Here are the Top 10 football games to watch in the Stanislaus District for Week 2
Some Stanislaus area teams are looking to keep the momentum going while others are looking to bounce back after starting the season with a loss. Here are the top games to watch this week:
Central Catholic at De La Salle, 7:30 p.m.
Can Central Catholic pull off the impossible? De La Salle is 31-0 against the Sac-Joaquin Section since 1980.
“It’s a great challenge,” Raiders coach Roger Canepa said. “I tell people, ‘which school with 360 to 370 kids get to play the No. 15 team in the nation? Not many.”
Central Catholic shut out Clovis West 21-0 in week 1 while De La Salle beat Folsom, 14-0.
Senior running back D’Angelo Bellamy will play after missing the first game of the season. Both coaches expect a highly physical game with two run-heavy offenses.
“You can’t go down there and be intimidated and we have never been,” Canepa said.
“It’s a big jump from Clovis as far as physicality,” senior running back and defensive back Dawaiian McNeely said. “They are pretty physical and everything but De La Salle is a whole (other) monster. You just have to respect them in all concepts. We have to watch out for everything.”
Downey at Manteca, 7 p.m.
Two high-powered offenses face off at Manteca. Downey is coming off of a 39-19 win over East Union and both junior Bryce Gouker and freshman Beau Green will split time at quarterback, according to Knights coach Jeremy Plaa. Unlike last week, Gouker will start over Green. The Buffaloes, the defending Sac-Joaquin Section III champions, ran for 516 yards in their 64-14 win over Lathrop. Junior running back Trabron Russell ran for 125 yards and a score.
Gregori at Merced, 7 p.m.
The Jaguars are coming off of a disappointing 13-6 loss to Buhach Colony and haven’t started the season 0-2 since 2012. Merced beat Del Campo 51-15 in Week 1 and scored 13 points in the final six seconds of the first half. Gregori won the 2017 matchup 35-14.
Beyer at Modesto, 7 p.m. at Gregori High School
Old Modesto Metro Conference members will face off at Gregori and both have something to prove after disappointing losses last week. Beyer fell to Enochs, 35-7 while Modesto lost to Clovis, 42-14 on Saturday. The teams have split the last six meetings, with Beyer beating the Panthers 24-14 in the last game of the 2017 season.
Hilmar at Los Banos, 7:30 p.m.
After a 48-7 win over Delhi to start the saeson, the Yellowjackets will travel to face Los Banos, which beat Dos Palos, 26-20. The Yellowjackets ran for 204 yards on 25 carries in Week 1.
Hughson at Orestimba, 7:30 p.m.
A rematch of the 2015 Sac-Joaquin Section Division V first-round playoff battle when the Warriors outlasted the Huskies, 42-35. Orestimba is in Division V and Hughson in Division VI and both are coming off wins last week. Senior quarterback Jacob Bettencourt was great in the Warriors’ 50-27 win over Bret Harte as he threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns and also had a rushing touchdown. Huskies senior quarterback Steven Morris had 335 total yards and two touchdowns in Hughson’s 40-39 win over Stagg. Hughson has started every season 2-0 since 2010.
Calaveras at Escalon, 7 p.m.
Andrew Beam’s tenure at Escalon got off to a nice start last week with a 31-14 win over Union Mine. Sophomore running back Luke Anderson had 118 rushing yards for the Cougars, who have lost the last two meetings against Calaveras. Calaveras didn’t play in week 1.
Oakdale at Archbishop Mitty, noon at Saint Francis High School
This non-conference game is a part of the 2018 Honor Bowl series which will have eight games in three states during two weekends. The Mustangs are traveling to Mountain View on Friday and will spend the night in a hotel before Saturday’s game. The Mustangs shut out Sonora 49-0 last week while the Monarchs were idle. Oakdale is ranked No. 18 in Northern California by MaxPreps while Archbishop Mitty is No. 33.
Reno at Turlock, 7 p.m.
After a 42-35 loss to Freedom last week, the Bulldogs return home and host Reno. The Huskies went 12-1 last year and have won their last four meetings against California schools. Senior quarterback Jonah Kosakiewicz threw for 313 yards last week for Turlock.
West at Enochs, 7 p.m. at Downey High School
After beating rival Beyer 35-7 in week 1, the Enochs Eagles are looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2008 and will host West. Dating back to last year, the Eagles have won three of their last four games and they beat the Wolfpack 31-0 in 2017.
This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 4:38 PM.