Ripon-Oakdale? Sierra-Escalon?
Yes and yes, please.
Welcome to the first (and last, hopefully)-of-it's-kind 2021 Valley Oak League spring football season.
With no titles and playoff berths at stake, this pandemic-shortened campaign will last only five
There will, of course, still be many of the more familiar annual showdowns, such as Manteca-Oakdale, Ripon-Escalon and so on. Oddly, East Union and Sierra are not facing off after the two Manteca city rivals did so for the 25th straight year in 2019.
For this academic year only, the well-accomplished VOL has welcomed three small-school juggernauts, as state guidelines for youth sports won't allow them to compete against some of their usual league rivals that are two counties away.
Escalon and Ripon are in from the Trans-Valley League and coming off California Interscholastic Federation state championship runs. The VOL is now stacked with five Sac-Joaquin Section 2019 postseason finalists — Manteca won it at Division III, Sierra stunned Oakdale in Division IV, Ripon claimed the Division V crown and Escalon rolled to the Division VI title.
Two-time defending Southern Athletic League champion Ripon Christian also got the invite but has opted not to compete in the VOL for football. Central Catholic is also out. An annual contender since joining the VOL in 2014, the private-school power is playing an independent schedule.
Most of the remaining eight in this makeshift VOL are only playing other VOL teams, except for Escalon and Weston Ranch. In Week 2 (March 26), Escalon takes on familiar TVL foe Hughson while Weston Ranch heads to Denair, the 2018 CIF Division VII-AA champion.
One game not involving area schools worth noting will take place next Saturday, March 20, when Escalon and Oakdale match their vaunted Wing-T offenses against each other. These are two highly-successful programs that have not met in recent memory despite being separated by just 10 miles.
Meanwhile, Lathrop remains in the Western Athletic Conference, which has been split up into North and South Divisions. Patterson and Central Valley have returned to the WAC for the season after spending the last two in the more competitive Central California Conference. The Spartans' schedule includes Patterson and reigning WAC champ Beyer in back-to-back weeks (April 1, April 9).
Here's a glimpse at 10 games worth keeping an eye on this season, whether you're one of the lucky few who get to see them in-person or via live streams:
WEEK 1, March 18/19
East Union at Ripon: This season opener was moved a day earlier to next Thursday, March 18. It's a good first look for two squads led by seniors with something to prove.
Mountain House at Lathrop: The second Old River Rivalry meeting was an instant classic in Week 10 last season, with Lathrop winning in overtime, 45-39.
WEEK 2, March 26
Ripon at Manteca: These old-school programs used to go at it in preseason scrimmages, or under the summer heat before full-contact offseason camps were banned. Now, they get to finally do it for real.
Oakdale at Sierra: Oakdale has long dominated the Timberwolves, whose few victories in the all-time series have been sweet — including the dramatic 22-19 shocker in the SJS finals. The Mustangs won handily in their regular-season duel, 38-14.
East Union at Kimball: Led by touted QB Nicholas Coronado, Kimball scored 20 unanswered points in the final 7:15 to win the 2019 shootout 48-44 and damage EU's chances at making the playoffs.
WEEK 3, April 1
Sierra at Manteca: The T-wolves have re-established themselves as a contender under fourth-year coach Chris Johnson, but their worst loss of 2019 was to bitter rival Manteca, 42-12. These two love to slug it out in the trenches.
WEEK 4, April 9
Oakdale at Manteca: These longtime adversaries squared off for the 100th time in 2019, with the Buffs stampeding to a 55-37 win at The Corral. Oakdale still leads the series, 52-44-4.
Ripon at Escalon: This traditional rivalry resumes with the one-year move to the VOL. Escalon is likely to have revenge in mind after suffering its only loss of 2019 to these Indians. And it wasn't close, 42-21.
WEEK 5, April 16
Sierra at Escalon: Coach Johnson, a former Ripon player and longtime coach, knows what his T-wolves are getting into. His players may not be familiar with Escalon, but they've seen plenty of Oakdale's Wing-T.
Ripon at Oakdale: Ripon gets to cap its VOL stay against three-star QB Jackson Holt and the Mustangs. The Indians were also underdogs against bigger schools with big-school talent last year.
