Games to watch: Football Week 8 features teams with tons to fight for as season winds down
With four games left in the high school football season, there’s still so much to play for. Some teams are fighting to qualify, because the Sac-Joaquin Section has a four-win minimum required for all playoff teams. No team that hasn’t won four games in the season can play in the postseason. Others are jousting for positioning.
With league races heating up, a big league win could take a team that was looking at a playoff road trip and give it a first-round bye. Others are just playing for themselves. They know they have a playoff spot locked in, they just want to be playing their best football down the stretch.
In Week 8, a pair of key TVL games take center stage. A rivalry between two teams separated by just a street kicks off at 7 p.m. when Ripon travels to Ripon Christian. It is their first matchup since 2013. Hughson hosts Sonora in what could determine the league champion, as both are undefeated in TVL play and enter with perfect 6-0 overall records.
In other key league games, two high-powered offenses square off in the VOL when Patterson travels to Oakdale. They get it done in different ways as quarterback Max Medina leads the passing game for the Tigers and Wes Burford and Chase Lopez dominate on the ground. Two 4-2 overall teams match up from the Mother Lode League as Riverbank travels to Big Valley Christian.
Ripon (2-4, 0-2 TVL) at Ripon Christian (3-3, 1-2 TVL), 7 p.m.
An already interesting rivalry added another layer Tuesday evening when the Manteca Bulletin reported that Ripon’s coach of 23 years, Chris Musseman, stepped down. According to The Bulletin, assistant coach Cole Williams has taken over as interim head coach.
Williams will hope to lead Ripon past Ripon Christian in the first football matchup between the two schools since 2013. Ripon is unbeaten in its last eight matchups since 2006, but Ripon Christian has won back-to-back section titles and is a new member of the TVL.
Quarterback Mason Tameling has passed for 607 yards and six touchdowns, spreading the ball around to five receivers who have at least 50 yards. Isaiah Vander Woude has caught a touchdown pass and Amos Cady is responsible for the other five. Cady leads the team with 222 receiving yards.
In wins, the Knights’ defense has been impressive, allowing just 19 total points. They have not had an opponent in any game score more than 35 points this season. It is a unit led by juniors as Chase Bunnell (44 tackles, 4 tackles for loss), Aaron Van Hofwegen (44 tackles, 7 tackles for loss), Blake Stuit (33 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss) and Cady (33 tackles, 1 tackle for loss) are the team’s leading tacklers.
Ripon is looking to extend its win streak over the Knights despite internal uncertainty. It has four 100-plus yard rushers and have scored eight touchdowns on the ground, courtesy of Nathan Curless (5), Brett Shaw (4) and Logan Lefebvre (2).
Sonora (6-0, 3-0 TVL) at Hughson (6-0, 3-0 TVL), 7 p.m.
Depending on whom you ask, this is the area’s game of the week. Two undefeated teams in the most competitive small-school league in California with tons of talent on both sides.
Hughson’s Robert McDaniel is one of the section’s premier passers and is Arizona-bound. Max Mankins is an elite pass rusher and will play at Air Force next year. Malakai Sumter is a two-way star with tons of experience, and Robert’s younger brother, Bryce, is a talented junior receiver who just picked up an offer from Washington State. Eli Wilbanks has emerged as the team’s lead back and has the ability to run through most defenders. The Huskies are playing in their second big game in as many weeks. Last week, they knocked off Escalon, 24-21.
Sonora is looking to beat its second defending section champion this season. Its rushing attack of Tommy Sutton, Cash Byington, Brody Speer and Eli Ingalls has gotten only better since beating Escalon to open TVL play. Seven players have over 100 rushing yards and at least one rushing touchdown. The Huskies and Wildcats could have met in last season’s section championship game. They will instead meet for an early-October league matchup.
Patterson (4-3, 2-1 VOL) at Oakdale (5-1, 2-0 VOL), 7 p.m.
Patterson and Oakdale feature two offenses that score in different ways. The Tigers are led by the No. 6 passer in California in junior Max Medina. He has already broken school passing records and has 1,850 yards and 19 touchdowns. While Noah Cozart (614 yards, 9 TDs) is his favorite receiving target, five players have over 15 catches and over 100 yards, and six players have caught a touchdown pass. When the offense needs some balance, the rushing attack keeps defenses honest. Medina is one of four players with over 200 rushing yards. The Tigers’ rushing attack is led by Jeremiah Lugo (504 yards, 6 TDs).
Oakdale is all about the rushing attack with Wes Burford, who is No. 9 in the state in rushing yards with 1,132. He also has 12 rushing touchdowns. His running mate, Chase Lopez, has 619 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Oakdale averages 39.3 points a game and Patterson averages 32.7 points. This game could come down to which team gets a fourth-quarter stop.
Gregori (1-5, 0-1 CCAL) at Enochs (2-4, 0-1 CCAL) at Downey High, 7 p.m.
Two programs in need of a win to get back on the right track face off Friday night at Downey High when the Eagles host the Jaguars. Both have been bitten by the injury bug this season, with Enochs at one point missing seven starters and Gregori missing its starting running back. The Jaguars also have their starting and backup quarterbacks banged up. But the show must go on and both teams will be hungry coming off losses in their CCAL openers.
For Enochs, quarterback Johnny Staggs has been impressive, passing for 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns. Four receivers have over 150 yards and at least three touchdown receptions through Enochs’ first six games.
Gregori has not been able to find its groove this season with players in and out of the lineup. The team’s top running back, Alton Williams, has been slowed by a shoulder injury. With each team needing four total wins to qualify for playoff consideration, the Jaguars will need to win three of their next four contests. Each team is looking for a statement win, which for one side will come Friday night.
Riverbank (4-2, 0-2 MLL) at Big Valley Christian (4-2, 2-1 MLL), 7:15 p.m.
Riverbank and Big Valley Christian face off Friday night for the first time since 2019. Since 2010, the Lions lead the series 5-1. In Friday’s matchup, the two 4-2 overall teams new to the Mother Lode League have had different starts to their MLL experience.
The Lions are on the uptick on the field. Morale is high and they are one of the league’s top four teams, with wins over River Islands and Bret Harte. In their two league wins, they’ve allowed eight total points.
Riverbank’s biggest success has come outside of MLL play. The Bruins have recorded shutouts in all three of their wins on the field. After winning their season opener via forfeit, they shut out Burton and San Juan in back-to-back games and beat Gustine last week, 17-0. Their two hiccups have come in league play, but they’re already battle tested. They’ve played two of the league’s top teams, falling to Calaveras 55-7 and Summerville 49-0. In their two straight wins earlier this season, Gabriel Sandoval combined for 189 rushing yards and five touchdowns and Gabriel Nisperos rushed for 178 total yards and a pair of scores. The Bruins have shown potential they are hoping can carry into their first league win this season.
