Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 2
Week 1 was exciting for Stanislaus District Football teams. Turlock upset Rocklin, Oakdale came back from a big halftime deficit to beat Sonora in overtime, and Hughson, Pitman and Modesto also picked up big wins. As we look forward to Week 2, Big Valley Christian and Denair will play their first games of the season after Week 1 byes. Both will begin a long season in which they will play 10 straight games. A few games will put some of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s top teams against top teams from other sections in Northern California.
MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Rankings
Central Catholic and Oakdale play top 15 teams from the Central Coast Section in second-ranked Saint Francis and No. 14 Aptos, respectively. Escalon hosts a top 5 Central Section team this week. Turlock’s opponent falls in the Central Section’s top 15.
Modesto Bee Top 10 Rankings
Here is a look at some of the notable games this week:
Manteca (1-0) at Patterson (1-0), 7 p.m.
The Tigers are preparing for a tall task in Friday’s matchup with the Buffaloes. In what is possibly the toughest game on its schedule, Patterson will match up against a team that threw only one pass in Week 1 and still managed to score 44 points. Blake Nichelson ran for 111 yards and two touchdowns and Bryson Davis ran for 159 yards, one score and returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Of course, the Tigers are going into Friday looking to win, but they are also using this as a barometer for how prepared they will be for Division III opponents. Manteca, which won the Division III title last year, was moved up to Division II for this year’s playoffs due to continued success. Coach Rob Cozart knows as long as the team plays well, this game can only help, win or loss. A lot of Tigers started their first varsity game in last week’s 20-14 win over Hilmar, including freshman quarterback Max Medina, and a lot of them “grew up” last week. Friday will be another step up.
Turlock (1-0) at Clovis West (Fresno) (1-0), 7 p.m.
There are no breaks in Turlock’s schedule as the Bulldogs go from playing a top 15 team in the Sac-Joaquin Section to a top 15 team in the Central Section in Week 2. Turlock’s offense scored timely points, but its defense controlled the game against Rocklin. The tall task ahead of it in Week 2 is second-year starting quarterback Tyler Patrick. The junior completed six of nine passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns and led the Eagles to a 42-0 win over Ridgeview of Bakersfield.
The Bulldogs will have to execute in every area of the game. Clovis West scored four touchdowns on offense, returned a punt for a touchdown and had one interception, one fumble recovery and 10.5 tackles for loss.
Big Valley Christian (0-0) at Waterford (0-1), 7:15 p.m.
The Lions start every season with a Week 1 bye. Students go on a retreat that allows them to get a break and reconnect spiritually. On the field, though, they now have to play 10 straight weeks of football. The Lions have had one extra week to prepare for a Waterford opponent that always poses a tough challenge. Both teams have small numbers, meaning nearly everyone plays offense, defense and special teams.
In nine matchups dating back to 2004, the Lions have never beaten the Wildcats; coach Brian Berkefeld is hoping Friday will be the first. The past three games have been decided by 14 points or less. Waterford has a leg up on its opponent. Though the Wildcats lost last week, they have played a game this season. Berkefeld is interested to see how his team will perform in a four-quarter setting, which is different from the scrimmage they played Aug. 12.
Central Catholic (1-0) at Saint Francis (Mountain View) (0-0), 7 p.m.
The Raiders turned it on in the second half against Merced, coming away with a 42-20 win, but it didn’t come without some setbacks. Central Catholic lost two key players in its defensive backfield as Brooklyn Cheek and Jaelen Nichols both went down with injuries. Cheek hurt his ankle and Nichols came away with an injured hamstring, an area that assistant coach Myron Larson said has been a bit of trouble for some time. Both will be out this week, Larson said at Monday afternoon’s Quarterback Club lunch.
The good news? The offense can score. Central Catholic scored on all four of its possessions in the third quarter, including two long passes from quarterback Tyler Wentworth to receiver Trace Hernandez. Also, the Raiders have played a West Catholic Athletic League team before. Last season, they played the league’s third best team, Bellarmine College Prep, in a close 28-21 loss.
Buchanan (Clovis) (1-0) at Escalon (1-0), 7 p.m.
Like Turlock, Escalon will play a team from Fresno. Buchanan is the third-ranked team in the Central Section and Escalon coach Andrew Beam knows just what the Bears will bring to Engel Field on Friday night. The Cougars will have to play without one of their best two-way players. Receiver and defensive back Owen Nash was ejected from last week’s game in Nevada.
While Nash sits this week, Matthew Baptista returned last week with three tackles and one interception. He had been nursing a hamstring injury since summer.
Aptos (0-0) at Oakdale (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
The Mustangs overcame an opening-night scare at the hands of Sonora, coming back from down 21-3 at halftime to win 27-21 in overtime. Aptos could pose a greater challenge Friday night. The Central Coast Section’s 14th-ranked team travels to the Corral for its first game of the season.
In typical Oakdale fashion, the run game was strong against Sonora as running back Brian Delte led the team with 22 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. That will be the case against a well-coached Mariners opponent that returns most of its backfield and is ranked third in the Monterey Herald’s preseason rankings.
Downey (1-0) at East Union (1-0), 7 p.m.
For the first three weeks of the season, the Knights are calling themselves “Road Warriors” as they play all three games in hostile environments. Coming into the season, Downey’s opener was to be a home game against Manteca, but it fell through. The Knights picked up the East Union game late, as it was the only team they were able to schedule. After overcoming a 10-point deficit to beat Lincoln, the Knights travel to play the Lancers, a team that doesn’t have as many pure athletes as Lincoln, but has weapons of its own.
The Lancers used two quarterbacks who threw to five receivers and had 258 yards and two touchdowns in the air and two rushing touchdowns against Ripon. After a huge win that got them ranked in the top 10 of the newest MaxPreps section rankings, coach Jeremy Plaa is doing his best to make sure there is no let down going into Friday. The theme for the week is “consistency” and early week practices have gone well.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 10:32 AM.
