Here are 10 things you need to know about the Stanislaus District football season
A new football season is here and this fall there are a number of new things to look for across the Stanislaus District. Here are 10 key storylines to keep an eye on this year:
1. Ready for football
Practices have been filled with energy and preseason scrimmages brought a sense of normalcy back to the Stanislaus District. Coaches and players alike more than anything are just ready to get out on the field. After last year’s shortened season – teams played up to five games in March and April – this year with limited mask mandates, no regulations on crowd attendance and a full 10 games to look forward to is one that should bring about some intense matchups every week. At this point, there has been no word on whether weekly testing will be mandated, according to some coaches. Krista Noonan, chief communications officer with Modesto City Schools, is still awaiting word from the California Department of Public Health on youth sports and testing requirements. “We’ve been informed it’s still in the works,” she said Wednesday.
2. New faces in new places
There were plenty of coaching moves around the Stanislaus District, and a couple in San Joaquin County.
- In Modesto, James Stacy left the sidelines at Enochs and became the school’s athletic director. Tracey Traub takes over for Stacy. Traub was the team’s offensive coordinator last year.
- At Beyer, Mike Young was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in July after the sudden departure of Greg Bockman, who moved out of the area. That change left a number of players leaving the Patriots program for other schools in the area.
- At Pitman High, Eric Reza takes over for Lance Weckerle, who resigned in mid-May after two seasons. He’s coached at Pitman since 2007.
- At Riverbank, Joe Pirillo replaces Kit Jory. Pirillo resigned last spring after six seasons at Lathrop High, which is in the Western Athletic Conference. Replacing Pirillo there is former Sierra High star Ryan Teicheira.
- Also last spring, East Union coach Willie Herrera stepped down, and was replaced by former Modesto Junior College assistant coach Mike Kuhnlenz. Herrera had spent 15 years in the EU program, the last 10 as head coach. Kuhnlenz had coached at Kimball in Tracy up until last spring, when he was abruptly fired, according to the Manteca Bulletin.
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3. Beyer
After former head coach Greg Bockman left, about half of the team transferred. New coach Mike Young had about two weeks to get what was left of his roster of mostly underclassmen ready for the season. They are one of the three Modesto schools that participated in the Modesto City Scrimmage on Friday and after their final game, Young expressed that he learned a lot about his team and “who the game was and wasn’t too big for.”
4. Quarterback Quandary
Most coaches have their roster set and the most important position is starting quarterback. While most starters are in place, Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said he is still deciding. Canepa is picking between senior Dominic Perino and sophomore Tyler Wentworth.
The two split snaps last season and are expected to do that again for at least part of the team’s non-league games. Canepa estimates he won’t make a final call until the Valley Oak League season gets under way on Sept. 24.
Canepa says the energy between the two is “great” and that both get along and enjoy the competition.
Central opens at home Friday against Merced followed by Saint Francis. They follow with two road games at St. Mary’s – ranked No. 22 in Cal-Hi Sports Top 50 – for the Holy Bowl and at Bellarmine College Prep.
5. Five Offensive Players to Watch
QB: Dominic Perino – Senior (Central Catholic)
QB: Jackson Holt – Senior (Oakdale)
RB: Julian Lopez – Senior (Central Catholic)
WR: Kolawole Babalola – Senior (Enochs)
TE: EJ Lewis – Senior (Escalon)
6. Five Defensive Players to Watch
DL: Samari Russo – Senior (Buhach Colony)
DL: George Crayton – Senior (Hughson)
LB: Ashton Baucom – Senior (Turlock)
LB: Kai Brazil – Senior (Orestimba)
CB: Roberto Tiscareno – Senior (Central Valley)
7. Experience Gained
Football players didn’t get much time on the field last season. But the five games served as added experience for a lot of Stanislaus District underclassmen. Downey called 15 sophomores up to varsity, a lot of them will play this year as juniors, including starting quarterback Conner Stoddard.
After a couple of shutdowns, Gregori was left with a young varsity team forced to compete in the spring. Head coach Lamar Wallace brought up three freshmen – two started – and brought up four sophomore starters on defense.
