Warrior Ricky Akers intercepts a pass.

GALT, CA (MPG) - For the 15th consecutive year, the Dairy Bowl trophy is headed to Liberty Ranch. This time, the Hawks were in no hurry to lift it.

Liberty Ranch dismantled Galt 47-13 on Friday night before a packed Warrior Stadium, closing out its regular season in emphatic fashion and locking up the No. 1 seed for the upcoming section playoffs. But the scoreboard was only the backdrop for a night that ended with the two crosstown rivals trading jerseys, snapping photos and embracing at midfield.

The Dairy Bowl is, by almost any measure, the biggest night on Galt’s calendar. Fans filled the stands eager to see the city’s two high schools square off, and the Warriors rolled out the full production: photo-booth stations, mini food-truck vendors, celebratory decorations and the beloved cow-poop raffle, in which a crowd waits for a cow to drop its load on a winning numbered square.

After the game with sweat steaming, Warrior Paker Millard and Hawk Cutler Perez exchange Jerseys.

On the field, Liberty Ranch looked every bit the part of a team its principal believes is special.

“In my opinion, this is the best team Liberty Ranch has ever had,” principal Joe Saramago said, who by the way, has been to every one of Liberty Ranch’s football games since the school’s founding.

The Hawks’ offense was relentless, piling up 330 total yards — 282 of them on the ground at a 12.8-yard clip — while scoring six of their seven touchdowns on runs. Senior quarterback Ryan Ogas completed 3 of 6 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown and added 86 yards and two scores on just four carries, an average of 21.5 yards per attempt. Joe Lara was even more efficient, turning seven carries into 87 yards and three touchdowns, including a 37-yard burst that was the longest play of the night for either team. Wyatt Corriea churned out 82 yards and a score on nine carries, and Hunter Owen caught a 27-yard touchdown pass and converted all five of his extra-point attempts.

Galt’s James Gilbert tries to gain some yards.

The Hawks spread the production across the box score. Ogas finished with 134 total yards, Lara 108 and Corriea 82, and Liberty Ranch rolled up 398 all-purpose yards against a Galt defense that never found an answer.

That defense was under siege all evening. Liberty Ranch registered nine sacks for 69 yards in losses and 13 tackles for loss, holding the Warriors to 139 total yards and 99 on the ground on 36 carries — a 2.8-yard average. Corriea led the charge with three sacks and nine total tackles, while Conrad Dixon had two sacks among his five stops and four tackles for loss. Ryan Guthrie added two sacks, two tackles for loss and six tackles, and Soni Takafua contributed 1.5 sacks and four tackles. Adrian Torres made seven stops, Liam Trosko had nine tackles and a 37-yard interception return, and Daniel Swearingen chipped in six tackles and a sack. In all, Liberty Ranch was credited with 74 total tackles.

Galt refused to go quietly early, matching the Hawks touchdown for touchdown in the first quarter to head into the second tied at 7. From there, Liberty Ranch scored 19 unanswered points before halftime and 14 more in the third quarter to turn the game into a rout.

Galt Quarterback Robert Rubio looks to pass with lots of pressure from the Hawks.

Senior James Gilbert did most of the heavy lifting for the Warriors, carrying 16 times for 90 yards and both Galt touchdowns while catching one pass for five yards. Robert Rubio completed 9 of 14 passes for 40 yards but was intercepted once and finished with minus-10 yards on 10 carries. Ricky Akers caught four passes for 20 yards and returned an interception 8 yards, while Carlo Sterni had two catches for 13 yards and picked off a pass. Arthur Cordova added three receptions for five yards and 15 rushing yards.

The game was as physical as the rivalry suggests — plenty of quarterback sacks, hard hits, personal fouls, unsportsmanlike-conduct and offside calls — but when the dust settled, both sides walked away with their heads up.

With two minutes left in the game Hawks Enzo Diaz and Ezekiel Baltazar keep Warrior James Gilbert from catching a pass.

What happened next was the part everyone will remember. Rather than hoisting the trophy and celebrating, the Hawks went looking for their friends from Galt High. Jerseys came off and were swapped. Pictures were taken. Hugs and shoulder claps were everywhere.

“One town,” said Galt Athletic Director Jason Burgin. “It was amazing.”

Liberty Ranch now turns its attention to the section playoffs, where it enters as the top seed. For Galt, the season ended Friday night — but not before the Warriors and Hawks reminded a packed stadium what the Dairy Bowl is really about.

Hawk Hunter Owen catches a pass and scores.