Prep football roundup: Turlock, 10 other local teams earn Week 7 league wins
The Turlock High football team announced its presence early in Friday night’s 51-24 win over Gregori High, letting the entire Central California Athletic Conference know that its 0-5 nonleague record wasn’t an indication of what the next five games could be.
The Bulldogs earned their first win this season and their first victory since their historic upset of then-unbeaten St. Mary’s-Stockton in the 2022 Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. In its first five games, Turlock played two of the top 5 teams in the Sacramento area, two top schools in the Fresno area and a historically powerful Bay Area program.
“Tonight the kids played really hard and fought through a lot of adversity at times,” Turlock coach James Peterson said. “I was really proud of the team for just getting the victory again, after so long. It’s like, OK, we can do this.”
The Bulldogs were aggressive all night, essentially shutting down the Jaguars’ dynamic running back, Michael Marsden. They held Marsden, who entered the game averaging over 175 rushing yards a game with nine total touchdowns, to just 51 yards on 22 carries. Marsden caught seven passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Turlock quarterback Vincent Gonzalez completed 14 of 20 passes for 248 yards and threw three touchdown passes. Running back Tarell Johnson scored both rushing touchdowns for Turlock.
The Bulldogs forced five Gregori turnovers. Jr. Silva had two interceptions, returning one for a 55-yard pick-six. Hunter Kincaid ended a Jaguars drive late in the fourth quarter with a 63-yard pick-six. Turlock also forced a pair of fumbles.
After falling behind 35-10 at halftime, Gregori (4-2) surged back into the game. With the score 38-24 and the chance to make it a seven-point game in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars fumbled on the Turlock 1-yard line.
“Our guys were hurt by the loss, but they know we’re still in it (the playoff race),” said Gregori coach Lamar Wallace. “They’re ready to get back to work. ... We have to start playing better in the first half. Right now, we’re a second-half team and you can’t win football games unless you play all four quarters. And we definitely can’t turn the ball over the way we did tonight. The guys know that we’ve still got a shot at the (league) title, we’ve still got a shot at playoffs.”
Enochs 35, Modesto 6: In just his second game as the Eagles signal caller, Johnny Staggs finished an efficient 11 of 16 passes for 165 yards and two passing touchdowns. Aiden Muhammad rushed for 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Enochs defense recorded nine tackles for loss.
Johansen 10, Ceres 3: Johansen won its third straight Western Athletic Conference game Friday night, moving to 5-1 on the season. Tek Garcia scored the Vikings’ only touchdown, and Jairus Vasquez rushed for 100 yards. The win sets up a meeting between a pair of 3-0 WAC schools next week between the Vikings and reigning league champion Los Banos.
Lathrop 24, Beyer 7: The Patriots scored their only touchdown of the game in the second half and held Lathrop scoreless in the final two quarters. They will play next Friday at Mountain House.
Central Valley 47, Buhach Colony 40: With the Hawks trailing 40-33 at the end of the third quarter, they scored 14 unanswered points and came up with a pair of fourth-down defensive stands to seal the game. Isaac Garcia and Anthony Ramirez connected for a 57-yard passing touchdown to tie the game at 40, and Amir Drakeford rushed for the game-winning 11-yard touchdown.
Davis 31, Pacheco 13: The Spartans battled through injuries to earn the first win of the Trevor Mew era. Davis led 31-6 at the start of the fourth quarter. They will look for their second win this season next week against Lathrop.
Central Catholic 47, East Union 7: The Raiders’ stars showed out on offense in their 2023 Valley Oak League opener. TP Wentworth completed 12 of 16 passes for 171 yards and four touchdowns, Joey Alcutt rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown, and Trace Hernandez and Brooklyn Cheek had big days receiving. Hernandez caught four passes for 95 yards, and Cheek caught six passes for 68 yards. Each finished with a pair of receiving touchdowns. Gavin Peral and Wyatt Dragoo each rushed for a score.
Oakdale 42, Sierra 35: After a 21-21 halftime tie, Oakdale outscored host Sierra 21-14 in the second half to earn a win in their Valley Oak League opener. Wes Burford scored the Mustangs’ final two rushing touchdowns, and after a late Sierra touchdown, the Mustangs ran out the clock in their final offensive possession.
Downey 35, Pitman 7: Carson Lamb returned from a right hand injury to throw for 408 yards and four touchdowns on 26 completions and rush for 59 yards and a touchdown in his first CCAL game. Ethan Woodmansee caught nine passes for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Jaxen Rowland and Nathan Dip each added a receiving touchdown. Jack Hinchey had 10 tackles, and Noah Cruz had an interception.
Ripon 47, Modesto Christian 16: Ripon took a 27-8 lead into halftime against Modesto Christian in each team’s first TVL game this season. It scored 20 second half points to roll to victory. Anden Ries and Xzavier Clark did a lot of the heavy lifting offensively for Ripon.
Orestimba 47, Mariposa County 0: Orestimba advanced to 2-1 in Southern League play after shutting out Mariposa County Friday night. The Warriors punctuated a 41-0 first half with a 75-yard bomb from Jacob Valenzuela and added onto their lead in the second half.
Gridley 23, Riverbank 0: The Bruins allowed 231 yards of total offense but were unable to find the end zone. Two of their last three games are against Lindhurst. Riverbank travels to the Olivehurst campus Oct. 6 and hosts the Blazers on Oct. 14.
Ripon Christian 54, Waterford 0: The Knights earned their third shutout in four games Friday night. The defense was spectacular, coming away with five interceptions. Ripon Christian plays at Le Grand next week as it looks for its sixth straight win.
