Games to Watch: Turlock schools chase key wins, Central Catholic off to Ventura

Central Catholic chases its first win of the season in Southern California on Friday, while closer to home, Ripon Christian hopes to stay unbeaten and Turlock looks to move to .500 on the season in a matchup with a defending section and state champion.

Turlock, The Bee’s newly crowned No. 1 team, welcomes a championship program in Sonora to Joe Debley. Though one of Sonora’s stars out of the backfield will miss the game with an injury, the multilayered rushing attack is equipped to fill in for him. Turlock is fighting through injuries of its own with a pair of offensive weapons.

Ripon Christian used an all-around productive game from senior Amos Cady to claim its third straight double-digit win this season. And Central Catholic is battling through early-season injuries, so a bye could not come soon enough. But before then, the Raiders make the trip to Southern California to take on St. Bonaventure of Ventura, which is coached by a former pro.

No. 2 Central Catholic (0-3) at St. Bonaventure (2-1), 7 p.m.

The Raiders left campus for Ventura, where they will play St. Bonaventure this weekend, looking for their first win of 2025.

It has been a tough start for the Raiders, full of injuries, losses after giving up first half leads, and a fall from the No. 1 spot in The Bee’s rankings. But still, Roger Canepa is feeding his team confidence. He tells them areas to improve while also reminding them why they play such a tough nonleague schedule.

The Raiders have played a top-five team in Oregon and two top-five teams across two different sections in the CIF so that when Valley Oak League play starts, they’re battle tested.

Last week, against Central Catholic of Oregon (No. 3 in Oregon), the Raiders started hot, taking a 16-7 lead late in the second quarter on a 20-yard Zymir Nelson rush. For the second week, they led at the half, taking a 16-14 advantage into the intermission. A team itching to put its first one in the win column hits the road for Southern California.

The Seraphs made it to the CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship game last season and are already off to a 2-1 start to 2025 under first-year head coach and former Oregon and NFL defensive back Troy Hill. Though they won their first two games without giving up 10 points, they allowed nearly 20 last week in an 18-16 loss to Inglewood.

In a battle of two teams looking for a key win, the Raiders’ key will be to get ahead and stay ahead.

Sonora (3-0) at No. 1 Turlock (1-2), 7 p.m.

Scout Silva is still battling through an elbow/shoulder injury but has played through it for the past two weeks.

But the injury bug bit the Bulldogs, The Bee’s new No. 1 team, when starting running back Alex Ventura went down in their last game against Central East of Fresno, the Central Section’s top team and No. 18 team in California.

Turlock has been tested with a tough schedule but likely has not seen an offense like Sonora’s, with experienced players and multiple layers. Friday’s contest is the first of two straight home games to finish out nonleague play. In three weeks, they will defend their back-to-back CCAL titles, but they can’t get there without momentum.

Not only will this game push Turlock’s record to 2-2, but beating a defending section, NorCal and state champion on its home turf could be the confidence boost to propel Turlock through a rough nonleague slate.

Sonora picked up its third straight win to start the season but lost bruising running back Tommy Sutton. The senior, who is one of three Wildcats with over 100 yards rushing and three touchdowns, announced on X that he broke his arm. Though he rushed for 45 yards and two scores on five carries in a 62-14 win over Antelope, he will need surgery and will miss extended time.

It will be the next man up for Sonora against the 2024 Division I semifinalist Bulldogs. But for Sonora, the next man up will be a good one. Seniors Cash Byington and Eli Ingalls are constant threats in the rushing attack and junior Jeremy Snyder currently leads the team in rush yards (156) and adds a pair of touchdowns.

Sonora’s offense is intricate and physical, and if Turlock players are disciplined, their talent could overwhelm the Wildcats. If they don’t, Sonora’s high-powered offense, which has scored at least 50 points in each of its last two contests, could literally run away with the game.

Pitman (2-1) at Golden Valley (0-3), 7 p.m.

A win Friday is big for the Pitman football program. If the Pride collect their third victory in four weeks, it will be their best start since 2018. That season, Pitman went 9-1 during the regular season before falling in the D-I playoffs. That team was the last to win multiple nonleague games. A third win will pass last year’s win total and equal that of 2023. That team won three games in 10 outings, and three wins in four games would be a major accomplishment, especially in Plaa’s first season.

So how will the Pride respond? They can come out flat, taking the winless Golden Valley team for granted and lay an egg. Or they can come out with conviction, determined to put the game away early, leave no doubt about a third win and let first-year head coach Braden Plaa sub in the second string for the final quarter.

A Pride win could also catapult it into the area’s top 10, depending on game score and results from around the Stanislaus District.

Atwater (2-1) at No. 8 Hilmar (2-1), 7 p.m.

Hilmar looks for a bounceback this week after falling to the No. 8 team in the Central Coast Section, Palma. The Yellowjackets threw just nine passes in the game as they continued to emphasize the rushing attack. They had 275 yards on the ground as a team, led by junior Nathan Ayala’s 96 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. He also added a team-high 10 tackles.

Cohen Felber rushed for 70 yards and a score and sophomore Adam Branco rushed for 53 yards on 12 carries.

But after four quarters, Palma came out on top after scoring five touchdowns on the ground and two through the air.

History favors the Yellowjackets in this matchup. Hilmar is 3-0 since 2021. The games are getting closer, however. In 2023 and 2024, Hilmar won by just one point.

They are taking on a battle-tested Atwater team led by a quarterback who already has one of the best performances in the state this season. Signal caller A.J. Banks left the second half of the Week 2 matchup with Hughson with an ankle injury, and though he played last week in a win over Gregori, the stats show he wasn’t himself.

A dual-threat weapon, he threw the ball 32 times and rushed 16 times in their season opener but was limited to just 17 pass attempts and one carry last week.

Atwater leaned on senior running back Durrell Morrison, who carried the ball 24 times for 229 yards and three touchdowns, powering the Falcons to a 27-14 win. All are season highs.

Hilmar will be taking on a team that has played in two overtime games and won one, a 65-64 barnburner against Vacaville.

Mesa Verde (1-1) at No. 9 Ripon Christian (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Three games, three double-digit wins for the Knights, who are senior-heavy and rolling entering their final nonleague game. A 4-0 start for the Knights would be their best start since 2018 and they have veterans leading the way.

A couple of years ago, Mason Tameling went through growing pains of being a young varsity starting quarterback. Now a senior, Tameling is now a three-year varsity starter who knows Phil Grams’ offense and expectations for his team like the back of his hand. He has three passing and four rushing touchdowns through three games.

His No. 1 target, Amos Cady is coming off a week where he did a little bit of everything in a 38-21 win over Calaveras. Cady rushed for 25 yards, had 51 receiving yards with a touchdown, returned a kickoff 92 yards for a score and added an interception. Tameling did his part as well, throwing for a score and adding a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Ripon Christian finishes nonleague play Friday against Mesa Verde out of the Sierra Delta League. The Mavericks are looking to pull through for their second straight win on the road after beating Cordova last week.

If Ripon Christian is going to be successful, it has to shut down the run. The defense, led by senior tackles leader Aaron Van Hofwegen, tries to limit the rushing attack of Cesar Granados (40 carries, 228 yards, 3 touchdowns) and Elias Uribe (17 carries, 136 yards).

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 8:25 AM.

Quinton Hamilton

The Modesto Bee

Quinton Hamilton covers high school sports for The Modesto Bee. He is a Southern California native and received his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College and a master’s in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Quinton has worked at the Record-Journal in Meriden and helped on projects at Hearst Connecticut.