Games to watch: Oakdale visits Escalon, Central Catholic travels to Oregon, and more
No Thursday night games this week, meaning Friday night lights take center stage for Stanislaus District teams. Modesto-area schools take on out-of-area opponents for the third week as they prepare for league play, which kicks off as soon as mid-September. The Central Catholic Raiders travel to Portland, Ore., to play the No. 1 team in the state, the Central Catholic Rams. They are hoping to bounce back after a tough Week 2 loss in the Holy Bowl against St. Mary’s.
Gregori and Downey seek wins over Merced-area schools this week. Downey enters its matchup against Merced High unbeaten and is hoping to even the series at 5-5 in the 10th matchup between the two schools. Gregori, which lost to Merced in Week 2, hosts Atwater for its third straight home contest to start the season. The Jaguars hope last week was a wake-up call as they look to make the postseason for the 10th straight season.
Here is a look at more Week 3 top matchups:
Downey (2-0) at Merced (1-1), 7 p.m.
Downey picked up what head coach Jeremy Plaa called a “quality win” last week over an Elk Grove team that has been to the playoffs for the past decade straight. The Thundering Herd are the 19th-ranked team in the Sacramento area by The Sacramento Bee. Downey quarterback Carson Lamb said he played the best game of his career, passing for over 300 yards and tossing five touchdowns to four different receivers. Plaa said he studied last Thursday’s Gregori-Merced game and the Bears look great. Though the Knights have won the last four matchups, they are expecting a dog fight on the road. Merced still leads the series 5-4 since 2004.
Atwater (2-0) at Gregori (1-1), 7 p.m.
Gregori is looking for a bounce back after an underwhelming performance at home against Merced last Thursday. The Bears got ahead early and never looked back. Their quarterback Quintell Dupree played all over the field, taking snaps at quarterback, tight end and linebacker. Coach Lamar Wallace hopes the Merced game served as a wake-up call and he said the team already has started the week of practice better. Emmanuel Vasquez, Alton Williams and Gregori’s offense will have to produce against an Atwater defense that has allowed just 21.5 points a game in a pair of wins over Pacheco and McNair. The Jaguars are looking to finish their three-game homestand to start 2024 with a winning record before they hit the road for four straight games, finishing nonleague play at Livermore and Los Banos and opening CCAL play at Turlock and Enochs.
Oakdale (1-1) at Escalon (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
This matchup between two of the Stanislaus District’s historical programs provided thrillers in both 2021 and 2023. Oakdale won the 2021 matchup in a close affair, 38-35, and Escalon took the second matchup, 41-21. Last season’s matchup served as a coming-out party for receiver/defensive back Sam Jimenez, who blossomed into one of the best two-way players in the Stanislaus District. After a knee injury this offseason, he will miss the season for the Cougars, but they have a new running back and new quarterback who have stepped into their roles. Defensive end Ryan Lewis is already making it difficult for opposing offenses. Lewis and the Cougars defense will have to corral junior star running back Wes Burford, who finished last season as one of the section’s top rushers and is off to a hot start in 2024. Friday night at Engel Field should be a good one.
Central Catholic (1-1) at Central Catholic (Oregon) (1-0), 7 p.m.
The Raiders hit the road Wednesday at 6 a.m., making the trip to Portland to face Oregon’s Central Catholic. It will be a top 10 matchup of sorts. The Central Catholic Raiders are No. 1 in The Bee’s rankings and No. 9 in the Sac-Joaquin Section, according to CalPreps, while the Central Catholic Rams are the top-ranked team in Oregon. The Raiders know their young roster has some improving to do after blowing a handful of coverages and missing blocking assignments in the Holy Bowl against St. Mary’s. The Rams went up 35-0 in their season-opening shutout win. They boast an impressive offense with an even more impressive defensive line with size and speed. Raiders assistant coach Myron Larson says the staff knows the team will “have its hands full” come Friday night’s contest.
Calaveras (2-0) at Ripon Christian (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
This matchup between the Knights and Red Hawks features one of the best small-school scoring offenses in the section. The Knights will have a lot to deal with in their home opener Friday night as Calaveras has put up 40.5 points in its first two games. The Red Hawks are coming off a 54-point shutout win over Los Altos and beat Stone Ridge Christian 27-7 in Week 1. Lushen Sanders rushed for three touchdowns and Chase Bunnell had eight tackles with three tackles for loss to lead the Knights to their first win this season last week against El Capitan. They’re hoping to build on that momentum in their final nonleague tune-up before the games really start to count. Friday night is the Knights’ last nonleague game before their bye week. They start Trans Valley League play Sept. 20 against Hilmar.
