Are the Wolves for real?

High School Football

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If you're a high school football fanatic, or merely a fan, here are six games that will provide plenty of excitement this week:

GAME OF THE WEEK

• No. 4 Small HILMAR (5-0) at No. 7 Small LIVINGSTON (5-0) — What to make of the upstart Wolves, whose last playoff berth came in 1990? Junior RB Charles Brown has the Wolves off to their best start in two decades going into this WAC opener, but they have yet to face a team like Hilmar. The 'Jackets are coming off a 20-14 win over then-No. 4 Argonaut, quieting an offense that averaged 43 points a game. Does Livingston have the linebackers to stay with Hilmar RBs Isaac and Carlos Silva?

ELSEWHERE

• No. 1 Large OAKDALE (5-0, 2-0) at EAST UNION (2-3, 0-2) — The Mustangs are in the soft part of the schedule, after facing two NorCal powers early and awaiting a rugged three-game run late in the season, and they've outscored the last two VOL foes 91-13. RB Devin Brooks (626 yards, 6 TDs) has become the speed back that Oakdale needed, and the defense had two TDs in last week's win. This is a must-win for EU, which has lost two in a row.

• MODESTO (2-3) vs. JOHANSEN (2-3) at Downey — With the MMC up for grabs, either of these teams could finish first as easily as last. Modesto has found its strength in RBs James Ingram (463 yards, 3 TDs) and Arquel Rogers (451 yards, TD), who led the Panthers to an upset of Patterson last week. The Vikings are happy with the progress of QB Armando Hernandez, who had three TD passes last week.

• No. 4 Large PITMAN (3-2, 2-0) at TURLOCK (0-5, 0-2) — This is only the sixth year of the Harvest Bowl, but it has become one of the Stanislaus District's most intense rivalries. Pitman won the first four, though three of those wins were decided by a combined five points, before Turlock won 7-0 last year. The Pride has an impressive backfield led by Markus Sanders (886 yards, 6 TDs), who averages 16 yards a carry.

• No. 3 Large SONORA (5-0, 2-0) at No. 5 Large MANTECA (3-2, 1-1) — The host Buffaloes face a must-win game in their bid to stay in the hunt for the VOL title. That means trying to slow RB Dan Link (793 yards, 10 TDs), one of the district's best at running between the tackles. Manteca can't fall behind as it did in last week's 23-15 loss to Sierra, or the Wildcats will turn to Link and grind out a win.

• MERCED (1-4, 1-0) at No. 6 Large BUHACH COLONY (4-2, 1-1) — The CCC's traditional powerhouse meets the conference's newcomer, and the result will say a lot about the future of both. The Thunder has yet to beat Merced, but with RB Corey Chapman healthy — he returned from injury to run for 240 yards and five TDs last week — this could be the year it happens. With two more wins, Buhach becomes a likely playoff team. Merced's offensive struggles continued last week, but its defense saved the day during a 6-3 upset of Los Banos. It's going to take more than a touchdown to beat the Thunder.

— Richard T. Estrada