Games to watch: Hughson, Escalon in big nonleague games featuring TVL schools
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Escalon and Oakdale renew rivalry as both seek key early-season statement win
- Hughson and Pitman face off with young quarterbacks and unbeaten records at stake
- Central Catholic hosts top Oregon team as Perino, McHenry lead Raiders' offense
A primetime matchup between two of The Bee’s top-ranked teams highlights Week 3 matchups that will not disappoint.
No. 7 Escalon travels to No. 3 Oakdale for a 7 p.m. kickoff as both teams chase a statement win early in the season. Oakdale enters the game chasing back-to-back victories over the Cougars after last year’s 21-20 overtime win that was part of a six-game win streak, which propelled it into a top seed in the Division III postseason.
No. 6 Hughson travels to Turlock to take on one of the area’s surprise teams this season, Pitman and first year head coach Braden Plaa. The Huskies will likely continue to balance their two-quarterback system this week and the Pride are looking for their first three-game win streak and 3-0 start since 2018.
Valley Oak League schools Patterson and Central Catholic chase their first wins this season and Downey hosts 2-0 Merced High after a last-minute extra point put them in the win column last week for the first time this season.
No. 6 Hughson (2-0) at Pitman (2-0) at Turlock High, 7 p.m.
A pair of 2-0 teams face off in what many might not have considered a “game to watch” when schools released their schedules in the offseason. But Braden Plaa has turned around the Pitman program. Hughson coach Shaun King says that the improvement jumps off the screen on the film and the results have come early. Pitman has outscored its first two opponents by a total of two points. But a win is a win. Last week’s 42 points against Cosumnes Oaks is the Pride’s first 40-plus point game since the 2023 finale. The Pride will be tested by a proven program in Hughson, a three-time section champion that has won its share of close games during its run as well.
After freshman quarterback Hudson Baldwin was the only signal caller to get snaps in last Friday night’s overtime win over an Atwater team with a win over Vacaville, King said he expects Baldwin and senior Turlock transfer Russell Spaulding to share snaps like they did in the season opener against Ceres. The Hughson quarterback battle continues through its nonleague games. Fresno State commit Bryce McDaniel continues to get more comfortable after switching to tight end in the offseason but the game could be decided by another pair of returners. Eli Wilbanks is one of the few returning running backs King has coached and he hit the ground running, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns in Week 1 and rushing for his first 100-plus yard game this season last week (195 yards, 34 carries). Pitman transfer Lawson Aviles has a 2024 section championship under his belt and is coming off a three touchdown Week 2 performance. He is a threat in the passing game and rushing attack. All of his touchdowns last week were on the ground, including the game-winning score in overtime.
Hughson is ranked in The Bee’s top 10 and Pitman is a bubble team, but a Pride win could make things interesting at the bottom of the standings.
No. 7 Escalon (1-1) at No. 3 Oakdale (1-1), 7 p.m.
Arguably the best contest across the entire section, Escalon and Oakdale match up in their rivalry game for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
They are in similar situations. Both are in the top 10 in The Bee’s most recent rankings and searching for a statement win over a Stanislaus District opponent. The first game this season between two Stanislaus District top 10 teams is anticipated to be a battle as two of the past three matchups were decided by a total of just four points.
Escalon fell in a narrow game last week to Chavez after picking up a Week 1 victory over Rodriguez. The Cougars led late in the third quarter but surrendered a pair of scores in the fourth quarter, a trend they likely hope will not be repeated.
Oakdale bounced back in a big way after a disappointing Week 1 showing against Sonora. The Mustangs responded in Week 2 with nearly 600 rushing yards and a 70-point effort against Lincoln-Stockton. Richard Flores rushed for 122 yards and four touchdowns, Chase Lopez had 130 yards and a score and Air Force commit Wes Burford had 258 yards and four more touchdowns to lead the way.
A win would not only go a long way in determining each team’s place in The Bee’s rankings, but in the big picture could set a foundation for how the rest of their regular season will go.
