Los Banos on upset alert against Davis, Limu-Jones

Is the Los Banos football team, a team that began the season with Sac-Joaquin Section title hopes, primed for another upset at the hands of Grace Davis?

Slow down, tiger.

The Spartans sent shock waves around the Stanislaus District last fall with a 27-26 upset victory at Los Banos, a team that would go on to win the Western Athletic Conference title and reach the semifinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs.

“We’re trying to bring the tradition back to Davis,” said Spartans coach Tim Garcia, who was given a Gatorade bath after the game.

A year later, the Spartans are still trying.

Davis did little with the momentum generated by that victory on the West Side. The Spartans lost five of their final six games to fall out of the playoff picture at 5-5.

No one expected the Spartans to beat Los Banos last year, and based on early results, the odds are once again stacked against Davis. That said, Garcia returns a critical piece to last season’s rousing start: Talolo Limu-Jones.

The 6-foot-5 wide receiver had five catches for 164 yards, including the game-winning touchdown – a 71-yard pass with about 6 minutes left. The Tigers left Limu-Jones on an island with a smaller cornerback and paid the price.

Ceres awaits RB Smith-Willis to be cleared

Ceres running back Johnni Smith-Willis missed Friday’s game against Gregori after suffering a head injury in a season-opening loss to Modesto.

Smith-Willis collided with a Panther player in the third quarter and remained motionless for several minutes. He had to be helped off the field. The shifty senior will need to be cleared by a doctor before he can return to the Bulldogs, who make their home debut this week against Hughson.

Smith-Willis met with a doctor on Friday, but an update on his condition wasn’t available by press time.

“I’m feeling much better than before,” Smith-Willis said in a text message before his appointment.

His absence could have an impact on the development of junior quarterback Chris Lubinsky, whose interception spoiled a potential game-tying drive against Modesto. Lubinsky threw three touchdowns passes in a 35-20 loss to Gregori on Friday.

When healthy, Smith-Willis gives the Bulldogs a legitimate run threat. He rushed for 825 yards and nine touchdowns in a pass-heavy offense in 2014.

Central Catholic looks to snap Holy Bowl skid

Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa won’t have much time to celebrate his 200th career victory. Preparations for the much-anticipated, always entertaining Holy Bowl begin immediately ... if they haven’t already.

The Raiders travel to St. Mary’s on Friday in another clash of perennial champions. No team has dominated Central Catholic quite like the Rams, who debuted at No. 23 in MaxPreps’ Northern California rankings.

St. Mary’s has won five of the seven meetings since Canepa took over at Central Catholic, including the last two. Quarterback Hunter Petlansky, who played at St. Mary’s as a freshman, scored both of the Raiders’ touchdowns in an 18-13 loss in 2014.

Another rough night for Central California Conference

One week after watching Merced quarterback Jake Foss leave the game with an apparent head injury, the Central California Conference had two more wince in pain.

Atwater quarterback Frankie Cocio left a 49-0 loss to Central Catholic early in the first half with an injury to his non-throwing arm. The Raiders’ medical staff appeared to be bracing Cocio’s shoulder.

Further south, Golden Valley running back Isaiah Montanez broke a finger in a 26-20 loss to Beyer. Head coach Dennis Stubbs wasn’t sure how the injury would affect Montanez’s ability to carry the ball. The Cougars would miss his production if he can’t go against Livermore this week. Montanez scored two touchdowns on Friday, including a 92-yard kickoff return.

This story was originally published September 5, 2015 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Los Banos on upset alert against Davis, Limu-Jones."