Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 9
While the Central California Athletic League stole the show last week, this is a big week in the Trans-Valley League and Valley Oak League.
Hilmar and Hughson, which both beat league favorite coming into the season Escalon, match up Friday night in what could determine the TVL championship. Both are undefeated in league play with 3-0 and 4-0 records, respectively. The Huskies will be at home, where they boast a 2-1 record this season, while on the road, the Yellowjackets are just 1-2.
Oakdale visits Central Catholic in a rivalry that always produces good games. Both teams come into the game undefeated in VOL play at 2-0, and a win for either side could go a long way in league positioning as matchups with Manteca loom.
Downey will look to avoid hangover after a big win over Turlock as the Knights face an Enochs team that has been steadily improving on a short-week Thursday game.
Patterson will look to knock off current Central California Conference leader Golden Valley, and Ripon Christian visits Mariposa County for a battle for the Southern League’s second spot.
Here is a more detailed look at some of the area’s top games this week:
Thursday
Enochs (3-4, 1-1) at Downey (7-0, 2-0), 7 p.m.
The goal for the Knights will be to make sure there’s no letdown after such an emotional game against Turlock last week. Downey coach Jeremy Plaa called the Week 8 matchup with the Bulldogs the “most exciting game I’ve been a part of in 26 years as a coach.” Enochs has been improving every week and bounced back from its first CCAL loss to Gregori with a 35-22 win over Pitman. Since its final nonleague loss to Oakdale, Enochs has scored more points in each game. Running back Aiden Muhammad has continued his strong rushing, but the Downey defense is quick and swarms to the ball. Quarterback Conner Stoddard is closing in on 2,000 yards and led an excellent two-minute drive to end the game against Turlock. But the the most underrated part of the Downey offense is its run game. Running back Kimoni Ragland scored twice to keep the Knights alive before the passing game opened up. Ragland has rushed for 341 yards and seven touchdowns.
Friday
Oakdale (6-1, 2-0) at Central Catholic (3-4, 2-0), 7 p.m.
The Raiders and Mustangs enter the 2022 edition of their rivalry 2-0 in VOL play with a chance to gain prime positioning in the league standings. Central Catholic’s offensive line has come into form over the past two weeks. In league wins over East Union and Kimball, the Raiders on offense have 508 and 544 total yards, respectively. The line has opened holes in the running game for Tyler Jacklich and the stable of backs and protected quarterback Tyler Wentworth, resulting in 16 total touchdowns. The Mustangs have continued to roll. They enter Friday’s game on a five-game win streak with league wins over Sierra and East Union. The Raiders and Mustangs have matched up eight times since 2014; Central Catholic has four wins, Oakdale has four wins.
Hilmar (4-3, 3-0) at Hughson (7-1, 4-0), 7 p.m.
A TVL rivalry that is always important, this year’s game between the Yellowjackets and Huskies means even more. Both teams enter undefeated in league, and the winner of this game puts itself alone atop the league. Hilmar starting quarterback Hudson Azevedo is still week to week, according to coach Frank Marque, but Caden Bailey stepped in from junior varsity and has only a two-point loss on his varsity resume. Hilmar has had to adjust its offensive game plan as of late. Bailey along with running back Luis Vargas combine to form a backfield that is tough to stop. The Hughson defense will be up for the task as the Huskies have allowed just 13 points in TVL games. All four defensive ends are healthy and coach Shaun King will rotate them throughout the game as they try to stop Hilmar’s rushing attack.
Patterson (7-1, 4-0) at Golden Valley (7-0, 3-1), 7 p.m.
Patterson High coach Rob Cozart doesn’t preach peaking at the right time. He doesn’t want his team to peak because once that happens, there’s no place to go but down. Instead, he wants his team to consistently get better through the year. Preseason, Cozart raved about his lines. Both the offensive and defensive lines are young, athletic and, for the first time, fully healthy. The Tigers know that the key to late-season success is being able to run the ball “when everyone in the stadium knows you’re going to run.” Tuesday, Cozart said everyone was in pads and practicing for the first time. That will help against a Golden Valley team that is among the most athletic the Tigers have seen this season. That starts with quarterback Eleazar Garza, who through six games passed for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 599 yards and nine touchdowns. A win for the Tigers not only hands the Cougars their first loss of the season, it also secures at least a share of the CCC title.
Modesto Christian (5-3, 1-2) at Livingston (3-4, 1-2), 7 p.m.
With back-to-back losses on their resume, the Crusaders and coach Jerry Grimshaw know the amount of opportunities to maintain their projected playoff spot are slowly shrinking. That is why he thinks Friday’s game at Livingston could be the most important of the season. The Wolves run the triple option and in each game Grimshaw has seen, he says Livingston has had multiple 10-minute drives. The unconventional form of offense helped the Wolves top Ripon, which beat the Crusaders last week as a two-minute drill led them down the field, scoring the game-winning touchdown with seconds left. Despite the losses, the Crusaders outgained Hughson and Escalon with 311 and 402 yards, respectively. Most of that was through the air to receiver Jeremiah Bernard, who has 11 touchdowns and is fourth in California with 1,012 receiving yards. They are hoping to turn the explosive plays into scores Friday night.
Ceres (6-1, 3-1) at Los Banos (5-2, 4-0), 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs have continued to dominate Western Athletic Conference opponents since their three-point loss in the opener to Lathrop. Another real test awaits Friday against the league-leading Tigers. After losses to local top 10 teams Hilmar and Orestimba, Los Banos has been on a tear, beating Davis, Beyer, Mountain House and Johansen. The toughest part of the Tigers’ schedule starts Friday with Ceres, one of three 3-1 teams Los Banos still has to face in its final three weeks. The fact that Los Banos hasn’t played the toughest competition could have something to do with its undefeated league record. Ceres’ duo of quarterback Landyn Hudson and running back Tarrell Lee-Gill led a dominant performance against third-place Pacheco, handing the team its first loss. They’ll look to do the same Friday and secure their fourth straight win.
