 385 yards of total offense, including a dominating 331 rushing yards and 54 yards through the air.
Four Knights earned MaxPreps Player of the Game honors for their performances:
- Zayden Anderson
- Reymundo Castro
- Louis Means
- Alex Pintado
The victory brings Rio Linda back to .500 for the season and keeps the Knights unbeaten through their first two Golden Empire League games.
Rio Linda now gets a week off before returning to league play on the road against Casa Roble on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m.
The Knights were ranked ninth in Sac-Joaquin Section Division V in rankings released before Friday’s victory. Those rankings are not official CIF playoff seeds and did not yet account for Rio Linda’s win over Natomas.
Golden Empire League Football Results
Friday, Oct. 2
- Rio Linda 52, Natomas 16
- Sutter 53, Woodland 23
- El Camino 20, Dixon 14
Casa Roble stepped outside Golden Empire League play Friday and defeated Nevada Union 26–21 in a nonleague game.
Girls Flag Football: Knights Remain Second in League
It was a split week for Rio Linda girls flag football, but the Knights remain near the top of the league standings.
Rio Linda fell 31–0 to Natomas on Monday before responding Wednesday with a 12–0 shutout of Woodland.
The Knights finished the week 8–5 overall and 7–1 in league play, good for second place.
Among Rio Linda’s published season leaders, Bayleigh Jackson has recorded eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. S. Johnson Moody has been a disruptive presence defensively, recording 25 sacks and 31 flag pulls for loss.
Rio Linda begins the coming week with two road games:
- Monday, Oct. 5 — at Casa Roble, 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, Oct. 7 — at Sutter, 6 p.m.
Rio Linda was listed 10th in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III rankings entering the week. As with the football rankings, that is a MaxPreps ranking and should not be confused with an official CIF playoff position.
Girls Volleyball
Rio Linda had a difficult week on the volleyball court, falling 3–0 at Dixon on Monday before losing 3–1 at Destiny Christian Academy on Wednesday.
Those results left the Knights 4–7 overall and 2–6 in league play, placing them seventh in the standings.
Rio Linda was scheduled to open Saturday tournament play against Foothill at 8 a.m. However, no verified result from that match had been posted as of Sunday morning, so the tournament result remains unconfirmed.
The Knights return to Golden Empire League competition at El Camino on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6:30 p.m.
Knights Enter October With Momentum
The biggest development of the week came under the homecoming lights.
After starting the season with losses in three of their first four games, the Rio Linda football team has responded emphatically. The Knights have outscored their first two Golden Empire League opponents 87–16, beating Dixon 35–0 and Natomas 52–16.
Flag football, meanwhile, remains in contention near the top of its league with a 7–1 record, while girls volleyball continues looking for an opportunity to gain ground during the second half of league play.
With football getting a bye week, much of the immediate attention turns to the girls teams as Rio Linda High School athletics moves deeper into the October schedule.
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