Games to Watch: Downey vs. Turlock CCAL championship takes center stage
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Match decides CCAL title and automatic Sac-Joaquin playoff bracket entry.
- Turlock holds No.8 MaxPreps seed; Downey needs win to secure top-eight spot.
- Key players Haynes, Silva and Guinn influence outcomes; injuries and penalties matter.
Downey and Turlock’s annual Central California Athletic League matchup is this week and the stakes couldn’t be higher. Both enter the game 3-0 in league play, so an outright league title is on the line. Next is playoff positioning. With the Sac-Joaquin Section’s new playoff format, a CCAL title could be the difference between a spot in the playoff bracket and a bowl game. League champions earn an automatic entry, so the winner of this matchup secures its spot in the bracket.
Turlock is the No. 8 team MaxPreps’ D-I section rankings and Downey is No. 9. The bracket includes only the top eight teams in each division, and the ninth is the highest-ranked team with a bowl game. A win for Turlock solidifies its spot as the league’s top team for the third straight season and locks up a top-eight seed. A win for Downey gives it the automatic entry it needs to enter the postseason bracket and possibly gives the CCAL two teams in the D-I bracket if Turlock doesn’t drop out by season’s end.
Hughson’s regular season ends Friday night. The Huskies have a Week 11 bye like they had last season. A win solidifies at least third in the Trans-Valley League standings. Hilmar has two league games left, and a win over Hughson shakes up the standings by the time the final regular season games play out.
One other game in each league will be worth watching. Pitman is projected to be the No. 14 team in Division II while Enochs is looking to play spoiler.
No. 4 Turlock (4-4, 3-0 CCAL) at No. 3 Downey (5-3, 3-0 CCAL), 7 p.m.
Scout Silva’s ability to throw the ball and create offense with his legs has been one of Turlock’s offensive calling cards all season. Friday night, in the biggest game of the season, it will likely be no different. Turlock is the No. 8 team in Division I, meaning the Bulldogs would hold the very last spot in the D-I playoff bracket. With just two games left in the regular season, anything can happen, but the way both teams can secure a playoff spot is to win the CCAL title. Silva has battled through injuries, and the Bulldogs’ injury history as a whole is well-documented. But the annual defacto CCAL championship game is always a good one. Both teams will have to play their best games of the season. For the Bulldogs, that means cleaning up the penalties. Turlock’s second-half penalties helped Pitman climb back into the game. Turlock running back Kaleb Guinn finished last week’s Harvest Bowl with a breakout performance, tallying 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Downey knows Turlock’s weapons have spent the season in and out of the lineup, but they are operating as if everyone will be healthy come Friday. Everyone knows the severity of the game. The same logic applies to the Knights, whose quarterback Julian Masaniai nursed his injuries last week. If it was a playoff game, he would have suited up, but the 1,400-yard signal caller sat out in the team’s 56-14 win over Modesto High. He will suit up this week. Elias Haynes has been the Knights’ top all-around player all season. Last week, he put his name in the Downey High record books. He had 302 all-purpose yards with rushing, receiving and punt-return touchdowns. His 185 rushing yards marked his sixth straight game with over 100 rush yards, setting a school record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Deshon Benton previously held the school record with five. The Knights’ game plan remains the same: utilize their best athletes for as many snaps as they can throughout the game. It just so happens that some of their best athletes are their five offensive linemen. Because of that, the Knights continue to run the ball more than they have in the past few seasons. Haynes has rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns making him the program’s first 1,000-yard, 10-TD rusher since Malcome Green (1,107 yards, 12 TDs) in 2016. The Knights’ defense took its lumps early but has found its groove recently.
No. 6 Hilmar (5-3, 2-2 TVL) at No. 5 Hughson (7-2, 3-2 TVL), 7 p.m.
Hilmar has its spot in the Division V playoffs locked in, but a win is still important. Every game in the TVL matters. The No. 2 team in the division, according to MaxPreps, the Yellowjackets have continued with their multi-quarterback offensive system. Jorden Jacobo, Jacob Sward and Cohen Felber combined to go 9-for-10 with 189 yards and three touchdowns. They usually alternate each drive, head coach Frank Marques, who is stepping down from the job after this year, told The Bee a couple of weeks ago. The Yellowjackets have had two weeks to prepare for Hughson. After shutting out Orestimba in early October, Hilmar had its bye week, using it to rest up, plan and prep for the final two league games of the regular season against the Huskies and Ripon High, respectively.
Hughson is preparing for Hilmar’s rotation of quarterbacks by working on adjusting to anything. Because of the many different looks the Yellowjackets can go with, Hughson coaches have to tell their players to have their eyes out for all offensive options. The Huskies are hoping a lackluster practice earlier in the week will not haunt them come Friday night, as this game has a number of playoff implications. While they will not be playing for a league title like last season (Sonora essentially has that locked up), the Huskies are playing with a shot at a playoff home game on the line. After moving up to D-IV this season due to continued success, Hughson coach Shaun King has let his team know what is at stake Friday night in the team’s regular season finale. Hughson will play its 10th straight football game Friday and will have its bye in Week 11. With that comes injuries. King’s son Payton, a senior linebacker, broke his wrist against Orestimba after recording five tackles, and they lost a pair of linemen to knee injuries. Newcomer Titus Beers hurt his ankle in his season opener against Escalon but has battled through. King says he is near 100% now. Last season, Hughson beat Hilmar for the first time in 10 years. If the Huskies win Friday, it will be their first time beating the Yellowjackets in the MaxPreps era.
Enochs (2-6, 1-2 CCAL) at Pitman (4-4, 1-2 CCAL) at Turlock High, 7 p.m.
A .500 league record is on the line for the Eagles and Pride. Enochs is coming off a road CCAL loss to Gregori, where it gave up timely interceptions and a pair of timely rushing touchdowns. For the Eagles, sophomore Darnell Townsell III earned his first league start this season and had a solid showing, throwing a pair of touchdown passes and passing for 106 yards. But it will all come down to the defense for Enochs. Pitman is a run-first team and the Eagles allowed a Gregori rushing attack that was looking for a statement game, go for nearly 200 yards and two rush touchdowns.
The section’s new playoff format was made for teams like Pitman. The Pride are the Stanislaus District’s biggest riser and with the change that was voted in a few weeks ago, they are playing meaningful football with the hopes of reaching a postseason game. The current projected No. 14 team in Division II, the Pride are on the lower end of the 16 team cut off to reach a bowl game, but if they perform well against Enochs and Gregori in their final two games, they will secure a postseason bowl. Coming off back-to-back losses against the CCAL’s two top teams, Downey and Turlock, and with early close games in their non-league schedule the Pride are battle tested and eager to make a late run to end the season. Running back Mason Helwick finished with 103 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in the Harvest Bowl last week against Turlock despite the loss.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 9:59 AM.
