Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 7
Some of the district’s best matchups are set to kick off in Week 7. With every team now in league, each game matters.
Playoff implications could be on the line in some leagues while other games feature teams looking to hit their stride at the right time. Here are the games to watch for Week 7:
Central Catholic (4-1,1-0) at Oakdale (4-1, 1-1) at Oakdale High School, 7 p.m.
Central Catholic has battled injuries and the coaching staff is unsure about running back Julian Lopez’s availability for this matchup.
They are happy with how sophomore quarterback Tyler Wentworth is adjusting to being the full-time starter. Coaches have said he’s been staying after practice to work with receivers.
Oakdale is winning the series with Central Catholic 4-3 and won the last meeting between the two Valley Oak League powerhouses in 2019, 42-39 and are undefeated at home this season.
Both teams feature run-first offenses who have the ability to keep defenses honest by occasionally passing the ball. Wentworth threw for three touchdowns last week and Oakdale quarterback Jackson Holt had a late-game, 39-yard touchdown pass on Friday.
Central Catholic is looking to stay perfect in league after winning 51-0 over Weston Ranch while this would be a huge bounce-back win for Oakdale after a 63-56 loss to Kimball.
Pacheco (2-3, 1-1) at Davis (5-0, 2-0) at Modesto Junior College, 7 p.m.
Davis might be the surprise of the season. The Spartans are already chasing their sixth victory while looking to stay undefeated.
Davis’ last win against Pacheco came in 2019, when it won a nail-biter, 22-21.
The top team in the Western Athletic Conference hasn’t had any trouble scoring this season and with the addition of quarterback Jayson Munthe, who had three total touchdowns last week against Los Banos after entering the game in the second quarter, head coach Tim Garcia is optimistic about his offense’s versatility as league play continues.
Its defense is among the top in the league too, allowing just 59 points while Pacheco has scored just 36 and given up 108.
Pitman (1-3, 0-0) at Turlock (1-4, 0-0) at Turlock High School, 7 p.m.
Friday’s Harvest Bowl is Turlock’s chance to put its underwhelming preseason behind it.
The Bulldogs have won seven straight games against the Pride, outscoring them 123-14 in the three most recent games.
Junior JT Foreman leads a Turlock rushing attack that, despite the team’s losses, has been a steady sign of hope in the tough non-league schedule.
The Pride come into the game after capturing an emotional first victory against Golden Valley, 28-27.
Enochs (4-0, 0-0) at Gregori (2-3, 0-0) at Gregori High School, 7 p.m.
Don’t let the records fool you; Gregori has had Enochs’ number the past few seasons, something Eagles’ head coach Tracey Traub is aware of.
Gregori opens the league at home, where the team is still looking for its first win. While half of Enochs’ wins have come on the road.
Gregori’s Cruz Marines leads the offense with 937 passing yards and nine touchdowns.
Both teams played Buhach Colony in their respective non-league schedules and picked up wins. Enochs won 35-29 and Marines completed 10 of 16 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown and ran for 69 yards and a touchdown in Gregori’s 18-15 victory.
Mariposa County (3-2, 2-0) at Orestimba (2-3, 0-2) at Orestimba High School, 7: 15 p.m.
Orestimba will have its hands full as it looks for its first win in the Southern League. Mariposa County is the only team other than Waterford that is undefeated with two league victories.
The Warriors won four straight matchups between the teams before losing 7-6 in 2019.
Mariposa County presents a tough test for any defense as its 157 points are among the top three in the SL. The Warriors will have to stop the Grizzlies’ two senior leaders, quarterback Wyatt Green who has 638 yards and 10 touchdowns and running back Ayden Lopes who leads the team with 446 yards and four touchdowns.
Hilmar (5-1, 1-1) at Escalon (4-1, 1-0) at Escalon High School, 7 p.m.
There are few rivalries in the Stanislaus District as storied as the Trans-Valley League’s Hilmar vs. Escalon.
In the past three seasons, the teams have had six matchups and are tied, 3-3. In that time, both teams have claimed section titles Hilmar in 2017 and 2018 and Escalon, most recently, in 2019.
Escalon has battled injuries since its 21-15 win over Sonora but is getting healthy in time for this matchup and to make a push later in TVL play.
Its one loss came to 5-0 Kimball but Escalon bounced back with a 21-13 league-opening win over Hughson.
Ripon Christian (4-1, 1-0) at Waterford (5-0, 2-0) at Waterford High School, 7:25 p.m
Top two southern league teams meet in this Friday night matchup. Waterford is one of the top offensive teams in the Stanislaus district, scoring 195 points.
Ripon Christian has dominated the last 15 matchups, winning 12, and has not allowed a point in the past two matchups. The Knights won 28-0 and 50-0 in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
A win for Waterford will tie its longest win streak since 2010 at six games.
Waterford’s Aaron Adams is coming off one of the best games in the area after completing 16 of 23 passes for 239 yards and four touchdowns, and 12 carries for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Modesto (2-3, 0-0) at Downey (4-1, 0-0) at Downey High School, 7 p.m.
Coach Jeremy Plaa called Downey’s Week 1 loss to Manteca a “wake up call” and since then, his team has rattled off four straight wins.
Downey has picked up some notable wins in its four game streak, beating Merced, who almost came back to beat Central Catholic in Week 1 and a 23-21 win against Lincoln, a team with NCAA Division I talent, last week.
Despite beating the Knights nine times since 2004, Modesto High has struggled as of late, losing the last three meetings by an average of 29 points.
Both teams are led by junior quarterbacks who are premier passers in the Stanislaus District.
Eli McCabe leads Modesto with 714 yards and nine touchdowns while Downey’s Conner Stoddard has 834 yards and 11 touchdowns.
This story was originally published September 29, 2021 at 2:09 PM.
