League play kicks off for the Trans Valley League, Valley Oak League, Mother Lode League and Western Athletic Conference Friday night and there are some heavyweight matchups on the schedule.
In the VOL, Central Catholic visits Patterson, two of The Bee’s top three ranked Modesto-area teams, face off. It is Patterson’s first VOL game after leaving the CCC, its league since 2018.
Sonora and Escalon face off in a rematch of the2022 Division V section championship only this time, it’s in the TVL opener.
Riverbank opens in a new league this week, competing against Calaveras in the MLL opener. Downey and Turlock compete in their final non-league games before their Week 6 byes.
No. 1 Central Catholic (2-2) at No. 3 Patterson (2-2), 7 p.m.
Valley Oak League play starts this week and a matchup between a pair of the Stanislaus District’s top teams is on tap. We have had the Raiders ranked No. 1 since the preseason rankings but a few rankings sites had the Tigers slotted higher in their preseason rankings. Some picked the Tigers to win the VOL with the Raiders finishing third behind Manteca. Heading into the season, who wouldn’t? Patterson returned its leading quarterback, receiver, running back, defensive lineman, linebackers and defensive backs from last seasons’ Division IV runner-up team. They’ve all lived up to the hype. Max Medina is No. 10 in California in passing yards (1,216), Noah Cozart is No. 5 in the SJS in receiving yards (395) and Jeremiah Lugo has 325 rushing yards with four touchdowns. But the Raiders are looking to remind everyone that they’re the defending champs. They have leading rushers Joey Alcutt and Carter Meeks, receiver Chase Perino on the outside and a team full of battle-tested players who have played against the top ranked team in Oregon, a top five team in Nevada and St. Mary’s of Stockton, a top 50 team in California according to CalPreps.
Calaveras (3-1) at Riverbank (3-0), 7 p.m.
Riverbank plays its first league game in two years Friday when it opens Mother Lode League play against a Calaveras team with three big wins to start its season. Riverbank in 2022 played its final season in the TVL and was independent last season. The Bruins are coming off a week where they rushed for 306 yards and six touchdowns as a team, scored 47 points and recorded their second straight shutout. Gabriel Sandoval (189 rush yards, 5 TD) and Gabriel Nisperos (178 yards, 2 TD) lead the rushing attack and not behind are four other rushers who have a combined six rushing scores. They will take on a Calaveras side that allowed just over five points a game in its three wins. It’s only hiccup was a 27-6 loss to back-to-back defending section champion Ripon Christian. It will be a battle of two run-heavy teams. Red Hawks junior Ryan Clifto is credited with four rushing touchdowns and four others have combined for six.
Sonora (3-0) at No. 7 Escalon (1-2), 7 p.m.
One of the Stanislaus District’s top Week 5 games features a rematch of the 2022 Division V section championship between the Cougars and Wildcats. Escalon is battle tested once again entering its TVL opener with games against Vacaville, Oakdale and Golden Valley. The Cougars are 1-2 but are five points away from being 3-0. They lost to the Bulldogs in their season opener by just two points and fell to the Mustangs by one in overtime. Logan Huebner is the definition of a true dual-threat quarterback with 355 passing yards and four touchdowns and 228 rushing yards and 2 TD’s. Junior Jeremy Grivette has a team-high three rushing touchdowns. Senior Ryan Lewis does it all as the team’s leader in receiving yards, tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. Sonora has a 10-point season-opening win over Oakdale and a pair of blowouts against Livingston and Antelope. A run-dominant team in its own right, the Wildcats have four rushers who have over 100 rush yards. Junior Eli Ingalls has rushed for just 60 yards but leads the team with four rushing touchdowns. While the players are different, the rivalry runs just as deep.
No. 6 Turlock (1-3) at Clovis West (3-1), 7 p.m.
Turlock’s gauntlet preseason ends Friday against a Clovis West side that has made the Central Section playoffs in each of the past three seasons. The Bulldogs are 1-2 against the Golden Eagles since 2021. Their preseason slate has been one of the best in the Stanislaus District as they have played against Rocklin, Folsom and Central of Fresno, three of the top teams in Central and Northern California. Freshman quarterback Scout Silva has accounted for nine touchdowns this season, passing for four and rushing for nine. He has passed for 677 yards and rushed for 171 more in his first three career varsity games. The Golden Eagles’ three wins are against Edison Highs from different sections. They beat Edison of Huntington Beach in their season opener, Edison of Stockton Sept. 6 and Edison of Fresno last week. Their one loss came to Liberty of Bakersfield. The Bulldogs’ secondary will try to contain Fresno State-bound receiver Jonavon Darrington who according to MaxPreps has caught 14 passes for 205 yards and five touchdowns, leading Clovis West in each receiving category. It is the Bulldogs’ last game before a much-needed bye to regroup and get healthy before starting CCAL play against Gregori Oct. 4.
Edison-Stockton (0-3) at No. 2 Downey (4-0), 7 p.m.
Much like Turlock, Downey plays its last game before its pre-CCAL bye this week. The Knights have no problem scoring against playoff teams from the Sac-Joaquin Section and North Coast Section. They’re averaging 45.5 points a game in four wins over Lincoln of Stockton, Elk Grove, Merced and Amador Valley. Each of the Knights’ games this season have been shootouts. The Vikings get a lot of production from juniors as quarterback Devin Rasmussen, Amarion Mckenzie and Langdon Horace lead the team in passing, rushing and receiving, respectively. Defensively, Mckenzie has team highs in tackles (21), tackles for loss (4) and is tied for the team lead in sacks (1). Rasmussen has Division I offers from Florida Atlantic University, San Jose State and UNLV, according to 247Sports. Downey Coach Jeremy Plaa is telling his team that Edison’s 0-3 record is deceiving as they have played Grant of Sacramento, Clovis West and Central of Fresno, three powerhouse programs that always make deep postseason runs. The Knights’ high-powered offense runs with the decisions quarterback Carson Lamb makes. The senior is fourth in California and No. 1 in the section in passing yards (1,288) and do-it-all junior Julius Padron is fourth in the state with 345 return yards. He is also the team’s leader in rushing yards (163) and has over 200 receiving yards. Receiving duo Ethan Woodmansee and Joseph Ramirez have 322 and 287 yards, respectively and are tied for the team lead with six receiving touchdowns. They will be without one of their defensive leaders, Ryne Moore again this week as he nurses a knee injury.
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