Prep football roundup: League play in full swing, Stanislaus District teams seek wins
Central California Athletic League teams kicked off league play Friday night with its share of close contests and blowouts. While Modesto and Pitman engaged in a close contest, Downey and Turlock picked up convincing wins over Gregori and Enochs, respectively.
Hilmar nearly pulled off the upset of the season in Trans-Valley League play, taking Sonora to the wire. The Yellowjackets led late in the fourth quarter but Sonora put together a clutch scoring drive to secure the win and stay unbeaten in league play.
In the Western Athletic Conference, multiple Stanislaus District teams maintained winning league records. Davis, Johansen and Central Valley picked up victories.
In other leagues, Patterson got its first Valley Oak League win and Oakdale put up at least 70 points for the second time this season in a VOL shootout against East Union.
Lathrop 44, Ceres 7: The defending WAC champion moved to 3-0 in league play after a dominant showing on the road against Ceres. Since ending non-league play with a double-digit loss to Patterson, Lathrop has won three straight games by more than 10 points.
Downey 45, Gregori 8: Downey kicked off CCAL play with a wire-to-wire win over Gregori coming off its bye week. Downey scored 17 first quarter points and did not look back. Gregori’s lone score was in the second quarter when Mason Durao hit RJ Boer for a five-yard touchdown connection and Chris Knight scored on the ground for a two-point conversion. Durao completed 14 of 23 passes for 175 yards and a score and on defense Eli Struck finished with a team-high 11 tackles.
Johansen 24, Pacheco 0: Johansen scored 17 first half points and added a third quarter touchdown en route to its third WAC victory in as many games. The Vikings are 4-2 overall and Friday night was the team’s first shutout this season.
Patterson 49, Mountain House 13: Patterson earned its first VOL win this season with a dominant showing against Mountain House. The Tigers never trailed and took a 35-7 halftime lead. Mountain House scored with 1:40 left in the third quarter but Patterson immediately answered with a 51-yard run by quarterback Caden Lozano. Patterson added one more score before the final buzzer.
Big Valley Christian 26, Bret Harte 21: Big Valley pulled off an impressive second half comeback to take home its second league win this season. After falling behind 21-6 at halftime, the Lions scored 20 second half points and held the Bullfrogs scoreless in the final two quarters.
Turlock 43, Enochs 6: A 22-point first quarter set the table for Turlock, which kicked off its back-to-back CCAL title defense with a convincing win over Enochs. The Bulldogs added 14 points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth. Enochs’ only points came in the fourth quarter on a seven-yard touchdown pass by Darnell Townsell III.
Central Valley 41, Beyer 21: Central Valley never trailed and took a 21-7 halftime lead over Beyer. By the start of the fourth quarter, Central Valley had a 28-14 lead. Emmanuel Luna and Erick Mendoza tacked on touchdowns in the final frame while Beyer added a score of its own. Junior Gomez threw three touchdown passes and Luna rushed for 150 yards and was one of three Hawks to rush for a touchdown.
Sonora 22, Hilmar 21: Hilmar led 21-16 late in the game but Sonora answered with under five minutes left, putting together an extended drive, resulting in a touchdown and securing a one-point win to stay unbeaten in the ultra-competitive TVL.
Davis 24, Livingston 13: Davis improved to 2-1 in WAC play Friday night with a double digit win over Livingston. The Spartans are 3-3 overall this season and host Beyer next week.
Riverbank 36, Millennium 0: Riverbank spoiled Millennium’s homecoming Friday night, holding the Falcons scoreless while scoring 36 points to break a four-game skid. Riverbank has two wins this season, outscoring opponents 86-0 in the two games.
Central of Fresno 21, Modesto Christian 19: Modesto Christian fell in a nailbiter at home Friday night against Central of Fresno. The Crusaders came within two points of its first win at home and second victory overall. They take on Berean Christian next week.
Oakdale 71, East Union 55: In an offensive clash, the Mustangs came out on top to move to 2-0 in VOL play. Air Force commit Wes Burford rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns on 30 carries and Richard Flores added 144 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. Oakdale put up at least 70 points for the second time this season and won its fifth straight game. UC Davis commit Jackson Fay finished with five touchdowns for East Union.
Ripon 49, Orestimba 0: Ripon won its second straight game and claimed its first TVL victory since falling to Hughson in its league opener. Ripon is 1-1 in league play heading into next week’s big rivalry game against Ripon Christian, which is also 1-1 and is coming off a bye.
