High School Notes & Quotes | Modesto Bee

What readers are saying on The Bee's forum at forums.modbee.com:

With volleyball passing the halfway point of the season, and the Sac-Joaquin Section power ratings scheduled to be released next week, it's time to speculate on who is going to win league championships:

"MMC: Modesto is a no-brainer, Beyer or Enochs will probably come in second. CCC: This league is tough because anyone can take anyone out on any given night. I think these next few weeks will clear up the picture. Golden Valley is the front-runner with Buhach and Atwater on its heels. I see Los Banos posing a threat and being a spoiler. VOL: Oakdale is in the lead and the only true challenge I see is Sonora. TVL: I thought that Escalon would be a factor, but with early losses to Ripon and Ripon Christian, it might be too much to rebound. It's Ripon and RC going for top-dog honors, (with the) edge to Ripon. WAC: It's Hilmar's to lose. It hasn't gone four games with anybody in league. This hurts for the playoffs because of lack of competition. SL: A two-team race between Mariposa and LeGrand. TC and Denair could be spoilers." VBPORTAGEE

It's big game week in the CCC with Los Banos facing Merced at Merced College on Friday night. LB was dominant in last week's 28-0 win over Turlock, and Merced slipped past Del Oro of Loomis 21-14. What does it mean for this week:

"I think league games for Merced will look a lot like how the (Bears) got beat by Edison: Merced didn't play horribly, it was flat-out beaten by speed. It (will) be the same for teams playing Merced in the CCC. Merced's big-time weapons have a motor that not many others in the CCC have. Look for TE Kenneth Cooper, QB Allen Huddleston, and WR Eddie Beavers to start putting up numbers." getirdone

Check out these online blogs:

Staff writer Will DeBoard's blog at thehive.modbee.com/wdeboard

Staff writer Richard T. Estrada's blog at thehive.modbee.com/warningtrackpower

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