Manteca has vaulted to the top spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II rankings on MaxPreps, and East Union is now No. 2 in Division IV after they each notched significant Valley Oak League wins last week.

Where teams land at the end of the regular season matters, because the SJS uses MaxPreps’ computer ratings to help determine postseason seedings.

In the overall ranking, Manteca is No. 3 in the section behind Division I heavies Folsom and Oak Ridge, while EU leaped 20 spots to 21. The two unbeaten cross-town rivals are on a collision course for their Oct. 17 showdown, but East Union has two big-time challenges in front of them.

Up first for the Lancers is Oakdale, a school they haven’t beaten in three decades. After that is Central Catholic, which is 10-0 against EU. Oakdale is the top-ranked Division III squad and No. 11 overall.

Meanwhile, Manteca has reached the lightest part of its otherwise daunting schedule and will look to extend its winning streak over intra-city foe Sierra on Friday.

Elsewhere, Lathrop continues to defend its Western Athletic Conference crown against Ceres, Ripon returns to Trans Valley League action with Orestimba on its sights and River Islands heads to Linden for the second leg of its three-week gauntlet in the Mother Lode League. Ripon Christian, coming off an impressive win at Hughson, has a bye.

Here’s a closer look at Week 6 matchups in the area:

Valley Oak League

East Union (2-0, 6-0) at Oakdale (1-0, 4-1): The Lancers have lost 31 straight games to Oakdale and will look to break the streak at The Corral.

It’s somewhat of a homecoming for first-year coach Jason Stock, an East Union alumnus who taught and coached at Oakdale the past five years. His defense has a tough assignment against one of the top rushing attacks in the SJS.

Air Force-bound fullback Wes Burford leads the section with 1,005 rushing yards and is No. 9 in the state. He and wingback Richard Flores (489 yards, 14.0 per carry) are among the top-10 scorers in the SJS with 10 touchdowns apiece. Fellow senior Chase Lopez (60 rushes, 502 yards, five TDs) completes the triumvirate in Oakdale’s powerful Wing-T.

East Union gave up 277 rushing yards and 435 in total last Friday at Patterson, but the defense forced five turnovers to come away with the 27-21 victory. The Lancers also surrendered 269 rushing yards in their 69-14 battering of Sierra two weeks ago.

Oakdale is coming off its bye week after thumping Mountain House in its VOL opener. The Mustangs have notable wins over Escalon and Lincoln, and the lone loss is to undefeated Sonora, 32-14.

Sierra (0-2, 2-4) at Manteca (1-0, 5-0): The Buffaloes’ physical running game is getting untracked, and they’re getting even bigger up front.

Friday marks the Manteca debuts for senior transfers Kevin Bradley and Michael Smith, who will bolster the already-stout offensive and defensive lines.

The reigning league champion Buffaloes have taken out big-name opponents all season and want to build off their 49-7 dismantling of Central Catholic. Junior running back Nikko Juarez (80 rushes, 806 yards, eight TDs) enjoyed a career performance that has him among the top rushers in the section.

The defense has continued to shine, averaging just 8.4 points allowed. Inside linebacker Kyrin Barajas (14.5 tackles for losses, 7.5 sacks) and edge rusher Mathieu Evans (10.5 TFL, 5.5 sacks) have stood out in Manteca’s impressive front, and junior cornerback Jayden Harris has four interceptions to highlight the experienced defensive backfield.

Sophomore RB Darien East (142 rushes, 869 yards, nine TDs) has been a bright spot for the youth-laden Timberwolves. Their up-and-down campaign includes last week’s tough 28-10 loss to Mountain House, which piled up 334 yards on the ground. Making matters worse, standout receiver/defensive end AJ Chapman went down with a serious ankle injury.

Manteca has won 12 straight against Sierra and leads the all-time rivalry series, 24-6.

Western Athletic Conference

Ceres (0-2, 1-4) at Lathrop (2-0, 4-1): The WAC champion Spartans were displeased with their homecoming effort last week, a lackluster 20-9 victory over Grace Davis.

They’ll face a hungry Bulldogs team eager to get a positive result after one-score losses to Livingston and Johansen. Quarterback Parker Borges leads Ceres’ senior-heavy spread offense, and his top targets are Eric De Lozada (25 receptions, 307 yards, TD), Nathaniel St. Macias (12-163-0) and Adrian Carrillo (8-142-2).

Trans Valley League

Orestimba (0-1, 2-3) at Ripon (0-1, 4-1): After a frustrating loss at Hughson in their TVL opener two weeks ago, the Indians visited Modesto for a non-league tilt they dominated, 42-14.

Ripon returns to league action Friday and gets to play at Stouffer Field for the first time in a month, and it’s homecoming.

Orestimba is in its first year under Austin Martins, who replaces the program’s winningest coach in Aaron Souza. The Warriors were dealt a 56-0 defeat from Sonora last week.

They graduated most of their top skill position players last year. Senior receiver Richie Rivas (12 receptions, 254 yards, two TDs) is one of the few returners and the No. 1 target for senior QB Giovanni Gudino, who is dangerous on the run. Juniors Michael Maier (303 yards, three TDs) and Jose Cuevas (340-3) split the load in the ground game.

Mother Lode League

River Islands (0-2, 1-4) at Linden (2-0, 3-2): One down, two to go for the Riptide, which is in the middle of a brutal three-week stretch in which it faces the MLL’s tri-champions in succession.

Last week was a 55-0 homecoming loss to Calaveras. It doesn’t get easier with Linden, which blanked Big Valley Christian 40-0 in its previous outing. BVC’s lone win of the season has come at the expense of River Islands.

The Riptide has its hands full with fourth-year varsity receiver DeAndre Smith, who leads the Lions with 23 receptions, 404 yards and five touchdowns. He’s complemented by running back Andrew Juarez (67 rushes, 593 yards, eight TDs). Senior Jacob Ricketts has been an efficient replacement at QB for Matthew Schallberger, who threw for more than 2,000 yards and 20 TDs each of the past two seasons.

Linden has an impressive win over Destiny Christian Academy, and the losses are to Liberty Ranch and Hughson, which are a combined 10-1.