High school football rankings: Week 8 father-son matchup highlighted the action
The matchup between Jeremy and Braden Plaa took center stage in Week 8, making it the first father vs. son matchup in Northern California since the 1990s, according to Mark Tennis of CalHiSports.
Downey, the No. 4 team in the Stanislaus District rankings, and Pitman, a bubble team, are both 4-3 overall after Friday night’s result. The 28-0 Knights victory moved them to four wins, qualifying them for the 2025 eight-team playoff bracket. Downey’s CCAL record moves to 2-0 with a home game against Modesto High this week.
Pitman fell to three losses on the season. The Pride’s win over Modesto the prior week secured its fourth win of the season, the highest win total since the 10-win 2018 football season. Pitman is 1-1 in league play heading into this week’s Harvest Bowl — the annual matchup against crosstown rival Turlock High.
Lost in the shuffle of a father-son matchup and a must-win league game for each team was that Jeremy Plaa was coaching his 200th varsity game. The past three seasons, he led the Knights to three straight 10-win seasons with one perfect regular season and two straight years with at least one playoff win. Friday night, father (Jeremy) got the best of son (Braden).
There wasn’t much movement in the rankings besides Patterson dropping two spots. The Tigers have been riddled with injuries this season and were forced to ask players to play out of position. Their most recent loss to Oakdale took them from fifth to seventh. Hughson moves into the top five and Hilmar moves to No. 6.
For Patterson to meet the four-win threshold for playoff bracket qualification, it has to beat Sierra this week and undefeated defending league champion Manteca in Week 10.
This week’s top 10 matchups include No. 1 Oakdale hosting No. 2 Central Catholic and No. 8 Escalon at No. 9 Ripon Christian.
Modesto Bee Top 10 Rankings
1. Oakdale (6-1, 3-0 VOL)
Last Rank: 1
Last Week: 56-14 win at Patterson
This Week: 10/17 vs No. 2 Central Catholic
2. Central Catholic (3-4, 2-1 VOL)
Last Rank: 2
Last Week: 61-29 win at East Union
This Week: 10/17 at No. 1 Oakdale
3. Downey (4-3, 2-0 CCAL)
Last Rank: 3
Last Week: 28-0 win at Pitman
This Week: 10/17 vs Modesto
4. Turlock (3-4, 2-0 CCAL)
Last Rank: 4
Last Week: 43-0 win at Gregori
This Week: 10/17 vs Pitman
5. Hughson (6-2, 2-2 TVL)
Last Rank: 6
Last Week: 43-12 loss at Sonora
This Week: 10/17 vs Orestimba
6. Hilmar (4-3, 1-2 TVL)
Last Rank: 7
Last Week: 41-0 win at Orestimba
This Week: BYE
7. Patterson (2-6, 1-3 VOL)
Last Rank: 5
Last Week: 56-14 loss vs Oakdale
This Week: 10/17 vs Sierra
8. Escalon (3-4, 1-2 TVL)
Last Rank: 8
Last Week: BYE
This Week: 10/17 at No. 9 Ripon Christian
9. Ripon Christian (6-1, 2-1 TVL)
Last Rank: 9
Last Week: 35-21 win at Ripon
This Week: 10/17 vs No. 8 Escalon
10. Ripon (5-2, 1-2 TVL)
Last Rank: 10
Last Week: 35-21 loss at Ripon Christian
This Week: 10/17 at Sonora
Bubble Teams: Pitman (4-3), Davis (4-3), Johansen (4-3), Waterford, (4-3), Big Valley Christian (3-4)
