Roundup: Hughson defends three-peat with win; Patterson, Merced battle in thriller
And just like that, the first week of the Sac-Joaquin Section high school football season is nearly done. We still have a few Saturday matchups like Beyer at Big Valley Christian and Folsom at Grant, a matchup between state-ranked teams televised on ESPN Saturday night.
Locally, the Stanislaus District’s three section finalists kicked off their seasons Friday night. Oakdale, the Division III runner-up, opened up with section and state champion Sonora at home. Division IV runner-up Patterson continued its budding rivalry with Merced. Hughson began its journey to defend its three straight section titles on the road at Ceres. Downey fell to Del Oro, which went into the first weekend of the 2025 regular season ranked No. 25 in the section.
Enochs, Pitman and Gregori were among the teams earning Week 1 wins, starting their season on the right foot. All seven Trans-Valley League schools earned season-opening wins. Here’s a look at who won and who lost in the opening week of the regular season.
Hughson 37, Ceres 7: Hughson never trailed Friday night, taking a 20-0 halftime lead and scoring 17 second-half points to move to 1-0 on the new season. Over their last 15 games dating back to last season, the Huskies are 14-1 with their only loss coming in the CIF NorCal bowl game.
Hilmar 32, Davis 0: Hilmar held Davis scoreless, forcing turnovers and using a two-quarterback system , in a dominant opening week win. After Davis won last year’s matchup, Hilmar evened the home-and-home Friday night.
Enochs 61, Sierra 55: Enochs improved to 3-0 against Sierra of Manteca in their first matchup since 2011. Enochs trailed near the end of the first quarter but a 90 yard touchdown pass gave the Eagles the lead. The first-half shootout finished with Enochs ahead 33-27 and the two sides played a nearly even second half.
Waterford 33, River Islands 6: A 15-point fourth quarter sealed a win for Waterford in the season opener at home. After allowing six points in the first quarter, the Wildcats held River Islands scoreless for the rest of the game.
Pleasant Valley 41, Central Catholic 21: The Raiders took their lumps Friday night in their home opener against the 2024 Division 3-A Northern California runner-up after winning matchups in 2023 and 2024. Central Catholic trailed by just a point at the half but a third quarter Pleasant Valley interception followed by a 75-yard rushing touchdown gave the Vikings momentum. The Raiders take on St. Mary’s next week.
Ripon 48, Golden Valley 26: Ripon never trailed in Friday’s season opener, leading 14-6 after the first quarter and 35-13 at halftime. Andrew Shaw rushed for a touchdown and had a touchdown pass. Ripon used a 21-point second quarter to break the game open and never looked back, starting the year off 1-0.
Ripon Christian 35, Summerville 21: The Knights made a statement in their season opener, beating defending state champion Summerville after both teams went scoreless in the first quarter. The Knights and Bears each scored 14 second quarter points. Ripon Christian outscored Summerville 14-7 in the third and added another touchdown while holding Summerville scoreless in the fourth quarter.
Escalon 35, Rodriguez 14: Dylan Ball had eight carries for 106 yards and three touchdowns and Carter Yates carried the ball six times for 97 yards and a score to lead Escalon to a season-opening win. The Cougars outgained Rodriguez 341-183 in total offense yards.
Gregori 22, Buhach Colony 0: Gregori kicked off its stretch of three straight road games against Merced-area schools with a dominant win over Buhach Colony. Gregori scored all of its points in the final three quarters in its third season-opening win over the Thunder in the past four seasons.
Merced 30, Patterson 23 (OT): Patterson capitalized on a bad punt to tie the game at 23 apiece in the fourth quarter, but a one-handed touchdown catch in overtime and a defensive stand sealed the win for Merced.
Rocklin 35, Turlock 7: Turlock scored its first points of the season in the fourth quarter on an Alex Ventura rushing score, but early penalties and turnovers got it started on the wrong foot on the road against Rocklin. The Thunder scored 35 unanswered points to coast to victory.
Pitman 28, Central Valley 27: Braden Plaa picked up his first win as a head coach in dramatic fashion. Pitman scored first but Central Valley quickly answered. Pitman scored twice more before the end of the first half, taking a 21-7 lead into the intermission. The Hawks scored in the third and the Pride scored in the fourth to make it a two-score game again but a touchdown and successful field goal cut the game to seven. Central Valley scored on its last possession but Pitman stopped the two-point conversion to seal the win.
Denair 66, Modesto Christian 0: Modesto Christian could not score a point in its season opener against Denair Friday night. The Crusaders have not scored in nine games, dating back to 2023.
Orestimba 26, Gustine 0: The Warriors got head coach Austin Martins his first win in his first game on the job, shutting out rival Gustine. The win is Orestimba’s fifth straight over Gustine and the Warriors lead the series 17-4 since 2004.
Modesto 21, Johansen 9: Modesto trailed Johansen 9-7 at halftime, but scored 14 unanswered third quarter points to secure the win in their season opener. The Panthers held the Vikings scoreless in the second half en route to their first win over Johansen since 2022. The victory was the first for new head coach Moises Tabarez.
This story was originally published August 23, 2025 at 10:01 AM.
