Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 3
If it wasn’t one thing in Week 2, it was another. COVID-19 protocols and hazardous air conditions caused many of last week’s games to be rescheduled or canceled.
Those that were able to be worked out at a later date were either played on Saturday afternoon or Monday, prompting some teams to play Week 3 games on a short week.
Here are the matchups to watch in Week 3.
Merced (1-1) at Downey (0-1)
After struggling in its first outing against Manteca, Downey’s scheduled game against Rio Americano was canceled due to air quality issues tied to wildfires.
The Knights go into the new week preparing for Merced, which put together a late run in a Week 1 loss to Central Catholic and beat Gregori 33-13 in Week 2.
Central Catholic (1-0) at St. Mary’s (Stockton) (0-1) at St. Mary’s High School, 7 p.m.
Nicknamed “The Holy Bowl,” the game between Central Catholic and St. Mary’s has had its share of great games.
Central Catholic won half of the six previous matchups, but has lost the last two, most recently 42-34 in the spring.
Its last victory came in 2018.
With last week’s cancellation, the Raiders have only played one game so head coach Roger Canepa has not named a permanent quarterback. Senior Dominic Perino got the start in Week 1 against Merced but sophomore Tyler Wentworth saw plenty of time in the 31-28 win.
St. Mary’s, ranked fourth in MaxPreps’ Sac-Joaquin Section rankings, is 0-1, having lost to De La Salle 52-16. Central Catholic is No. 18.
Ceres (1-0) vs. Central Valley (2-0) at Ceres High School, 7 p.m.
Central Valley comes into Friday’s matchup on a seven-game win streak dating back to the spring when it beat Ceres, 36-14. Ceres quarterback Landyn Hudson passed for 230 yards but the Central Valley defense forced two interceptions.
Central Valley was led by senior running back Isaiah Hidalgo, who had 238 yards and two touchdowns.
This year’s Ceres team dominated its one opponent on the ground. While Hudson had a passing and rushing touchdown, junior Tarrell Lee-Gill rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns.
Central Valley’s offense has been run-heavy in both weeks. It produced 224 and 154 team rushing yards in Week 1 against Pitman and Week 2 against Pacheco, respectively.
Escalon (2-0) at Sonora (1-1)
Escalon comes into the game undefeated and is looking to extend its winning streak to five dating back to the spring.
Sonora took a tough Week 1 loss to Oakdale after bouncing back with a 32-20 Week 2 victory over Ripon where quarterback Bradley Curnow threw for four touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
Escalon’s offense has torn through its first two opponents, scoring 96 points. Donovon Rozevink led the way with six touchdowns and 337 yards through the air.
Modesto (2-0) at Hilmar (2-0)
Modesto quarterback Eli McCabe put on a show in Week 1, throwing for 231 yards with five touchdowns in a victory over Johansen. Last week, the special teams pitched in 128 all purpose yards from Garrett Bidwell in a 46-14 win over Beyer.
Hilmar comes into the matchup undefeated after beating Patterson in Week 1 and Los Banos in Week 2.
Both teams have shown a strong presence on both ends of the ball so it will be interesting to see which unbeaten team bends first.
Spanish Springs (Sparks, NV) (1-1) at Oakdale (1-0) at Oakdale High School, 7 p.m.
The Mustangs made quick work of Sonora in Week 1 but had last week’s game canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions.
There are no easy weeks in Oakdale’s preseason as Spanish Sparks comes into the game ranked No. 17 in Nevada in MaxPreps’ most recent high school football rankings.
Unlike Oakdale, the Cougars played last week, beating Reno, 21-10.
Buhach Colony (0-1) at Enochs (1-0)
Enochs took care of Beyer in Week 1 but did not play in Week 2. Now, they take on a Buhach Colony team that lost a close contest to Gregori in Week 1.
The Eagles’ last matchup with the Thunder came in 2016, a game that Buhach Colony dominated, 42-20.
First-year head coach Tracey Traub’s team is led by quarterback Keith Orona, who led the offense that scored 56 points in the victory over Beyer.
Gregori (1-1) at Atwater (0-2)
After barely escaping Week 1 with a win over Buhach Colony, Monday’s Week 2 matchup wasn’t so kind to the Jaguars as they lost to Merced 33-13.
They come into the week facing 0-2 Atwater, which was shut out by Clovis East last Friday.
Quarterback Cruz Marines played an outstanding game in Week 1, but last week only carried the ball 12 times for 13 yards in the loss.
Turlock (0-2) at Bullard (Fresno) (0-2)
Turlock comes into the matchup on a short week after playing Clayton Valley Charter on Monday, 35-23.
Bullard enters the game after getting shut out by Buchanan in Week 2.
The Knights trailed 7-0 at the half. Their opponent broke things open in the second half, scoring twice in the third and once again in the fourth to seal the game.
Davis (2-0) at El Capitan (0-2)
Davis comes into Week 3 with its defense leading the way. The Spartans have only allowed seven points in two games this season against Weston Ranch (Stockton) and Chavez (Stockton).
In its Week 2 matchup, Davis held Chavez to just 140 yards passing, collected three interceptions and forced one fumble in the 36-7 victory.
The Spartans come into the matchup looking for their first 3-0 start to a season since beginning the 2014 campaign 4-0.
