Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 1
Football is back in the Sac-Joaquin Section, and Week 1 is loaded with great games among Stanislaus District teams. Some are traveling and others are staying in the area for their opening week matchups. Escalon’s defense of its back-to-back section titles starts in Nevada. The Cougars will take on Damonte Ranch, which advanced to the NIAA 5A Northern League semifinals.
Beyer and Enochs play at Downey High, while Johansen and Modesto play at Modesto Junior College in two all-Modesto City Schools matchups. Enochs will be the designated home team in its matchup, and while Johansen technically will have a home game, it will have to wait until its new turf field has been installed to host a game. Gregori’s stadium also underwent renovations and will be ready for the Jaguars to host Buhach Colony on Friday evening.
Here are some top games to look out for Friday.
Beyer at Enochs at Downey High, 7 p.m.
After a quarterback battle that lasted for the majority of the summer, Beyer coach Mike Young believes he’s found his guy. Transfers Blake and Brock Gross are twin brothers from Manteca who form a quarterback-receiver duo Young likes. This game is the first step in a culture shift Young is trying to bring at Beyer. Young took over last year about two weeks before the Patriots’ first game. This year in his first full offseason, he has hired new coaches and installed a new offense.
The Eagles’ rebuild starts this season with a new quarterback, new running backs and new receivers, the three main positions they have to replace after last year’s senior class graduated.
Buhach Colony at Gregori, 7 p.m.
Gregori will have a lot to celebrate even before its scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff against a tough Buhach Colony team. The Jaguars were one of two teams to undergo renovations to replace grass fields with turf. The finishing touches were put on the field and it is ready for Week 1.
When the game starts, coach Lamar Wallace knows he’ll have to deal with Jaxson Percoats, the Thunder’s returning running back who last year produced 671 total yards and seven total touchdowns — six rushing, one receiving. Gregori won last year’s matchup 18-15. The Jaguars’ coaches have told their defense the ball will be in the three-star athlete’s hands often, but they have to stay honest because they’ll stretch out defenses but are also effective at running the ball up the middle. Gregori’s preseason scrimmage was against Escalon, and though the Cougars and Thunder don’t run the same offense, Wallace believes the similarities between the two will help Friday night.
Modesto at Johansen at Modesto Junior College, 7 p.m.
Johansen is a program looking to take a step in the right direction. After going 4-7 last year, coach Rod Smith Sr. believes he has the group that can produce the program’s first winning season in three years. Smith will have a stable of running backs to rotate through, as the Vikings were working out this offseason by rotating among six players, all who could receive a good amount of playing time in the backfield.
For Modesto, Quarterback Eli McCabe and receiver Heston Blom are back and look to improve on last season’s two-win season. One of the wins came at the hands of Johansen, 39-12. McCabe completed 19 passes for 231 yards and five touchdowns. Blom wasn’t the Panthers’ leader in catches or receiving yards but put together a solid effort with three catches for 42 yards and three touchdowns.
Downey at Lincoln-Stockton, 7 p.m.
Friday kicks off a streak of what coach Jeremy Plaa calls a “challenging first three games.” Downey came away with a 23-21 victory last season at home. This year, the Knights are looking to go into Stockton and make it 2-for-2 against the Trojans. Last year’s leading rusher, Jonah Coleman, finished with 15 carries for 115 yards. He is off at Arizona, but Lincoln is known to have its share of talent year after year.
Friday will be one of the games that shows what kind of team Downey has this season. How will the Knights deal with superior athletes? How will they respond on the road if things don’t always go their way? Will they continue to play well if things go the way they want? All questions that will begin to be answered in Week 1.
Escalon at Damonte Ranch-Reno, 7 p.m.
The Cougars pull out of the driveway Friday morning at 8 to make the three-hour drive to Reno to play Damonte Ranch. Junior varsity kicks off at 4 p.m., varsity at 7. It’s no secret Escalon brings back nearly all of its skill players from last season, but its backfield will start a man short as Matthew Baptista nurses an injured hamstring. Coach Andrew Beam says they will play it safe with the senior, who rushed for nearly 500 yards and had six touchdowns last season.
Damonte Ranch runs a spread offense, and Beam expects the Mustangs to pass 30-35 times, which is a change-up from what they normally see in the TVL but could come in handy later on in the season if they are to make it back to the section and even the Northern California regional playoffs.
Central Catholic at Merced, 7 p.m.
The Raiders travel to Merced High looking to play spoiler as the Bears have the first game in their new stadium. The Raiders lost more than 2,000 combined rushing yards from last season’s team, but an added emphasis on the passing game this offseason will add more versatility. Merced is the first of five preseason opponents that all made it to their respective section’s playoffs. The Bears won a nail-biter in the Division IV semifinals to advance to the final, where they lost to Vanden.
Central Catholic is one of three Modesto schools Merced plays in its nonleague schedule as it travels to Gregori next week and hosts Downey on Sept. 2.
Rocklin at Turlock, 7 p.m.
Turlock starts off yet another daunting preseason schedule by hosting the second ranked team in The Sacramento Bee’s Top 25. Those inside the Bulldogs team and coaching staff will be the first to say they aren’t happy with the way last season went and are looking to improve on that this year.
Quarterback Cole Gilbert hopes to have a full, uninterrupted season, and JT Foreman looks to compile back-to-back 1,000-plus yard rushing years. This all starts Friday against one of the best teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section.
The offensive and defensive lines have been in the weight room, bulking up for games just like this. The chance to prove they are better than what they showed last year starts with Rocklin.
Patterson at Hilmar, 7 p.m.
The Tigers don’t forget, and after last year’s 27-20 loss to the Yellowjackets, Patterson has been looking forward to this Week 1 matchup. The game serves as the kick-start to the senior seasons for running back duo Sean Hansen Jr. and Lolo Mataele, who each look to rush for over 1,000 yards this year.
Patterson enters the matchup looking to spoil the first of five ceremonies honoring a generation of Hilmar football players during the program’s 100-year celebration. Yellowjacket quarterback Hudson Azevedo missed his entire junior season after tearing his ACL in the second padded practice of the season last year and looks to have a big year along with 6-foot-5 receiver Derek Taylor, who picked up an offer from the University of Massachusetts this offseason.
Central Valley Christian at Ripon Christian, 7:30 p.m.
In a battle between two teams full of returners, experience will be key in this matchup. While Ripon Christian returns plenty of players at skill positions, they haven’t played in as many big games as Central Valley Christian’s core has. The Cavaliers won the Central Section Division III championship and advanced to the CIF State Division 4-AA championship against Marin Catholic. A passing offense that brings back its quarterback and three top receivers will prove to be a test for the Knights.
Friday will be Derek Van Eldren’s fourth varsity game. The senior returns to add running back depth after suffering an injury last season in his third game. Coach Phil Grams is looking for his team to learn as much as it can from a program that has been to the biggest game in the state. The team’s senior leaders will be a big part of that. Many players on the Knights’ offensive and defensive lines are getting their first varsity game reps, so the coaching staff is hoping they take techniques and schemes they learned this offseason and use them in Friday’s contest.
