Eric Reis was thrilled to be back at Guss Schmiedt Field.

After all, it was five weeks ago that his Manteca High Buffaloes last played before the home crowd.

“I think that really got us going,” Reis said after his squad rolled past Weston Ranch in Friday’s Valley Oak League action, 49-7.

Some of those familiar faces for Reis and company extended to the visitors’ sideline. Included were Cougars head coach Seth Davis and his assistant coach Joe Menzel, who, a year ago, quarterbacked Manteca to a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III crown.

Menzel was hoisted on the shoulders of his old Buffalo teammates at the conclusion of the game.

Manteca (3-2, 6-2) took care of business early on, driving 76 yards on 16 plays capped by Hector Soto’s 9-yard touchdown run.

The 5-foot-6, 179-pound senior running back touched the ball 11 times on that initial drive, finishing with a game-high 181 yards on 15 carries and two scores.

Weston Ranch (1-4, 2-6) showed some flashes, including Marque Watson converting a quick-strike, 48-yard pass play from quarterback Muhammad Khan midway in the first half. However, the Cougars’ offense sputtered at the Manteca 17.

Ahead 13-0 – the other first-quarter score came on a Soto 3-yard run – Manteca poured it on in the second quarter.

Quarterback Dakarai Charles delivered a 22-yard strike to Ronaldo Tijero.

The Buffaloes then scored three more times in the waning minutes of first half.

The first came on Hjalmar Sanchez’s 6-yard run.

Charles quickly cashed in on a Weston Ranch turnover inside 20, scoring on a 16-yard run.

Manteca got the ball back shortly after.  Charles, who completed 5 of his 7 passes for 60 yards, found Dom Pisano on a 6-yard scoring strike as the half ended.

The Buffaloes, who enjoyed a 42-0 half-time advantage, tallied one more touchdown in the third quarter.

Lechi Nkwocha, who racked up 69 yards on seven pops, scored on a 2-yard run.

“After that (narrow) win at Lathrop, we weren’t taking this game for granted,” said Reis, whose team will host first-place Sierra next week.

“Whenever these two teams play – especially with Sierra enjoying a great season – you can forget about the (win-loss) records,” he added.

The Cougars’ only score came in the fourth quarter when Erron Duncan delivered on a 3-yard run.

“Punching in the ball late in the game was good for us,” said Davis, who will be welcoming eight players back from grades as his team gears up for next week’s VOL meeting at East Union.

All told, he’s expecting to have 40 players for the final stretch. “That says a lot about our program,” Davis added.