Prep football roundup: TVL, WAC, VOL, CCAL teams play key league games
Just two games remain in the 2025 high school football regular season and each one comes with extra weight. Stanislaus District teams play for league seeding and a spot in the top 16 of their respective divisions for postseason contention.
With the Sac-Joaquin Section’s new playoff format going into effect this season, local teams in the top eight of their divisions fight to to secure a chance to compete for a section title. Teams competing for bowl games (seeds 9-16) hope to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pitman out of the CCAL is one of the teams fighting to stay within bowl game contention in a turnaround year for the program. The Pride and first-year head coach Braden Plaa took on Enochs in Week 10, looking to maintain their spot in the top 16.
The top two teams in The Bee’s weekly football rankings, Oakdale and Central Catholic, continued Valley Oak League play Friday night. Oakdale needed a win to stay unbeaten heading into its league championship matchup against Manteca for the regular season finale. Central Catholic was looking for a bounceback win after falling to Oakdale last weekend. The Mustangs played Sierra and the Raiders played Mountain House.
Thursday
Klamath Union 23, Modesto Christian 6: The Crusaders could not come away with their second win this season in a Thursday night matchup. Sophomore Xavier Powell had the Crusaders’ only touchdown on a 40-yard reception from junior Cristian Gonzales.
Friday
Johansen 38, Livingston 14: Johansen got out to a fast start, scoring 16 first-quarter points, and did not look back, securing its second straight WAC win after a one-possession loss to league champion Lathrop two weeks ago. The Vikings take on Davis on Thursday in a matchup between two 5-1 WAC teams.
Ripon Christian 57, Orestimba 0: Mason Tameling threw for two touchdowns, and Lushen Sanders (2), Amos Cady (1) and Blake Stuit (1) scored on the ground offensively. Chase Bunnell returned a fumble for a defensive touchdown as the Knights were dominant against Orestimba on Friday night. Ripon Christian, the TVL’s No. 2 team, plays at undefeated Sonora next week for a shot at a share of the league title.
Pitman 31, Enochs 24: A 24-point second half helped Pitman overcome a first-half deficit in a thrilling comeback win. Mason Helwick scored on a 35-yard run for the Pride’s only first-half touchdown. In the second half, he rushed for a score, Aaron Garcia made a field goal, Rj Wilharm and Jayden Machado connected for a score and Wilharm found Santiago Flores for the game-winning score in the fourth quarter. Pitman, the No. 14 team in Division II, takes on Gregori next week.
Riverbank 21, Bret Harte 14: Riverbank came from behind in a thriller Friday night, scoring 15 fourth-quarter points to win its third game this season and second in league play. The win snaps a two-game losing streak and is the second in as many years over Bret Harte.
Ceres 25, Beyer 14: A 10-point second quarter gave Ceres a spark, and 15 second-half points secured the win over Beyer for its second WAC victory this season. Beyer falls to 1-5 in league play with one game left on the schedule.
Summerville 49, Big Valley Christian 6: The Lions opened the game with a first-quarter score but were shut out the rest of the way against the Mother Lode League’s third-place team.
Oakdale 69, Sierra 15: Air Force commit Wes Burford rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries and Chase Lopez added 109 yards and three scores on 10 carries. Anthony Navarro and Richard Flores also added a rushing touchdown as Oakdale remained undefeated in VOL play.
Central Catholic 56, Mountain House 7: Max Medina completed 5 of 5 passes with a pair of touchdowns in the air and one on the ground, and Kayden McHenry threw for 154 yards and a score and rushed for a touchdown. Jonathan Fuentes rushed for two touchdowns, and Dallas Dart rushed for one touchdown. Fresno State commit Chase Perino caught seven passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
Lathrop 42, Central Valley 7: Lathrop remained perfect in WAC play this season and has essentially locked up another outright league title.
Escalon 35, Ripon 28: A fourth-down interception by Luca Cerasi helped Escalon seal a much-needed TVL victory Friday night. Dylan Ball had five touchdowns for the Cougars, who ended a two-game skid and moved to 2-3 in league play. Most importantly, the No. 8 team in Division IV earned its fourth win this season, qualifying it for the division’s playoff bracket.
Davis 35, Pacheco 0: For the first time this season, Davis shut out its opponent. Friday night was the Spartans’ fourth straight win and their third straight game scoring at least 25 points. Davis is 5-1 and plays Johansen for second place in the WAC on Thursday.
Manteca 43, Patterson 7: Patterson’s only score came in the second quarter on a completed pass from Caden Lozano to Jace Johnson. That touchdown tied the game at seven apiece, but Manteca scored 35 unanswered points to remain perfect in VOL play.
Gregori 35, Modesto 0: Gregori earned its second straight CCAL victory, advancing its league record to 2-2. The Jaguars are the No. 15 team in Division I and will likely need to win next week to secure a bowl game spot. The Jaguars take on Pitman at home.