Central Catholic (Oregon) (0-0) at No. 1 Central Catholic (0-2), 7 p.m.
Roger Canepa joked Tuesday at the Modesto Quarterback Club’s weekly meeting that no matter what, on Friday Central Catholic is going to win. And he’s right. The Raiders will host the No. 1 team from Oregon, the Central Catholic Rams in a non-league matchup Friday night that has both teams looking for its first win. Canepa, understandably, hopes it’s the Raiders who come out with the victory this time. Last season the Raiders traveled to Portland and fell 45-29.
As for the Raiders’ 0-2 start this season, Canepa says his team will be “fine”. He is happy with the improvement they made from Week 1 to Week 2 and he is expecting another jump this week against one of the highest ranked teams they will play all season. Quarterback Kayden McHenry and Fresno State-bound receiver Chase Perino continue to make impact plays. After connecting 11 times for 146 yards and a touchdown against Pleasant Valley, they combined for 10 more catches, 169 yards and all three of the team’s touchdowns in last Friday’s Holy Bowl. Perino also led the team in tackles last week. Through two games, Perino is ninth in California in receiving yards (315) and McHenry is 13th in the section with 473 passing yards.
The Raiders will likely still have to manage the snaps for Sacramento State commit Carter Meeks, who has been hampered by a hamstring injury he suffered during the week of practice before their Pleasant Valley matchup. Last week, he spent most of his time on defense, taking just a few offensive snaps.
The Rams are reloaded, returning a lot of talent from last season’s 6A Open semifinalist team. Quarterback Robbie Long Jr. returns as well as running back duo Tyson Davis and Killian Sombe, who might be two of the best the Raiders will face. The Raiders won’t have any 2025 game film of the Rams though. They will have to go off scrimmage tape as Oregon’s high school football season does not start until Friday night.
Merced (2-0) at No. 4 Downey (1-1), 7 p.m.
When speaking at the Modesto Quarterback Club, Downey coach Jeremy Plaa called this year’s Merced team one of the best Merced team’s he’s seen in recent years. The Bears have a pair of key wins already, beating Patterson in overtime Week 1 and beating Gregori in a dominant 45-13 outing last Friday night. Quarterback Vicente Cortez has passed for 337 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception and has connected with three receivers for over 50 yards and at least one touchdown each.
In last week’s road game against Elk Grove that had what Plaa estimates were five or six lead changes, the Knights turned in their first clutch performance of the season. The two sides traded touchdowns in the late minutes, but Downey tied the game at 42 with about a minute left on a rushing touchdown. The Knights had not kicked an extra point all year, but in his first ever varsity football field goal attempt, Alan Halfman won the game. The Knights will want to bring the momentum from last week’s last-minute win into Week 3
No. 5 Patterson (0-2) at Lathrop (2-0) at Weston Ranch High School, 7 p.m.
The Tigers have twice come close to getting the first win in the Jacob Pierce era. The first freshman under center since previous three-year starter Max Medina did it in 2022, Pierce has completed 34 of 49 passes with 428 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first two varsity starts. Pierce has impressed and he’s already getting valuable big-game experience. In Week 1, the Tigers took rival Merced to overtime and last week they played California of San Ramon and lost by just three points. Both were playoff teams in the Sac-Joaquin and North Coast sections, respectively with a lot of returning talent. Through their first two games, offensively, the Tigers have relied on senior, Dasen Pettis, who played mostly defense last year but in 2025, moved to running back and has had over 20 carries and at least 100 yards in each contest.
This week against defending Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop, Patterson looks to take the next step. The defense, which is allowing 22 points a game, will have to stop the reigning WAC MVP, Pablo Pena, who was noted as a player to watch for this season among all WAC coaches who responded to The Bee’s preseason anonymous coaches’ poll. Pena rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1 and added three scores on the ground last week.
This story was originally published September 4, 2025 at 12:50 PM.
