JuJu Ramirez replays the moment in his mind, which continues to serve as motivation in the offseason.

It was one of a few plays that kept Manteca from getting back to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II final.

With the top-seeded Buffaloes gripping onto a late one-point lead, St. Mary’s quarterback Jaden Galvan scrambled away from pressure and hooked up with tight end Jeremy Krause for a 55-yard touchdown with 2:59 remaining.

“I was part of that,” Ramirez said. “That (loss) was because of us not executing when we needed to. We have to be leaders of the defense. It was a miscommunication, and it’s definitely something we have to fix.”

Then a junior, Ramirez was in at cornerback for that sequence, covering a receiver in the flat. Galvan rolled out to his side of the field and floated it down the sideline to the wide-open Krause, who then cut inside past another defensive back for the go-ahead touchdown.

The No. 4 Rams held on for the 19-14 upset, going onto win the section championship as well as their first state title.

St. Mary’s got to bask in the glory that has eluded the Buffs, who are 0-6 in NorCal bowl games since the California Interscholastic Federation introduced state playoffs for football.

The stinging defeat is the lone blemish for what was one of the most talented teams fielded by the nine-time section champions. They’ve now been eliminated in the semifinal round three consecutive years since taking the D-II banner in 2022.

“We want that section title,” Ramirez said. “After losing to St. Mary’s the way we did, we have to be more focused in practice and take more mental reps so that whatever is coming, we’re going to be ready for it.

“We have a lot to prove this season. With our preseason schedule, a lot of people are already doubting us, saying we’re not as good as Manteca teams in the past.”

The two-time defending Valley Oak League champion may have lost the majority of its defensive starters from the loaded 11-1 team, but there is still enough star power returning on both sides of scrimmage for Manteca to remain competitive.

Ninth-year coach Mark Varnum expects no drop-off in level as the program celebrates its 100th season. The Buffs are once again setting high goals with two strong classes combining to go with a handful of promising sophomores, and they’ll get tested right away by a daunting non-league schedule.

“We say it every year: Faces and names change, but expectations don’t,” Varnum said. “We’re two-time VOL champions, and we want to defend that belt and get the (SJS championship) ring back.”

There are some familiar faces, such as fourth-year varsity running back Nikko Juarez. Paving the way ahead of him is an experienced offensive line led by third-year right guard Michael Lopez.

“I think it’s going to be a big surprise for some teams with what we have coming this season,” Juarez said. “I don’t think Manteca High has done this in a while.”

Varnum has relinquished play-calling duties to first-year coordinator Gino Campiotti, who starred as Manteca’s quarterback for the 2016 and 2017 section championship teams. Campiotti has a chance to get creative with dual-threat signal caller Brody Carabello, who spearheaded the 10-0 JV team last year.

“It’s exciting to have (Campiotti) — I’ve been waiting for that for 10 years since I coached him,” Varnum said. “He’s going to take the offense to another level. At our core, it’s the same, old Manteca football, but there will be some different stuff with Brody’s ability to run. It should be fun.”

With 2024 all-league MVP Quinn Martinez gone to graduation, others are eager to step into more prominent roles in the passing game. Manteca is again deep with receivers, including twins Jayden and Jaylin Harris. Jayden is a reigning VOL Co-Defensive Player of the Year but will get more chances to play opposite his brother on offense.

“Both will play more on the other side, Jayden on offense and Jaylin on defense,” Varnum said. “They’re two of the best all-around athletes and match-up nightmares for anybody we play.”

Track standout Willie Brown, who qualified for the state meet in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles, is another target with size and speed.

“We have some athletes, and we’re excited to let them all loose,” Varnum said.

Up front, Cameron Spino and Jovani Avalos return at center and left tackle, respectively. Junior tackle Terrell Valentine provides additional size at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds.

The defense must replace six all-league players, including Co-Defensive Player of the Year Mathieu Evans.

Washington State-committed Jayden Harris stars in the secondary, where Manteca is most experienced. The 6-foot-3 ball hawk was among state leaders with nine interceptions last season, two ran back for touchdowns.

The safety tandem of Jeremiah Orona and Ramirez got ample experience as depth pieces last year. Junior Bode Hiatt and sophomore Erian Johnson will get the same opportunity in the secondary, and both were productive two-way players on the unbeaten JV team.

“Our strength is the DBs,” Ramirez said. “We didn’t lose too much. We lost both of our (starting) safeties, but Jeremiah and I definitely had some time last year, and we got to see what it’s like to play at this level. We came up together as safeties from freshman to the JV level. Coach (Rick) James is one of the best D-coordinators in Northern California, and we’re just learning everything we can from him. We know what it means to be a leader of this defense.”

Lineman Dominick Amato is one of the few returning to the defensive front with varsity experience.

The Buffaloes have another set of twins in sophomores Issac and Isaiah Fountain, who will help solidify the linebacking corps along with first-year senior Luke Avila, a productive JV player in 2024.

The varsity rookies will get challenged right away, with Manteca scheduling four tough opponents from four different sections. The Buffs are on the road for games with St. Francis (Mountain View), Buchanan (Clovis) and Chico.

They’ll face Chavez of Stockton, coming off 10-0 regular season, in the home opener on Sept. 11 that will double as a 100th-year celebration for the program.

“These guys want to make history of their own,” Varnum said. “They’re hungry, man. We’ve been pretty blessed the last 10 years or so, but last year, if we were able to pull out one or two more plays things would have gone differently. They’re excited to get back at it. They have something to prove and want to show that we don’t take steps backwards, we want to keep moving forward.”