MODESTO – Dakarai Charles stood near the 40-yard line, watching Central Catholic chew up the fourth quarter clock.The Manteca quarterback’s hands collected in a warmer around his waist and he leaned slightly to his left, taking pressure off an achy right knee. In this moment, Charles was helpless, stuck on a soupy sideline, staring down his first loss in nearly two years.Eventually, Central Catholic would jump, howl and punch the sky with their helmets, celebrating a thrilling 29-28 overtime victory over the Buffaloes, its first as a member of the new-look Valley Oak League.Charles tried his best to hide the tears, burying his head into his forearm. Losing doesn’t come easy to these Buffaloes (0-1, 3-1), the reigning VOL and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champions.“It hurts bad.
Manteca QB shows mettle in painful loss