Games to watch: Top Stanislaus District high school football matchups for Week 11
The final week of the high school football regular season is here.
Some teams have secured spots in the 2022 postseason, some are on the bubble and the 10th game of the season could determine whether their year continues or ends, and some are playing for their first win of the season. We’ve got it all in the Stanislaus District this week.
There’s lots of excitement in the Central California Athletic League. Downey is looking to secure the area’s second perfect regular season in two years; Gregori and Turlock will battle it out for second place in the league; and Enochs needs a win to qualify for the playoffs.
Ceres is projected as a bubble team heading into the final game and a win against Davis could cement its spot in the postseason.
For Oakdale, while it is already projected to be a top team in Division III, a win against Manteca would keep its Valley Oak League record above .500 and help the Mustangs avoid three straight league losses.
Here is a look at some of the area’s key games this week:
Pitman (2-7, 1-3) at Downey (9-0, 4-0), 7 p.m.
Downey is on the verge of history. At 9-0, the Knights are looking to finish the regular season with a perfect record for the first time since 1985. Coach Jeremy Plaa and his team aren’t looking past anyone as they know anything can happen against a CCAL opponent no matter what their record may be. They are coming off a big win against Gregori, which is projected to make the playoffs this season. Pitman may be playing shorthanded this week after do-it-all offensive weapon Joey Stout was thrown out of last week’s win against Modesto after two unsportsmanlike penalties. They have appealed the ejection in hopes Stout will be able to play his final high school game Friday.
Gregori (4-5, 3-1) at Turlock (5-4, 3-1), 7 p.m
Gregori will have a tough contest Friday night. Not only are they playing one of the top teams in the CCAL, but they are doing it very shorthanded. A team that relies heavily on its run game, the Jaguars will be without all three varsity running backs. Michael Marsden (strained ankle ligament), Lucas Medrano (high ankle sprain) and Donovan Grant (concussion protocols) are all out this week. To combat the injuries, coach Lamar Wallace called up three running backs from the junior varsity team that will play for a league title Friday night. Alton Williams, Marcus Sims and Avyn Redoble will be asked to carry the rushing load in a game that decides second place in the league. Quarterback Grant Veneman has been productive this season and has connected with Ayden Powers and Nate Dobbins for more than 560 passing yards and six touchdowns and the trio might have to produce more this week. Team leader in touchdowns Trey Webb also could see a spike in his targets if the run game doesn’t take off against the physical Bulldogs’ defensive front.
Manteca (7-1, 3-1) at Oakdale (6-3, 2-2), 7 p.m.
The Mustangs and Buffaloes are hungry coming off losses last week. Manteca ran out of gas against Valley Oak League champion Central Catholic and had Florida State commit Blake Nichelson’s 400-yard, seven-touchdown performance spoiled in a 56-49 loss. Oakdale is coming off back-to-back losses against the Raiders and Kimball Jaguars, respectively. Kimball quarterback Jayden McKey and receiver Travis Marierro combined for 157 yards and two touchdowns and the Jaguars defense stopped the Mustangs from converting on fourth down with under a minute remaining. Both teams have locked up playoff spots and the Buffaloes sit comfortably in the VOL’s second spot but Oakdale is fighting to end the season with a winning league record.
Modesto (2-7, 0-4) at Enochs (3-6, 1-3), 7 p.m. at Johansen High School
The Eagles are aware they’re in a win-and-you’re-in situation. A victory Friday night against Modesto secures the team’s fourth win, meeting the minimum requirements for a playoff spot. They looking for a bounceback game after difficult losses against Downey and Turlock in which coach Tracey Traub says their youth showed. Last week against the Bulldogs, they moved the ball well but failed to convert as they reached the red zone three times without scoring. They know they “can’t leave 21 points on the field” and are looking to clean that up this week on offense. Teams have stacked the box to combat 1,100-plus-yard rusher Aiden Muhammad, so they have worked on spreading the run game out to the sideline instead of just between the tackles. Defensively, they’ve given up a lot of big plays in the past two games and they know they have to minimize Modesto’s dangerous duo, Eli McCabe and Heston Blom. McCabe has passed for 2,008 yards and Blom is 86 yards shy of 1,000 and has caught 12 of McCabe’s 16 touchdown passes.
Davis (4-5, 3-3) at Ceres (7-2, 4-2), 7 p.m.
Davis is on the outside looking in when it comes to this year’s postseason. The Spartans have met the four-win minimum, but in order to extend their season they need a win and they also need other teams across the section to lose Friday to qualify for the Division III playoffs. This year’s team is young and it has shown in its play at times. Two of its five losses came in the preseason by four total points. The Spartans also went through a tough three-game losing streak to start Western Athletic Conference play. They have remained persistent, bouncing back to win their past two contests to set up Friday’s matchup with the league’s second-best team. Ceres has 27 seniors and has to get a win to secure a spot in the playoffs. Davis has tried to play fast all season and that is how coach Tim Garcia is approaching Friday’s game. He wants the team to just go out and play rather than thinking too much. Ceres plays a physical brand of football with 1,000-yard rusher Tarrell Lee-Gill.
This story was originally published October 27, 2022 at 12:38 PM.
