The last time Teejay Gordon met Manteca on the football field was also the last time East Union beat the Buffaloes.
That was on Nov. 5, 2010.
Gordon, the starting quarterback for the Lancers, helped lead a stunning 10-7 win that denied Manteca a 10-0 finish to the regular season and an outright Valley Oak League championship.
For EU, it was its first win against the Buffs in 11 years. It also clinched its first berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section in 18 years.
“I just remember how strong the rivalry was back then and how important it was for us at East Union to put up a good fight,” Gordon said. “We had a couple close games against them during our freshman and sophomore years, so that class wanted to go out with a bang as seniors.
“I remember coming off the loss to Sonora before that, and the guys were a little down, but the energy was revived that week we were playing Manteca High. We grew up with a lot of those guys, so it meant a lot to beat them and be able to have some bragging rights.
“I remember after winning the game how crazy the East Union side went, with the Red Sea (EU’s student cheering section) jumping onto the field. There was a lot of excitement, and it was a fun experience. I still talk to the guys to this day, and we’re always talking about the Manteca High game.”
Gordon gets to face off Manteca once again, this time as East Union’s first-year offensive coordinator. The 58th showdown between the intra-city rivals is this Friday at Manteca’s Guss Schmiedt Field.
The Buffaloes hold a 43-13-1 lead, winning the last 13 and mostly by comfortable margins.
Gordon will match wits with longtime Manteca defensive coordinator Rick James, a fellow East Union grad. James has been in charge of many of Manteca’s greatest defensive units, but the current group might be his best.
“They have a lot of athletes and are well coached — it’s definitely one of the more talented Manteca teams we’ve seen,” Gordon said. “This week, we’re focused on making sure we execute and take care of the ball. I know they’re well-rounded, so I’m not really targeting one player to stay away from or anything like that. We’re more so trying to stay consistent the whole game, playing Lancer football and try and be as mistake-free as we can.”
Gordon took the long way back home since graduating from East Union.
He starred for Modesto Junior College and earned a scholarship to play for College of Idaho, rebooted its football program after a 37-year hiatus. College of Idaho is the alma mater of the late R.C. Owens — a 49ers Hall of Fame wide receiver who made Manteca his home up until his passing 2012.
Gordon graduated from C of I in 2016 and spent a year playing arena football in Texas and Kansas. The following two years, he played professionally in Germany and Switzerland before making the switch to coaching. He spent two years coaching in the German Football League, and two years in the European League as quarterbacks coach for the Munich Ravens.
Then, Stock reached out with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“I got back to Manteca this past June and just got acclimated to being back after being gone for so long,” Gordon said. “The opportunity to coach for East Union opened up, and it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Stock’s relationship with Gordon goes back to their days together with the Manteca Jaguars youth program. It continued when Gordon reached high school — Stock was his baseball coach at the freshman level, then his offensive coordinator on the sophomore football team.
Stock, however, was on the other side of that shocking 2011 outcome — he was on Manteca’s staff as an assistant during Gordon’s senior year.
There were no hard feelings, of course. In fact, when Stock applied for the head coaching position at East Union, he wanted to bring his former pupil along with the hope of eventually handing the reigns to Gordon years down the road
“It was a big reason why I came back,” Stock said. “I didn’t want to come here without having someone there to keep that continuity. I know he’s a good coach, and with both of us being alumni, we want to be able to turn this thing around.
“We’ve always kept in contact through the years and always had a good relationship. I’ve always believed that once you’re someone’s coach, you’re always his coach no matter what. I’m fortunate to have him on the staff. I’ve made decisions this year I would have never made in the past, because I have full faith and trust in him completely.”
With Gordon calling the shots, East Union has set school record and done so with a balanced approach. Quarterback Kirk Simoni, who is questionable this week with an Achilles strain, is in his fourth year on the varsity team and having his best season, completing 107 of 161 passes for, 1,624 yards, 23 touchdowns, no interceptions.
UC Davis committed receiver Jackson Fay is one of the most explosive athletes in the SJS with 1,135 yards from scrimmage, and his 21 total touchdowns is the second most in the section and eighth most in the state. Running back Brayden Camara (118 carries, 920 yards, 18 TDs) is on his way to joining East Union’s short list of 1,000-yard rushers, which includes Stock.
“Just watching the film before taking the job, I saw a lot of talent and a lot of potential, and that made me excited to get in there and work with them,” Gordon said. “Coach Stock did a good job of rounding up the right coaches and mentors to get those guys to where they should be.
“It’s going to be a process, starting from the freshman all the way to the varsity. There will be some growing years as we get a good weight program together in the offseason and come up with our system. There is still a lot of work to do, and you’re not going to get it finished within a year, but the program is in a good situation right now with a lot of alumni coming back. We’re just trying to get it back in the right spot.”
