Lopez: How league football titles appear to be shaping up in the Stanislaus District
Week 6 in the Stanislaus District wasn’t great ... if you are a fan of competitive games.
Fifteen of the 18 games in our immediate coverage area were decided by 10 points or more with seven being decided by 35 or more.
Of course, there were some great matchups with Golden Valley stopping Patterson on the 5-yard line on the final play of the game and Los Banos upsetting Davis.
It’s clear there is a talent gap between some teams in the same league. That’s nothing new. Some weeks, it can be a real struggle to find competitive games to cover.
But let’s not overreact and say that the rest of the season is going to be blowout after blowout. With a month left in the regular season there is still some intrigue left, and some of it rests in the races for conference titles.
Let’s look at it league by league:
- Central California Athletic League (CCAL): It appears the favorites are Downey (3-2) and Turlock (3-2). Those schools play each other next week. Keep an eye on Gregori (3-2), which had a nice road victory over Livermore in Week 5.
- Central California Conference (CCC): Buhach Colony (1-0, 5-0) tops the league and the Thunder is one of the best in the section. Its game against Atwater (2-0, 5-1) on Nov. 1 will most likely decide the league championship.
- Valley Oak League (VOL): After a slow start, Central Catholic (2-0, 2-4) has regrouped and will likely play for the league championship against rival Oakdale (2-0, 4-2) on Nov. 1. Oakdale hosts Manteca (0-1, 3-2) on Friday and the Buffaloes need a win to have a shot at winning a league title after losing to Central Catholic on Sept. 20.
- Western Athletic Conference (WAC): The top two schools right now are Beyer (2-0, 3-2) and Johansen (2-0, 4-1) but there are five schools who could win the league title. The WAC will be the most interesting league to watch. Beyer and Johansen play Nov. 1 and both still have to play Davis (1-1, 4-1), which lost to Los Banos on Friday. Keep an eye on Los Banos, too.
- Trans-Valley League (TVL): After a 34-21 win over Hilmar (1-1, 5-1), Escalon (1-0, 5-0) has a clear path to a league title although an away game at Ripon (1-1, 5-1) on Oct. 18 will be a big test, especially if the Indians return a couple of key players from injury.
- Southern League (SL): Ripon Christian (2-0, 4-1) beat Denair, 28-7 on Friday and the Knights’ only tough game left is against Orestimba (1-1, 3-2) next week. Ripon Christian snapped the Warriors’ 23-game league winning streak last year.
The turnaround of two Modesto schools: Last year, Beyer was winless and Johansen went 3-7.
Through six weeks, the two teams have combined for seven wins and are tied atop the WAC.
It’s something few were expecting and the credit both coaches.
In his first year with Beyer, Greg Bockman already has turned the program around and the Patriots are built for the future with sophomore wide receiver/defensive back Darius Murphy.
Johansen always has had a tough time filling the roster, but that hasn’t stopped Scott Sacuskie.
With open enrollment, athletes who live near Johansen tend to go to other Modesto schools.
Sacuskie has coached his players to believe they can compete and so far, the Vikings have showed they want more. They are one win away from five wins, which would be their most since 2011.
With some of the usual teams vying for league titles, it’s nice to see two Modesto programs fighting for supremacy.
This story was originally published September 28, 2019 at 4:49 PM.
