The Placer High football team relies on fakes, misdirection and speed to confound opponents and light up the scoreboard at LeFebvre Stadium.

The Hillmen face a Sonora squad tonight that makes no secret about its intentions. The Wildcats have run their way into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals. The formula for stopping Sonora isn’t complicated.

“We have to stop the fullback and the quarterback,” Placer coach Joey Montoya said. “Those are the No. 1 priorities. We just have to execute our assignments.”

The Wildcats (10-2) have nearly matched the Hillmen’s prolific rushing numbers this season. Senior Dan Link does most of the damage, averaging 133 yards per game with 18 touchdowns on the year. Quarterback Ryan Emerald, tailback Brendon Kamler and tailback Nick Degiobbi all contribute over 50 yards per contest in Sonora’s triple-option offense.

“We haven’t seen that offense at the ltevel they run it,” said Montoya, who is looking to take Placer to its second straight section title game. “It’s not a common offense.”

Sonora has seen its share of the wing-T offense this season. The Wildcats were beaten by Oakdale and its wing-T attack, 35-7 last month. They fared much better against Lincoln’s wing-T, beating the Zebras 36-20 last Friday.

“I think Placer’s more like Oakdale,” Sonora coach Bryan Craig said.

The Hillmen are averaging over 300 yards per game on the ground. When teams stuff the box against the run, junior quarterback Collin Burnett is cashing in. He’s completing 60 percent of his passes and has 15 touchdowns with just three interceptions.

Placer’s defense was stellar against Calaveras in last week’s quarterfinal victory. The Hillmen gave up just 252 yards of total offense as they built a 24-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 43-23 win.

The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the Division IV-B bracket showdown between Modesto Christian and Central Catholic. The section title game will take place Dec. 11 in Stockton at Lincoln High School at 7 p.m.