Manteca’s Valley Oak League title defense started with three straight blowout wins, including a 49-7 lambasting of long-standing regional power Central Catholic in the opener.
Three more opponents stand in the way of a perfect regular season, and up next for the No. 3-ranked team in the Sac-Joaquin Section is an intra-city foe looking to bounce back from its first two losses of the season.
East Union visits Guss Schmiedt Field on Friday to resume a rivalry drenched in green — the Buffaloes have won 13 in a row, 23 of the last 24 and hold a comfortable 43-13-1 lead in the all-time series.
Also in VOL play, Sierra returns to action after its bye week and travels to Patterson, which must win its final two games to keep its playoff hopes alive.
In the Trans Valley League, Ripon aims to rebound from its loss to Ripon Christian but takes on undefeated Sonora at Dunlavy Field. Ripon Christian, meanwhile, hosts Escalon, a team the Knights have yet to beat.
Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop limped out of Johansen with a close-call victory last week and follows that up with another big game with Livingston, which comes to Bennie Gatto Field locked in a three-way tie for second place.
On the other side of town, River Islands takes on Bret Harte after encouraging defeats against Mother Lode League champions the past two weeks.
Here’s a closer look at the Week 8 matchups:
Valley Oak League
East Union (2-2, 6-2) at Manteca (3-0, 7-0): Only once has Manteca been taken to the wire this season, and that was in a 15-14 Week 2 thriller at Marin Catholic.
The upset-minded Lancers may have to face one of the best defenses in the SJS without quarterback, Kirk Simoni, who suffered an Achilles strain in a 61-29 loss to Central Catholic last week. Three-star receiver Jackson Fay filled in admirably behind center, and it was his running ability (nine rushes, 113 yards, two touchdowns), in tandem with Brayden Camara (16-148-1), that helped get the offense untracked in the second half.
East Union coach Jason Stock said Simoni’s availability will be a game-day decision. Fay and junior varsity call-up Max Abrew have gotten the reps at QB this week.
The Lancers end their brutal four-week stretch this week, and every week they’ve faced top running backs. Manteca’s Nikko Juarez was able to save his legs in lopsided wins over Sierra, 74-7, and Mountain House, 62-24. The junior had just 14 carries in the two games combined but still exploded for 291 yards and six touchdowns, while VOL co-MVP Quinn Martinez has continued to make big plays in all phases.
The schedule does lighten up for the Lancers after this game. Next week is their long-awaited bye, and their regular season ends at home against Mountain House.
Manteca closes with the top two rushers in the SJS — first with Dasen Pettis and Patterson at home on Week 9, then a potential first-place battle against Air Force-bound Wes Burford and Oakdale.
Sierra (0-3, 2-5) at Patterson (1-3, 2-6): Injuries have plagued Sierra, so its bye week was timely.
On the other side of that break are three tough tests for the young Timberwolves. Patterson, which has a Week 10 bye, is in must-win mode to qualify for the playoffs with the minimum required four overall wins.
The 6-foot, 215-pound Pettis was a standout linebacker a year ago but has broken out as one of the most productive running backs in the SJS, ranking No. 2 behind Burford with 1,157 yards and six touchdowns on 170 carries.
The Tigers have had to rely more on their running game with QB Max Medina, the reigning VOL Outstanding Offensive Player, transferred to Central Catholic.
Patterson is coming off its most one-sided loss of the season, absorbing a 56-14 drubbing from Oakdale. The Tigers end their regular season at Manteca. Sierra hosts its final two games against Oakdale and Central Catholic.
Trans Valley League
Ripon (1-2, 5-2) at Sonora (4-0, 8-0): The Indians had a tumultuous 2024 season, but it wasn’t without highlights.
The biggest was a stunning 27-15 win against Sonora, and the result helped vault them into the postseason. Sonora has not lost since, winning 15 straight including the Division IV-A state championship. The Wildcats are ranked No. 8 overall the SJS by MaxPreps, and many of the standouts from their state title team returned.
They survived a scare two weeks ago with a 22-21 comeback win at Hilmar, then crushed defending TVL champion Hughson, 43-12.
Tommy Sutton, a 6-2, 215-pound fullback, has been out for much of the season with a broken arm, but that has not kept Sonora’s triple-option offense from plowing past the competition. QB Eli Ingalls has led a balanced ground attack that features six ball carriers with at least 200 rushing yards on the season.
A win would be huge for the junior-heavy Indians, but the challenges keep coming. Up next is another road game against Escalon, then the league finale with Hilmar.
Escalon (1-2, 3-4) at Ripon Christian (2-1, 6-1): The Knights had their way in the passing game at Ripon, leading to career-best performances from multiple players such as QB Mason Tameling.
They’ll look to keep it rolling against traditional TVL power Escalon, which is 5-0 all-time against RC. The Cougars are coming off their bye after a 1-2 start in league.
Escalon has had to lean on its talented sophomore class at the skill positions, including second-year varsity contributor Dylan Ball. Trey Herrera has started all season on the offensive line as a freshman.
A win for Ripon Christian keeps it in the hunt for its first TVL title. Next week, it takes on its old Southern League rival Orestimba at home, then it’s on to Sonora for Week 10.
Western Athletic Conference
Livingston (3-1, 3-4) at Lathrop (4-0, 6-1): Conference MVP Pablo Peña was visibly hobbled by a leg injury in the Spartans’ wild 28-21 win at Johansen last Thursday, but he was able to gut it out to score on what ended up being the winning drive.
The extra day off may do him and the rest of the Spartans some good as they prepare for another dangerous team in Livingston, which finds itself in the title race after dropping the first three games of the season.
Last week, the Wolves knocked off Central Valley 34-20 to cause the second-place logjam behind
Lathrop. Running back Mathias Valencia broke out for 155 yards and three touchdowns, and QB Roberto Rivera ran for two scores.
Returning All-WAC lineman Julian Chavez anchors Livingston’s defense.
Mother Lode League
Bret Harte (1-3, 2-5) at River Islands (0-4, 1-6): The Riptide may have lost its first four league games, but three of them were competitive — even against reigning state champion Summerville last week. It was a winnable game until the visiting Bears scored 10 unanswered points in the final four minutes to avoid the upset.
River Islands also played Linden tough two weeks ago before falling short, 32-20. By comparison, Bret Harte has lost to the two teams by a combined 91-0 score.
The ‘Tide has an opportunity to end its second varsity campaign on a roll. Up next is winless Millennium, which hasn’t scored since Week Zero, then the finale with 2-5 Riverbank.
