Column: Manteca High embraces ‘For the city’ mantra as it chases state title

There’s a movement afoot in the Family City to get people on their feet to cheer the Manteca High School boys basketball team in its quest for a CIF state championship.

Friends and family of the Buffaloes program have taken to social media to encourage alumni and fellow residents to line Yosemite Avenue near the campus as the team departs for Sacramento on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

The team buses will leave west toward Interstate 5, traveling through the heart of downtown Manteca.

The Buffaloes (28-6) will play Ayala of Chino Hills (33-3) in the CIF State Division III final later that day at Sleep Train Arena. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.

This is a first for the Manteca Unified School District’s oldest high school, whose athletic programs continue to ascend to new heights in the 21st century even though their facilities remain a thing of the past.

The Buffaloes have long been a regional, medium-sized power in football – as witnessed by their four Sac-Joaquin Section championships – but had never traveled this far into the basketball postseason.

Until Brett Lewis arrived.

In Year One under the coach, Manteca reached the NorCal tournament for the first time in 28 years but was bounced by Foothill of Palo Cedro 68-60.

Befitting a program with so little regional experience, the Buffaloes were beaten up on the boards, thrown for a loop in the third quarter and then tasked with self-reflection as they made the midnight drive home.

One year later, Manteca proudly wears that loss like a scuff on its elbow.

“Nobody has ever been here,” said Lewis, an East Union graduate, “and this group of kids, they’re doing it.”

They’re not alone, either.

Lewis appreciates the support he and his program have received throughout the season, and he wants the fans to know their cheers and love notes haven’t gone unnoticed.

Following the Buffaloes’ 60-54 victory over Archbishop Riordan on March 15, Lewis broke the locker room with three words that have framed this historic postseason:

“For the city!” echoed through the back halls of Winter Gymnasium.

There are 17 members of the varsity program, including assistant coaches Ryan Bono and Bobby Orr, but these Buffaloes believe they run in a herd of thousands – young and old, green, red and blue.

“We have that name on our chest. It’s all about Manteca, and it’s all about the support that we get,” Lewis said. “The school is (96) years old, and I have no idea who some of the people are that have been contacting me saying ‘congrats’ on Facebook and Twitter. It’s crazy.”

“For the city” was a mantra coined by senior forward Kenny Wooten Jr. (ironically, a Stockton transplant) ahead of the Division III section final against Weston Ranch at Sleep Train Arena on March 4.

The Buffaloes were ultimately defeated by their Valley Oak League rival 69-57, but they return to the NBA arena empowered by the support of an entire city. Enemies have become allies, and battle lines have been blurred in a community on the cusp of its second CIF state title in three months.

In the fall, the Sierra football team enjoyed a Cinderella run to the Division IV-A championship. The Timberwolves were the last team to qualify for the section playoffs and one of four in six divisions with a 5-5 regular-season record.

Yet given a second lease on life, the battle-tested Timberwolves seized every opportunity, annihilating Liberty Ranch of Galt for its first section banner and then outlasting Chowchilla in the state final.

As a native Mantecan, Sierra athletic director Anthony Chapman is rooting for the Buffaloes. He sent a congratulatory text to Manteca athletic director Bill Slikker on Saturday.

“It’s good for them and great for this community with football and now basketball,” Chapman said. “I’ve lived in Manteca for most of my life, and it’s good that Manteca is getting recognition for its athletic programs.”

The Buffaloes’ run to the state final has been captivating theater.

After eking out victories over Albany and Riordan, Manteca pummeled Bishop O’Dowd in the Northern California final. Manteca outscored the reigning Open Division state champion 43-19 in the second half. A team from the Valley, with little regional success, slayed the Dragons, a Bay Area school with statewide clout.

Afterward, junior Tydus Verhoeven spoke about the significance of the victory. Clutching the plaque at midcourt, while the stands emptied around him, Verhoeven said the win meant more than adding a trophy to the case in the foyer. It was about representing a region and taking a community to a place it’s never been.

“We’re running in a herd now. That’s our big thing,” Verhoeven said. “Manteca is a close-knit community. A lot of guys from other schools, other guys in the VOL, they’ve come up to us and said, ‘Get it for the VOL. Get it for the city.’ So that’s been our motto.

“We’re not just doing this for Manteca High but for the whole city. We want to put it on the map and represent it well.”

This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Column: Manteca High embraces ‘For the city’ mantra as it chases state title."