Prep football roundup: Final regular season slate included Thursday, Friday matchups
League titles were clinched, playoff seedings were secured Thursday and Friday night in meaningful Week 11 action.
Downey clinched an outright Central California Athletic League title while Gregori and Pitman battled in a close game for league and bowl game positioning.
On Thursday in the WAC, Central Valley won the annual rivalry against crosstown rival Ceres and Johansen and Davis played with second place in the league on the line.
Friday night, Sonora was dominant in its Trans-Valley League championship-clinching game against Ripon Christian. Central Catholic and Turlock earned dominant wins in the VOL and CCAL, respectively.
Stanislaus District teams will learn their postseason fate Sunday at 12:30 p.m. during the Sac-Joaquin Section’s selection show. Bracket matchups featuring the top eight teams in each division will be announced along with which teams will play in the section’s first ever bowl games.
Thursday
Downey 57, Enochs 7: Downey captured the outright CCAL title with a win Thursday night over Enochs. Julian Masaniai passed for 158 yards and three touchdowns and Elias Haynes rushed for 182 yards and four touchdowns on eight carries and a receiving touchdown.
Gregori 28, Pitman 21: JJ Brawley completed 15 of 19 passes for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns and Jkai Ramos rushed for a pair of scores as Gregori pulled out a tight seven-point victory in a key CCAL regular season finale. Defensively, Eli Stuck had 15 tackles. Pitman’s Mason Helwick rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.
Central of Fresno 23, Big Valley Christian 19: The Lions fell behind early, allowing 14 unanswered points in the first quarter. After both teams scored six in the second quarter, Big Valley Christian pulled within one point with a 13-0 third-quarter advantage. A fourth-quarter field goal broke the game open for Central for good.
Central Valley 38, Ceres 21: The Hawks took the victory Thursday night in the crosstown rivalry and WAC regular season finale. Central Valley scored 28 first-half points to get off to a fast start. Emanuel Luna rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and Sebastian Maldonado rushed for 170 yards and a score. Erick Mendoza added a rushing touchdown and Junior Gomez threw for a score. In the past four matchups, each side has won two games.
River Islands 42, Riverbank 14: The Bruins fell to 2-5 in Mother Lode League play Thursday on the road against River Islands.
Friday
Lathrop 54, Beyer 0: The Patriots fell to Lathrop as the Spartans secured the outright WAC title and a second straight perfect league record. Beyer is 3-7 after the regular season and is the No. 16 ranked team in Division III prior to Sunday’s selection show.
Central Catholic 60, Sierra 7: Kayden McHenry (6/7, 116 yards) and Max Medina (5/7, 56 yards) each tossed three touchdown passes and Jonathan Fuentes rushed for 121 yards and a pair of scores as Central Catholic finished the regular season third in the VOL. Chase Perino caught seven passes for 140 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.
Escalon 42, Orestimba 28: A 14-point first quarter and 21 points in the second powered Escalon to its fifth win overall and third win in TVL play. At the end of the regular season, Escalon finished .500 in league and overall and is the No. 6 seed in Division IV.
Redwood Christian 42, Modesto Christian 18: The Crusaders fell to 1-9 overall and 0-4 at home this season. They fell to a Redwood Christian team that is 7-2 overall and went 4-1 on the road.
Sonora 55, Ripon Christian 14: Sonora, a top-10 team in the section, locked up an undefeated regular season with a dominant win over Ripon Christian.
Turlock 41, Modesto 0: The Bulldogs locked up second place in CCAL play Friday night with a dominant win over Modesto. Turlock got out to a quick start, scoring 20 first-quarter points and adding 14 in the second. In just their second season in the TVL, Ripon Christian finished tied with Hughson for second in the league standings.
Hilmar 33, Ripon 21: The Yellowjackets secured a 3-3 league record and six wins overall with Friday night’s victory in the regular season finale. As of Saturday morning, Hilmar is ranked the No. 2 team in Division V. Despite the loss, Ripon is still ranked as the sixth team in Division VI.
