Prep football roundup: Hughson, RC stay perfect; conversion lifts CC to first win
Ripon Christian continued to put small schools across the Sac-Joaquin Section on notice in Week 4, staying perfect on the season with a blowout win. Mason Tameling, Amos Cady and Lushen Sanders all had a say in how the game played out.
Central Catholic had to go to Southern California for its first win this season, taking down St. Bonaventure to move to 1-3 after nonleague play. Closer to home, Hilmar’s offense kept rolling, putting up over 50 points against Atwater, and Downey moved to .500 with a win over a team in the Bay Area.
Hughson also stayed perfect, squeaking out a win over Linden, and Beyer picked up a seven-point win over Riverbank.
Pitman through four games equaled its most wins in a season since 2018 with its third victory, knocking off Golden Valley.
East Union 55, Enochs 7: UC Davis commit Jackson Fay had a pair of touchdowns and Kirk Simoni had two touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown and a conversion pass in East Union’s rout of Enochs. The Eagles are 1-3 heading into their bye week. They return with Merced before their CCAL opener.
Valley Christian 42, Patterson 11: Patterson didn’t score its first points until a second-quarter field goal made it a 28-3 Valley Christian advantage. The Tigers open VOL play next week on the road against Central Catholic.
Hilmar 52, Atwater 28: Hilmar never trailed Friday night, making a field goal and scoring a touchdown to take a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. The Yellowjackets took a 17-6 halftime lead and put together one of their best offensive halves this season, scoring 35 second-half points in the victory.
Hughson 28, Linden 21: A touchdown pass from Hudson Baldwin to Bryce McDaniel gave Hughson a 28-7 lead that ended up being the difference in Friday’s final nonleague game against Linden. The Lions answered with a pair of scores but Hughson ran the clock out on its last possession to move to 4-0.
Buhach Colony 26, Ceres 9: Ceres scored a touchdown to cut into a Buhach Colony lead, but after making it a 12-9 game, the Thunder scored 14 unanswered points to coast to victory.
Downey 40, Amador Valley 28: A 12-point second quarter broke open the game for Downey, giving the Knights a 20-8 lead at halftime. They opened up a 33-8 lead in the third quarter en route to their second win this season.
Beyer 20, Riverbank 13: Beyer starts 2-1 with both wins coming on the road. Friday night, the Patriots took a game at Riverbank in their final game before WAC play starts.
Central Valley 34, Modesto 14: A dominant showing earned Central Valley its first win this season and dropped Modesto to 2-1. The Hawks took a 27-8 lead into halftime and Modesto answered right out of the break. Central Valley held the Panthers scoreless for the rest of the game.
Pitman 28, Golden Valley 19: Pitman scored 14 first-quarter points and took a 14-13 lead into the half. Pitman scored to take a 21-13 lead, and though it allowed Golden Valley to answer, stopped the two-point conversion. Mason Helwick put the game away in the fourth quarter with his fourth rushing touchdown.
Central Catholic 15, St. Bonaventure 14: Central Catholic waited until the last possible minute to take home its first win. The Raiders scored all 15 points in the final frame. Kayden McHenry and Chase Perino connected for the first touchdown and forced a nearly 20-yard loss by St. Bonaventure on fourth down to get the ball back late in the fourth quarter. With under two minutes left, McHenry and Perino connected again for more than 30 yards to set up the Raiders on the goal line. After a couple of short rush attempts, McHenry scored on a one-yard QB sneak. After a pair of flags, McHenry handed the ball to Isaiah Faagata for the eventual game-winning two-point conversion with 32 seconds left on the clock.
Oakdale 49, Vista del Lago 17: Oakdale scored over 45 points for the second time in three games and moved its win streak to three games. After giving up the first touchdown, the Mustangs finished the first half with a 28-10 lead. They allowed just seven second-half points in the blowout win. Each of their last three victories have been by double figures.
Livermore 36, Gregori 7: After three weeks on the road against Merced-area schools, Gregori had its home opener Friday night, but could score only one touchdown in the loss.
Escalon 35, Lodi 28: Escalon came away with an interception and two fumbles as the defense earned the offense extra possessions, leading the Cougars to victory. Dylan Ball scored twice and Logan Huebner and Chase Cummings connected in the first half, giving the Cougars a 21-0 lead. Lodi clawed back into the game, but Escalon held on for a win in its non-league finale.
West Valley 38, Big Valley Christian 14: The Lions fell to 0-3 with Friday’s road loss in Cottonwood. League play starts next week for Big Valley Christian as it takes on River Islands.
Ripon Christian 40, Mesa Verde 14: Amos Cady caught two touchdown passes from Mason Tameling and returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown as the Knights continued to flex their muscles in 2025. Lushen Sanders rushed for a first-half score, and Blake Stuit and Carson Cho scored in the second half to seal the win.
Saturday
Denair at Pajaro Valley
Modesto Christian at Millennium
