Prep football roundup: Gregori, Escalon, Ripon earn key league wins
Pitman and Enochs played in a thrilling CCAL matchup and Ripon pulled off what could be the upset of the season in two of the most interesting games across the Stanislaus District Friday night.
Gregori also earned a win over a tough, physical Modesto side, keeping the Cat Fight title in the matchup of the Jaguars and the Panthers.
In the WAC, Davis and Ceres played in a thriller, going back and forth for the entire second half before consecutive touchdowns helped secure a key league win. Hughson remained unbeaten in the TVL, putting up 48 points in a win over Orestimba. It is their second straight game scoring over 45 points. Escalon got back on the winning track with a number of big performances against Ripon Christian.
In the VOL, Patterson bounced back from last week’s heartbreaking loss to Oakdale with a 55-point outburst against Sierra to stay in the hunt for a top-three seed in the league.
Gregori 40, Modesto 20: The Jaguars kept the Cat Fight trophy with Friday night’s win against the Panthers. With the win, Gregori takes sole possession of third place in the CCAL standings and needs just one win to become playoff eligible. The Jaguars have won the last nine matchups against Modesto.
Patterson 55, Sierra 27: Patterson bounced back from its loss to Oakdale by recording a new season high in points. The Tigers move to 3-2 in VOL play, good for fourth in the league. The Tigers are the No. 3 team in Division III according to CalPreps. The Tigers face Manteca next week before a bye in the final week of the regular season.
Pacheco 40, Beyer 0: The Patriots could not earn their second WAC win, falling to the Panthers. Beyer plays the league’s top two seeds over the next two weeks, taking on No. 2 Ceres Oct. 25 and league frontrunner Lathrop in the regular season finale.
Johansen 38, Central Valley 3: Johansen continues its attempt at climbing into the playoff picture with a dominant win over Central Valley. The Vikings take on Livingston and Davis, respectively, in the season’s final two weeks.
Ceres 41, Davis 35: The Bulldogs and Spartans went into halftime of Friday night’s tightly contested matchup tied at 14 apiece. Each time Davis scored in the third quarter, Ceres answered. The Bulldogs took the lead for the first time in the second half late, scoring 14 unanswered points to earn the win.
Hughson 48, Orestimba 12: Robert McDaniel completed 13 of 19 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns in Friday night’s TVL win. Six receivers each caught a pass and Max Mankins and Carlos Guizar had receiving touchdowns. Eli Wilbanks rushed for 112 yards and two scored on 19 carries. The defense forced three interceptions.
Calaveras 35, Big Valley Christian 20: The Lions fell behind 14-0 early but battled back against the MLL’s second-place team, trailing 21-14 at halftime. Calaveras remains unbeaten in league play with the win while the Lions sit in fourth place with their regular season finale next week. They have a Nov. 1 bye.
Summerville 28, Hilmar 19: Hilmar had a rare Week 9 non-league contest, taking on one of the MLL top teams in Summerville. The Yellowjackets were outscored 14-7 in the first quarter and 7-6 in the third and fourth quarters each, dropping the matchup between two of the top small-school programs by less than 10 points. They continue TVL play next week, hosting Hughson.
Pitman 27, Enochs 21: The Pride earned their first overall win this season, gutting out a one-possession victory over Enochs. After Pitman went ahead 14-7 at halftime, Enochs tied the game with about five minutes left in the third. Pitman answered with a touchdown before the end of the frame. Enochs tied it again in the fourth, but the Pride scored the game-winning rushing touchdown with under a minute left.
Escalon 43, Ripon Christian 20: Quarterback Logan Huebner returned for the Cougars, completing eight of 12 passes for 97 yards and three touchdowns, to lead them to a key homecoming TVL win. Ben Gonzalez returned the opening kickoff 91 yards and Escalon was off and running. Ryan Lewis recorded three catches for 68 yards and a touchdown and had five tackles. Freshman Carter Yates was called up and stepped up for his classmate Dylan Ball who missed the game with injury. Yates had 55 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Carson Medina carried the ball 14 times for 83 yards, had a receiving touchdown and had a 47-yard pick-six. The Cougars now need just one win to become playoff eligible.
Linden 77, Riverbank 3: The Bruins scored their only points of the game in the third quarter as they were unable to hand Linden its first MLL loss. The Lions put up 42 first-quarter points and added 21 in the second quarter.
Ripon 27, Sonora 15: Ripon pulled off the upset of the weekend, earning their first league win this season while taking down the No. 2 team in the TVL. Ripon led 13-9 at halftime and outscored Sonora 14-6 in the second half. Anden Ries scored twice on the ground to lead the team.
