Games to Watch: Modesto teams chase win; Turlock QB a go after Week 1 injury
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Pitman targets 2-0 season start and first Cosumnes Oaks win since 2020
- Turlock QB Scout Silva cleared to start Friday after late hit injury in Week 1
- Hughson defense prepares for Atwater QB Ali Banks Jr.'s record-setting offense
The nerves are gone at this point, game week routines should be set and coaches are expecting more from their teams in Week 2.
Last week saw it all, from shootouts to tight contests and even a handful of blowouts, as high school teams across the Sac-Joaquin Section found their bearings at the start of a new football season.
Pitman searches for back-to-back wins for the first time in a few seasons as new head coach Braden Plaa looks to turn around the Pride’s football program. They take their first road trip of the season to Cosumnes Oaks. Davis and Central Catholic look to bounce back from underwhelming Week 1 performances, chasing good showings and wins in Week 2. Davis chases its first points this season, and the Raiders hope for a Holy Bowl win over St. Mary’s.
After a scare in last week’s contest for Turlock High, star sophomore quarterback Scout Silva is expected to play this week against Tracy in Turlock’s home opener. More reporting on Silva’s recovery and in-depth looks at five of the top Stanislaus District football games are below in this week’s Games to Watch.
Pitman (1-0) at Cosumnes Oaks (0-1) at 7 p.m.
Pitman is coming off the first win in new head coach Braden Plaa’s career and its second season-opening win in the past three seasons. Now, the team hopes to turn the page and start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2018, the year the Pride went 10-1 and advanced to the second round of the Division I playoffs. If they can string two wins together, it will be their first two-game win streak since the shortened 2020 season when they beat Gregori and Modesto.
The Pride’s first win of the season was an early-season game-of-the-year candidate, a 28-27 win over Central Valley. Pitman led 21-7 at halftime but the Hawks came charging back, scoring with under 40 seconds left to make it a one-point game. The game-winning two-point conversion was unsuccessful, Central Valley recovered the onside kick, but the Pride held on for the victory. Sophomore quarterback Junior Gomez completed 11 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown, and Erick Mendoza rushed for 46 yards and two scores.
Friday, Pitman searches for its first win over Cosumnes Oaks in their fourth matchup since 2020. Each matchup has gotten closer, with the Pride falling 27-24 last season. The Oaks are coming off a season-opening loss to section champion and state runner-up Vanden. After opening their season at home, the Pride hit the road for the first time this season.
Orestimba (1-0) at Davis (0-1) at Downey at 7 p.m.
Davis has returners at quarterback, tight end, receiver and defensive end, but the team is young in most other positions. That youth showed in the Spartans’ Week 1 shutout loss to Hilmar last Friday when the defense played well for the first half but the offense could not get much going. Davis head coach Trevor Mew said he is happy a loss like this happened in the first week to get the bad game out of the way.
When Davis suits up Friday at Downey High for its first home game, it will face a Trans-Valley League opponent for the third straight week. In the preseason, the Spartans saw Sonora at the jamboree scrimmage at Downey High, they faced Hilmar in Week 1 and will host Orestimba, a playoff team last season, on Friday. After spending all offseason practicing at surrounding schools, Davis opened up the week by practicing on campus for the first time this season.
Orestimba is coming off a big shutout win against rival Gustine, the Warriors’ fifth straight win in the Battle of the Chief. Junior Jose Cuevas rushed for 104 yards on eight carries, and seniors Giovanni Gudino and Emmanuel Alcantar each rushed for a touchdown. Gudino passed for a score and Alcantar came away with an interception. After a dominant 26-0 Week 1 win, they’ll test their rushing attack against a school hungry to get its first win of 2025.
Hughson (1-0) at Atwater (1-0) at 7 p.m.
Two teams coming off big Week 1 wins enter, but just one can come out undefeated. Hughson balanced quarterback efforts from senior Russell Spaulding and freshman Hudson Baldwin as part of a quarterback battle that could stretch throughout the preseason. Spaulding earned the most reps in Friday night’s 37-7 season-opening win over Ceres, completing 10 of 21 passes for 164 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and rushing for 50 yards on six carries. Senior running back Eli Wilbanks had two rushing touchdowns and 70 yards on six carries. Allowing just one touchdown is a near perfect way to start the season, but the Huskies’ defense will be tested this week by a quarterback coming off one of the best showings in Central Valley and California high school football history.
Atwater senior Ali Banks Jr. was absolutely in the zone in a 65-64 shootout win over Vacaville. Banks completed 23 of 32 passes for 466 yards. He threw seven touchdown passes without throwing an interception. On the ground, he tallied 101 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. In accounting for over 560 total yards and eight total touchdowns, he produced the second-highest number of total yards in Merced or Stanislaus County history. It will also be high enough to make a state totals list, according to Cal-Hi Sports. If Hughson wants to come out on top, it will have to contain the Falcons’ dual-threat star.
Central Catholic (0-1) at St. Mary’s (1-0) at 7 p.m.
After tough offseason practices and an encouraging showing at its preseason jamboree-style scrimmage, Central Catholic had a Week 1 letdown against Pleasant Valley of Chico, falling 41-21. After a week of practice, film and mental preparation, the Raiders play the annual Holy Bowl against St. Mary’s of Stockton on Friday night in a game that continues to be one of the biggest draws of the football season. There’s talent littered all over the field. Central Catholic’s running back/defensive back Sacramento State commit Carter Meeks and receiver/defensive back Fresno State commit Chase Perino lead the way for the Raiders, who like to run the ball first, pass second. Central Catholic is looking to end a three-game skid against the Rams.
Pace and space is the name of the game for St. Mary’s, and four-star UCLA commit Kenneth Moore III leads the way. In last week’s 51-38 win over Bishop Manogue of Reno, Moore had 51 receiving yards with two scores. Moore is the biggest name on the roster, but he had some help last Friday. Ivan Hueerta had 103 receiving yards on five catches, Diego Hernandez had 141 rushing yards and two scores, and Jeremiah Brown had a rushing touchdown and 89 yards.
Tracy (1-0) at Turlock (0-1) at 7 p.m.
Turlock nearly suffered two losses in last Friday’s game against defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II runner-up Rocklin. It fell in the game, 35-7, and had a scare when sophomore starting quarterback Scout Silva was hit on a play late in the fourth quarter, knocking him out for the rest of the game. Bulldogs head coach James Peterson said that from the film he watched, Silva took a hit that affected his elbow but was not in his throwing motion, resulting in what they believe is a deep bone bruise. Silva did not return to the game after the hit and immediately started receiving treatment from the Bulldogs’ athletic trainer. Peterson confirmed Thursday morning that Silva got to practice Wednesday, looked great and is expected to play Friday night.
Turlock will need all hands on deck as it welcomes Tracy for the home opener and the Battle of the Bone game between both teams with Bulldogs mascots. Turlock leads the series since 2004, 5-4, with wins in the last three contests. Turlock did not have its best showing against Rocklin, putting up just seven points. Peterson said he felt it just came down to mistakes, saying the team struggled to get in the right positions and execute the calls. Tracy is traditionally a run-heavy team, and that held true in its 61-6 Week 1 win over West. Four players combined for five rushing touchdowns, led by Elijah Castanon, who finished with two rushing scores. Quarterback Brady Brown had two passing touchdowns on just five completions. Tracy rushed for 369 yards as a team last Friday.
This story was originally published August 28, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
