RIPON – Ripon High’s sophomore football team had no interest in partaking in the homecoming festivities for Ripon Christian High, blasting the Knights 35-0 Friday.

The Knights were unable to get anything going, forfeiting drive after drive against a solid Ripon High defense. The victory was something the Indians talked about getting and never lost focus of their immediate task at hand.

“There was a lot of emotion going into this game,” Ripon head coach Keith Rangel said. “We talked about playing each play and winning the down. Our goal each week is to try and get better and see if we can reach our potential.”

Ripon (6-2) got a tremendous effort from Nick Curtice who rolled over the Knights for four touchdowns. Teammate Jared Macedo added a touchdown run, while Sam Pryor finished with a pair of scores.

The Knights were led by the play of James Vander Schaff who paced the squad with 10 tackles on defense. Brandon Dotinga had nearly 100 all-purpose yards, while Tim Ignacio hammered into the defense on 15 carries.

The Buffaloes did all they could do, but could not find the end zone late in regulation from five yards out in a heartbreaking Valley Oak League loss to Oakdale.

“Once again we came up short at the end,” Manteca head coach Adam Liel said. “We had three opportunities inside the five and came up empty.

“Penalties and lack of execution hurt us (tonight).”

Manteca trailed 13-8 at the half and came out with the necessary adjustments, holding the Mustangs to just one score over the game’s final two periods. BJ Odell got Manteca on the board in the second quarter, when he pounded it in from a yard out and then followed the score up with a two-point conversion.

 Alex Martinez hooked up with Eric Cejad for a 12-yard touchdown and the following two-point conversion, cutting Oakdale’s lead to 19-13, but the Buffaloes would only be able to cut the deficit in half.

“We played tough, we just stalled inside the five,” Liel said. “We couldn’t add to our total and that ultimately led to our loss.  This one hurts.  The kids never gave up and we were in a position to win on the road.  

“I’m proud of our effort”

The Buffaloes will look to turn things around when they play host to the Central Valley Hawks Friday at 5 p.m.

The Timberwolves got the homecoming crowd going in a hurry, scoring early and often on their way to another VOL shutout. Sierra dominated in every facet of the contest, rushing and passing all over the visiting Bulldogs for another impressive league win.

The victory sets up a highly anticipated showdown with the Oakdale Mustangs Friday in Oakdale. The Mustangs are coming off of a hard-fought three-point win over Manteca High. Sierra will have to get through the Mustangs if they plan on closing out the season on a high note.

Anthony Perea gave his customary performance, tossing four touchdowns, two to Zach Penerian and to Josh Reed. The Timberwolves defensive unit was brilliant in the shut out, getting strong play from Will Ward, Ryan Mootz, Christian Yasay and Austin Acker.

The Timberwolves will make the trip east to battle with Oakdale Friday.

The East Union High sophomores held for an 18-15 VOL win over Sonora on Friday.

The difference maker turned out to be a 27-yard field goal by Alex Dias midway through the fourth quarter.

“We have all the confidence in Alex,” Lancer coach Carlos Herrera said.

The Wildcats made the game close, scoring on a pass play late in the game followed by a two-point conversion run.

East Union (2-3, 2-6) was led by Steven Gigli, who chipped in with a touchdown run in the third quarter to give his team a 15-7 advantage at the time.

“He was our field leader, both offensively and defensively,” said Herrera, whose team consists of 13 freshmen.