SCORING SUMMARY
Manteca 10 14 13 7 — 44
St. Mary’s 0 0 7 0 — 7
Scoring summary
First Quarter
S — Cayden Ward 27 FG, 5:28
S — Kenneth Moore III 55 pass from Samson Hunkin (Ward kick), 1:02
Second Quarter
S — Moore 46 pass from Hunkin (Ward kick), 5:26
S — Ward 15 pass from Hunkin (Ward kick), 14.7
Third Quarter
S — Asante Carter 53 run (run failed), 10:58
S — Carter 4 run (Ward kick), 6:41
M — Garrison Reis 1 run (Matthew Kong kick), 1:15
Fourth Quarter
S — Carter 55 run (Ward kick), 7:35
STOCKTON — Manteca High hit a rough patch Friday in its preseason game at St. Mary’s High.
The Rams of the Tri-City Athletic League cashed in on several big plays while rolling past the Buffaloes, 44-7.
“We’re better than what the score might indicate,” said Manteca coach Mark Varnum.
His Buffaloes (2-1) had St. Mary’s (3-0) — fresh off an impressive Holy Bowl shootout victory at Central Catholic in the previous week — pushed back on several third-and-long plays, particularly in the first half.
But senior quarterback Samson Hunkin delivered, breaking off a big run on the Rams’ first possession of the game to help set up Cayden Ward’s 27-yard field goal.
Later in the first quarter, he found his speedy sophomore receiver Kenneth Moore III on a 55-yard scoring bomb. Hunkin, who connected on 14 of his 18 passes for 234 yards, found Moore again in the second quarter. This time, the passing duo hit on a 46-yard touchdown, upping the lead, 17-0.
Shortly before halftime, St. Mary’s added to its already sizable advantage as Hunkin found Ward on a 15-yard score.
“That’s a real good football team,” said Varnum of the Rams. “You can’t make mistakes against them — they’ll make you pay.”
The second half featured the running of Asante Carter. St. Mary’s explosive senior halfback scored on runs of 53, 4, and 55, racking up most of his game-high 142 yards on nine carries.
Moore reeled in eight passes for 149 yards.
Manteca put together its best offensive series in the third quarter.
Kayden MacDannald kept the drive alive with some steady runs while sophomore fullback Maava Tialavea was effective pounding the ball inside the heart of the Ram defense.
Quarterback Garrison Reis had enough time to find Diego Esparza on a 27-yard pass play to the St. Mary’s 1. From there, Reis powered his way into the end zone on the keeper.
On defense, the Buffaloes were able to apply pressure, with the likes of Ruben Moreno, Daniel Bernal, Santana Stevenson, Thomas Perea, and MacDannald getting to the quarterback.
Varnum is hoping to see his team bounce back from this loss. “Our goal is to see (St. Mary’s) again,” he said.
Manteca will continue with its tough preseason schedule, taking on Rocklin next week.
