Pitman pulls away in second half to defeat Modesto in CCAL opener
The Pitman High football team made the most of a long homecoming halftime Friday night.
The Pride made some much-needed adjustments and pulled away from pesky Modesto High to win 29-12 at Joe Debely Stadium.
Modesto had flummoxed Pitman (4-2) for much of the first half, trailing by just three points at the break. But the homecoming festivities gave the Pride some extra time to get things squared away.
It resulted in a commanding second-half performance.
“We knew coming into this game it was going to be a battle,” first-year Pitman coach Braden Plaa said. “It was a slow start, but we were able to figure it out ... at the long halftime and come out in the second half and just kind of run the ball right at them.”
The win was Plaa’s first Central California Athletic League victory as the Pride’s head coach. And it sets up a big game next Friday when Downey — coached by Plaa’s father, Jeremy — visits Joe Debely Stadium. Downey crushed Gregori 45-8 in its CCAL opener.
Not always pretty for Pitman
To be able to compete with Downey, Pitman will have to clean up things.
The Pride committed eight penalties in the first half, making it difficult to get anything going on offense. The Modesto defense also stymied Pitman’s usually productive run game.
Star running back Mason Helwick was held to just 64 yards, most of that coming in the third and fourth quarters.
Luckily for Pitman, quarterback RJ Wilharm stepped up when his team needed him. The senior went 10-of-14 for 190 yards passing, including two touchdowns, and ran for 28 yards.
“We prepared all week; we knew at the start of the week they were going to prepare for our run game,” Wilharm said. “I knew in the back of my head I had to suit up and I had to go. ... It feels amazing my coaches know they can trust in me.”
Both of Wilharm’s touchdown passes came in the first half and both came on fourth down. On fourth-and-six, he hit Nolan Walker for a 19-yard touchdown. On fourth and goal from the 10, he hit Jayden Machado over the middle for the score.
That touchdown, along with Wilharm’s two-point conversion run, gave Pitman a 15-12 lead with 14 seconds left in the first half.
“We’ve had adversity all year,” Plaa said. “We went into halftime facing adversity, we came out and battled. We were able to shut them out the second half, and we were able to put a couple of drives together and score.”
Turnovers prove costly for Modesto
For much of the night, Modesto’s offense moved the ball at will on the ground.
The Panthers (2-4) lost starting running back Jordan Pitts to injury just two plays into the game. But senior quarterback Korde Banks (64 yards, two touchdowns) and junior running back Anthony Varela (115 yards on 18 carries) were productive in Pitts’ absence.
What really hurt Modesto, though, were three interceptions. The most costly came on Modesto’s opening drive of the second half. The Panthers moved to Pitman’s 25-yard line, but Pitman’s Isaac Villapudua picked off a Banks pass.
Pitman took the ensuing drive 74 yards and scored on a one-yard run by Xadian Padilla, giving the Pride a two-score lead.
Helwick added a one-yard touchdown run in garbage time to extend the lead to the final margin.
Positive effort for Modesto
Modesto’s first-year head coach, Moises Tabarez, said he was pleased with the team’s effort, especially considering some key players were out.
“I’m totally proud of them,” Tabarez said. “We fought hard, we have to finish the second half.”
Last season, the Panthers won their first league game in six seasons.
Modesto has a chance next week against Enochs (1-5) to get another. The game will be Modesto’s senior night and played at Johansen.
“We have to get mentally prepared for Enochs next week,” Tabarez said. “That’s going to be a tough game. I know a lot of our boys know a lot of people from Enochs, so it’ll be a tough game for sure.”
Pitman coach going against his dad
Braden Plaa acknowledged that next Friday’s game against Downey will be special. It’ll be the first time he’ll coach against his father.
But he also emphasized that the matchup will be Pitman against Downey, not Plaa vs. Plaa.
Braden Plaa played for his dad at Downey.
“That’s going to be really special,” Braden Plaa said. “It’s going to be fun. It’s not about me and him, it’s going to be about Downey and Pitman. And I think he’ll say the same thing.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 11:16 PM.