“For the majority of them, that year of varsity experience was priceless,” Wallace said. “You can see the difference in them this year with their confidence and their ability and their grasp of the scheme.”
8. Numbers are Down
There are a few programs that will not have junior varsity or freshman teams this season. Beyer, Enochs and Modesto Christian will not have freshman teams.
Bret Harte will not field a team this season. According to the Calaveras Enterprise, the athletics department held out as long as it could but the numbers were just too small. As was the case with many teams in the Modesto area, the team had a large amount of younger players but a lack of seniors which was a major factor in not having a team.
While they will go without football this fall, Modesto Christian’s team will have problems of its own. They have a 23-player roster, and only three have high school experience.
Head coach Jerry Grimshaw said he will lean on the basketball team to fill out his roster.
9. Where’s Beau?
Quarterback Beau Green, who created headlines with his stellar freshman year at Downey High before an injury was followed by a series of transfers to various schools, is apparently on the Madera High MaxPreps roster. Attempts to reach Green have been unsuccessful. Following his time at Downey, he has reportedly enrolled at – and either played or did not play – at Modesto Christian, Turlock, Mater Dei and back to Turlock for the spring season. On his Twitter page, he’s listed as “Turlock High QB Class of 22.” However, he was added last week to the Madera roster, according to MaxPreps. Said Turlock coach James Peterson: “I expected him to come back and compete for a starting position,” Peterson said. “I’m not sure why he left.”
10. Around the Leagues
- CCAL – Will anyone catch Turlock, which went 5-0 last spring and is ranked No. 10 in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section rankings? That’s the goal for Downey. First year coaches Tracey Traub at Enochs and Eric Reza at Pitman look to throw their team’s hat in the ultra competitive CCAL. The type of physicality Turlock brings on offense and defense means they won’t go down without a fight, but the experience younger players at Downey and the senior leadership Enochs brings into this season could make for an interesting race. Peterson said Wednesday not to count out Gregori.
- WAC – Los Banos, Pacheco and Davis should be the teams to look out for in the WAC, according to coaches. These are the three teams that return the experience of seniors but also add a class of newcomers that can contribute.
- CCC – After going undefeated last season as a member of the WAC due to COVID-related travel reasons, Central Valley returns to the CCC and second-year coach Derrick Goblirsch knows he’s in for tougher competition. Patterson went 4-1 overall and undefeated (4-0) in league last season. So expect the Tigers to be competing for a league title along with Buhach Colony, which finished the 2019-2020 season undefeated in league. Also, Atwater is expected to be near the top.
- VOL – The “big three” of Manteca, Oakdale and Central Catholic are usually at the top of the conference every year. This season will be no different. In fact, Manteca didn’t crack Cal-Hi Sports Top 50 rankings, but they were listed as a “bubble.” They were the only area team outside of St. Mary’s and Lincoln of Stockton that made either Top 50 or bubble recognition.
- TVL – For teams in the TVL, this season is all about returning to that competitive nature it has been known for as one of the best small school leagues in the state. One of the surprises of the shortened season, Hughson finished 5-0 in the spring. It will be interesting to see how much of that carries over into this season. Modesto Christian is an interesting team to note. They will have an athletic but severely inexperienced team. Grimshaw says he will implement offensive and defensive schemes as the season goes along, keeping things simple at first. Also expect Escalon, Hilmar and Ripon to be there.
- SL – Waterford went 4-1 last spring, and head into this season with a four-game winning streak. Mariposa, Le Grand, Denair and Orestimba also look to challenge. Mariposa returns eight players on offense, including quarterback Wyatt Green. Aaron Adams returns as quarterback for Waterford.
- CCAA – Big Valley Christian Coach Brian Berkefeld goes into this season looking to extend the league title streak to four. Their strength is the offensive line led by senior Merek Boone. Quarterback Wes Yarbrough will return and provide great leadership. If you’re going to have any game circled on the Central California Athletic Alliance schedule, it should be Big Valley Christian at Stone Ridge Christian on Oct. 22.
This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
