Gregori looks to become a player in MMC

Once the preseason favorite to win the Modesto Metro Conference, things haven’t quite panned out the way the Gregori High School football team hoped.

The veteran-laden Jaguars tumbled out of The Bee’s large-school rankings with back-to-back losses to East Union and Beyer, the latter coming off a bye. The loss to the Lancers has been compounded by the Valley Oak League program’s own struggles. East Union lost its next two to Lathrop and Sierra, raising question marks about Gregori’s place among the Stanislaus District’s top tier.

The Jaguars can get back on track this week with a victory over Modesto (4-2, 2-0), whose stunning defeat of Downey made it the frontrunner.

Modesto may have the inside track to its second conference title in three seasons, but the Panthers have a tough closing schedule: at Gregori, vs. Enochs (at Gregori), vs. Beyer (at Downey) and vs. Davis (at Johansen).

Modesto, which has had two weeks to prepare for Gregori, is winning football games with basketball talent.

Dylon Jackson has 20 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns, and Markus Brady has become a Darren Sproles type. He has returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown and has 532 all-purpose yards and four TDs. Paxson Sweeney has also appeared in three games. All three were members of the Panthers’ varsity basketball team last winter.

Here’s a quick glance at the district’s other marquee games:

Central Catholic at Manteca: The traditionally run-first, run-second Buffaloes have morphed into a team capable of playing over the top. That kind of confidence comes from sophomore quarterback Gino Campiotti, wide receiver Ronaldo Tijero and a lock-down defense that allows coach Eric Reis to gamble from time to time. How often Manteca has gone to Campiotti has depended on the match-up. After the Raiders’ secondary was shredded by a St. Mary’s backup – the only blemish in a rousing Holy Bowl victory – you have to wonder if Campiotti and his big arm will have a larger stake in the offense. Or if Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa will ask more from two-talent Justin Rice, who has been used sparingly at corner as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Los Banos at Patterson: This showdown of top-10 large schools will decide the Western Athletic Conference championship. Patterson will attack with quarterback Kevin Todd, who has plenty of speed to work with on the outside. In fact, the trio of Michael Lawson, Pierre Williams and Alec Espos might be the best grouping of wide receivers in the Stanislaus District, but offense alone won’t win this game. Los Banos has improved with each week after a last-second loss to Madera in its opener. In the four games after that loss, the Tigers gave up just 13 points with two shutouts, including a 42-0 drubbing of Ceres. Los Banos harassed Ceres quarterback Chris Lubinsky, sacking him four times and grabbing three interceptions.

Merced vs. Pitman (at Turlock): The Bears have had the Pride’s number, winning the last three and six of their last 10 meetings. Finally healthy, Merced is clicking on both sides of the ball, punishing teams with its versatility on offense and pass rush on defense. What’s more, Merced has proven it can win on the road, and though Pitman is ranked among The Bee’s large-school top 10, it won’t intimidate the battle-hardened Bears. Junior defensive end John Becerra has become the face of the Merced defense. Becerra had three sacks in the victory at Lincoln of Stockton. Pitman welcomes a chance to play in front of home fans after spending three weeks on the road – at Deer Valley (Antioch), North Salinas and Atwater for its CCC opener against Buhach Colony. The Pride is led by running back Blake McBay.

Gustine at Ripon Christian: The game of the night in the Southern League is dripping with intrigue. Gustine can legitimize itself as a title contender with a road victory against the Knights, who cling desperately to their own championship hopes. Ripon Christian was knocked back in the race when it suffered a 49-43 loss at Orestimba, a game it played without sack master Will Kamps (concussion). Even then, the game was decided on the final play, an incompletion in the end zone by QB Travis Zuidervaart. If the Knights can knock off the Redskins, the possibility for a three-way title split with Orestimba exists. If not, chances are the Southern League will be decided with a Week 10 rivalry on the West Side. There’s so much more than one victory at stake here.

Other games to watch: Escalon at Hilmar, Hughson at Modesto Christian, Turlock at Buhach Colony, Enochs at Downey.

This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Gregori looks to become a player in MMC."