Manteca needed a supernatural effort from Bryson Davis to escape Vista del Lago with a 42-35 win in its 2023 opener, and now the fun begins.
This Friday, the No. 8 Buffaloes begin a three-week stretch of playing against opponents ahead of them in MaxPreps’ Sac-Joaquin Section rankings. They’re hosting No. 5 Granite Bay in an anticipated rematch of the SJS Division II final won by Manteca, 51-48.
With many of their stars back, the Grizzlies have title aspirations and are sure to want to get even with the Buffs. In the Section championship at Sacramento City College, Manteca jumped out to a 29-7 lead but held on in the final minutes to clinch its ninth blue banner.
Granite Bay won’t have to worry about Blake Nichelson, who burned the Sierra Foothill League power for six touchdowns and nearly 300 yards from scrimmage. One of the top prospects in California last year, Nichelson is now at Florida State.
Davis contributed 107 on 15 touches in that game, but he’s now the workhorse. Last week, he helped Manteca overcome a 21-7 deficit with 342 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 36 carries.
The Buffaloes struggled to tame Vista del Lago’s passing game, just as they did in the second half of the Section title game with Granite Bay.
The Grizzlies outlasted Elk Grove 27-13 in their opener and did so with back-up quarterback Lucas Gruia, who completed 8 of 11 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. Starter Nick Harris, a 6-foot-5 junior, sat out with an ankle injury.
Granite Bay’s physical run game stars backfield mates Carter Jackson (23 rushes, 100 yards two TDs) and Isaiah Ene (16 rushes, 88 yards). Only a junior, Carter is an early commit to Cal, while Ene — he started both ways as a freshman last year — has five NCAA Division I scholarship offers. The defense is again led by 6-3, 220-pound linebacker Frank Cusano, who is committed to Washington State.
Manteca’s non-league gauntlet shifts to SJS No. 2 ranked St. Mary’s next week, then it’s on to El Dorado Hills for a date with No. 4 Rocklin in the NorCal Honor Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 9. The Buffs knocked off Rocklin in the semifinal round last season.
Here’s a glance at the rest of the Week 1 matchups for Manteca-area schools:
East Union (0-1) at Tennyson (0-0): The Lancers got a big effort from sophomore quarterback Kirk Simoni (22 of 38, 353 yards, three TDs, rushing TD) last week at Armijo, but there is much to clean up after the 53-26 defeat.
They were held to minus 7 yards on the ground, while the Royals from Fairfield moved the ball at will to the tune of 603 total yards.
East Union will be tested once again in the trenches, where they’ll another blue-chip prospect against Tennyson in Hayward.
Make that two — 6-6, 280-pound tackle Siosua Vete has recently accounted his commitment to Stanford, and Kelepi Vete, a 6-5, 250-pound defensive lineman, has five Division I offers. The two juniors transferred from Fremont of Oakland along with 6-3, 230-pound linebacker/tight end Sefo Akuila, a senior who also holds five offers.
Tennyson, also the Lancers, lost most of its skill position players to graduation, namely standout receiver Taeshaun Lyons (now at Washington).
Sierra (1-0) at Grace Davis (0-1): Two teams with new coaches square off in Modesto.
For Grace Davis, the Trevor Mew Era began with a promising start despite losing 32-28 at Orestimba.
The Spartans traded blows with the defending Southern Athletic League champion after trailing 13-0. Led by fourth-year varsity player Jackson Brooks at quarterback, they countered with 21 unanswered points and led until succumbing to Orestimba’s 19-point burst in the fourth quarter.
After struggling with Lathrop’s physical run game in their 39-35 week-zero victory, the Timberwolves get a different type of challenge against an offense that mirrors their own. Grace Davis and its spread offense racked up 332 yards through the air last week.
Lathrop (0-1) at Bradshaw Christian (0-1): Lathrop goes from trying to slow down Sierra’s downfield passing attack to slugging it out with Bradshaw Christian.
The Pride from Sacramento dropped a 15-14 heartbreaker to SJS Division VII finalist Woodland Christian, blowing a 14-0 lead in the fourth quarter and losing on a 2-point conversion in the final minute.
Bradshaw returns much of its talent from a 9-3 team that held off Lathrop 35-28 in week zero and went on to reach the SJS Division VI semifinals. The Pride’s top four rushers were all sophomores with 5-7, 205-pound fullback Mateo Mojica (1,327 yards, 13 TDs) and 5-10, 180-pound Brandon Burden (1,131 yards, 18 TDs) leading the charge.
Ripon (1-0) at Sonora (0-1): Not counting the 2020 COVID season, these small-school heavyweights will meet for a ninth straight season. Sonora has won six of the previous eight showdowns.
Starting next year, they’ll be Trans-Valley League rivals. The Wildcats have been the dominant force in the Mother Lode League, going 43-1 since arriving from the Valley Oak League in 2014.
Ripon is on the road again for another tough battle after fending off Linden 49-42. Sonora hung with VOL power and longtime adversary Oakdale but came up short, 27-20.
The Wildcats lost two important linemen to graduation but still return many of their top players, such as reigning MLL Defensive Player of the Year Bryce Nicolson, dual-threat quarterback Adam Curnow and running back Audie Peeples.
Pajaro Valley (0-0) at Ripon Christian (0-1): The Knights will look to bounce after they were unable to keep up with Central Valley Christian in a 63-41 track meet.
Pajaro Valley visits from Watsonville for its season opener. The Grizzlies replaced Cloverdale, which was a late scratch over the summer.
Pajaro Valley has had just one winning season since its first varsity campaign in 2006 and no more than two wins in the last four years.
