Turlock the favorite in the CCC. Buhach Colony, Merced, Pitman look to be in the hunt.

The biggest question heading into the season for the Turlock High football team was how would the Bulldogs replace Central California Conference MVP Danny Velasquez at quarterback.

Junior Jonah Kosakiewicz has filled in and has thrown just two touchdowns in four games so far this season as the Bulldogs offense has struggled at times.

“Our offense has got to be able to score,” said Turlock coach James Peterson. “We’ve made it into the red zone a lot of times and not been able to convert that into points.”

Despite the offensive struggles, the defending CCC champions enter conference play this week as the favorite to repeat, but the Bulldogs (2-2) will face plenty of competition the next seven weeks.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Buhach Colony (2-2), Merced (1-3) or Pitman (1-3) make a run at a title.

“I think everyone is pretty good,” Peterson said. “We’re all in the hunt. I don’t see any of us standing out.”

The Favorite

Turlock has been led by its defense so far this season. The Bulldogs defense scored both touchdowns on interception returns in an impressive 14-13 win over Clovis earlier this season. Linebacker Gabriel Cordero had five sacks in Turlock’s 14-7 win over Modesto last week.

However, the biggest question is can the Turlock offense score enough points if they need to get into a shootout.

Last year Peterson and the coaching staff could rely on Velasquez to make something happen if a play broke down. That’s tough to ask of a young quarterback.

“I’ve been blessed to have Danny Velasquez, the league MVP, back there in 2015 and 2016,” Peterson said. “We all know the player he is and the ability he has. We ask a lot of our quarterbacks in our offense, especially with the read-option. He had to read everything on the field. We’ve got to play good and perform at that position.”

The Contenders

Buhach Colony (2-2), Merced (1-3) and Pitman (1-3) all have the ability to contend for a title, but it’s hard to put them at the same level as Turlock at this point.

The Thunder have rebounded from an 0-2 start with back-to-back wins. Buhach Colony is an overtime loss to undefeated Downey from being 3-1. Buhach Colony is trying to reach the postseason for the first time since 2012.

The Thunder open league play on Friday at home against Turlock.

Buhach Colony has been able to score points, averaging over 37 points per game this season. The Thunder have been led offensive by quarterback Clay Abrams and running backs Christian Quiralte and John Buttrey.

Merced is a wild card. The Bears have a dynamic quarterback in Dhameer Warren who threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s loss to Madera and ran for another two scores.

The Bears defense has struggled, giving up over 37 points per game.

With just one win in its first four games, Merced doesn’t have much room for error the rest of the way. The Bears open up against Pitman in Turlock on Friday.

“You look at our matchup and it’s 1-3 versus 1-3,” Merced coach Rob Scheidt said. “That puts us in playoff mode. There is a little room for error, but if we don’t get it done we maybe trying to salvage the season.”

The Bears enter conference play banged up. Warren, Xavier Stewart (receiver), Clifford Johnson (offensive line), Elijah Gilliam (linebacker/running back) and Desmond Thompson (receiver) are all questionable for Friday’s game with various injuries.

Pitman is in the same position as Merced after a 1-3 start. The Pride need to string together some wins if they are going to make the playoffs.

After opening with a victory at Napa, Pitman has suffered three consecutive losses. The Pride offense is led by Jacob Partida, Tyler Stout and Antonio Reyes. Brendan Tallent is a force on both sides of the ball.

The rest of the pack

Atwater and El Capitan are in the first season under new head coaches in Seneca Ybarra (Falcons) and Frank Solis (Gauchos). There’s definitely a learning curve those teams are undertaking.

Golden Valley had a large turnover in players so the Cougars have a lot of new faces in key spots as they’ve started off 0-4.

The Falcons, who play Ceres on Thursday night at home, have been more competitive this season, losing a close 12-9 contest to Central Valley in the opener and then losing 36-35 in the final seconds to McNair a week later. Running back Charles Jackson has given the Falcons a big-play threat out of the backfield, rushing for 262 yards and three touchdowns.

The Gauchos erased a 28-point deficit against King’s Academy to win 41-35 in overtime last week for their first win. Quarterback Kevin Reid threw three touchdowns in the second half.

Golden Valley hasn’t scored more than 14 points in any of its first four games.

The Cougars host El Capitan on Friday at Veterans Stadium.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Turlock the favorite in the CCC. Buhach Colony, Merced, Pitman look to be in the hunt.."