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• Acampo woman killed

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Regional Roundup

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (72)
• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (60)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (41)
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• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (31)
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Tigers ready for challenge that defending champs present

One is a section powerhouse looking to defend its state title.

The other is making only its fourth postseason appearance in school history.

Tokay High and Grant, two teams from opposite backgrounds, will collide in a David-vs.-Goliath first-round Division II Sac-Joaquin Section playoff matchup today at 7 p.m. at Grant High School in Sacramento with their eyes on the same prize — a ticket to the next round.

Despite Grant's resume, which includes six section titles, a 24-game winning streak, loads of NFL alumni and a 2008 CIF Open Division state bowl championship, the Tigers aren't backing down from the challenge.

"We want to approach this game as if it could be our last game and compete for 48 minutes," said Tokay head coach Louis Franklin. "We think it is going to be a low-scoring game, so we want to play with great intensity and pride."

Edison head coach Andre Horace and the Vikings were the only team to face both Grant and Tokay this season. No. 3 Grant (10-0) beat Edison 27-0, a respectable loss to a team that averaged over 46 points per game and only gave up 35 points all season. Edison beat Tokay 20-7. Horace said his team was able to hang with the Pacers because Edison had some success matching their physicality. He said the key for Tokay's offensive line is to hold its ground against Grant's gigantic and aggressive defensive line.

"They can get pressure on your quarterback with their front three," Horace said. "Tokay has to match Grant's physical nature and cannot be intimidated by the Pacers' size. Tokay will have problems if they are intimidated."

The No. 14 Tigers (6-4) are in the postseason for the first time since 2002. Tokay earned its postseason berth thanks to an explosive offense led by mobile and big-play making quarterback Seth Siddle-Mitchell and hard-to-tackle running backs Patrick McCarthy (917 yards) and Michael Hernandez (565). The threesome have anchored one of the Tokay's best offenses in school history.

Siddle-Mitchell, who captains Tokay's option offense, can pass, pitch or run to help the Tigers move the chains.

"Seth is a great athlete. When he is in the game it gives the team a lot of confidence in what we are doing because they know that a big play can happen at any time," Franklin said of his QB who's run for 630 yards and passed for another 761 this year. "As our pass protection has improved the past few weeks we have also been able to make some big time throws down field. He has a great arm and is very accurate."

McCarthy's rushing production tapered off toward the end of the year, but his presence on the field didn't. On defense, he leads the team in tackles with 127. On offense, when he's not making big blocks, he's stepped up in the passing game. In the season finale against West, McCarthy caught four passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns. One way or another, Franklin plans on getting McCarthy involved in the game.

"Unfortunately teams have schemed to make sure Patrick doesn't get the ball. In league play, they have taken away the pitch, which has allowed Hernandez and Seth to gain most of the rushing yards," Franklin said. "Even though he is not getting the ball, he is making huge blocks and is probably the most unselfish player on the team."

Grant graduated several starters from last year's state championship team and despite having more than half of its starters on offense and defense made up of sophomores and juniors, has picked right back up where the Pacers left off last year.

The Pacers not only have their eye on repeating as section champions, but state champs as well. While they are one of three undefeated teams in the bracket and a heavy favorite to take the crown, Grant head coach Mike Alberghini isn't looking past Tokay.

"They involve a lot of people in their offense and they've got some good players. It's a challenge," he said. "They do a nice job with the kids they have and they'll give you a lot of different looks. It is just about understanding where we are going and being prepared for it come Friday night."

Grant is led by running back Devontae Butler, who has rushed for 2,144 yards and 34 touchdowns this season. He's averaging over 10 yards per carry and 214.4 yards per game. One of Grant's captains, Butler is looking to end his high school career with another title run.

"We are coming in really confident and ready to win this game," Butler said. "We want another state championship."

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.