WESTON RANCH – Manteca relied on its running attack during the second half of Friday’s sophomore victory at Weston Ranch.
The Buffaloes (1-0, 3-1) rolled to a 22-7 victory in the Valley Oak League opener.
The Cougars kept pace with the Buffaloes early on, but trailed 8-7 at the intermission.
“That’s when we decided to play power football,” Manteca coach Adam Liel said.
The Buffaloes put the ball in the hands of running back Joe Trout, who carried most of the load in the third quarter while scoring on a short plunge.
Manteca added some insurance in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Alex Martinez hitting Eric Ceja on the touchdown strike.
The Buffaloes got 112 yards on 23 carries from Trout, leading a punishing Manteca ground game that exposed the Cougar defense while keeping the offense off the field. Martinez was effective in the Manteca passing game, going 6-for-13 with 125 yards and two scores.
Other standouts for the Buffaloes, Liel said, included Reilly Cockrun and J.T. Augulbos
“We came out a little flat on offense,” Liel said. “But our defense was able to keep us in the game.
“It was our defense that was flying around and making things happen.”
The Buffaloes will continue with back-to-back road games when they travel to Sierra to take on the Timberwolves in an always important VOL contest.
“We still need to be more consistent and have less penalties,” Liel said. “But overall, it is nice to get a win and open up league 1-0.”
Ripon Christian trailed 14-7 going into halftime, but showed some resiliency, outscoring Denair by two touchdowns over the final two quarters of play.
“Our defense tightened up,” Ripon Christian coach Michael Dotinga said.“Forcing two turnovers on huge hits in the Denair backfield.
“We were able to make the most of both turnovers, scoring touchdowns and evening the score.”
The Knights will look to get back on track when they make the short trek to Turlock to battle the Turlock Christian Eagles Friday night.
The Buffaloes (1-0, 3-1) rolled to a 22-7 victory in the Valley Oak League opener.
The Cougars kept pace with the Buffaloes early on, but trailed 8-7 at the intermission.
“That’s when we decided to play power football,” Manteca coach Adam Liel said.
The Buffaloes put the ball in the hands of running back Joe Trout, who carried most of the load in the third quarter while scoring on a short plunge.
Manteca added some insurance in the fourth quarter, with quarterback Alex Martinez hitting Eric Ceja on the touchdown strike.
The Buffaloes got 112 yards on 23 carries from Trout, leading a punishing Manteca ground game that exposed the Cougar defense while keeping the offense off the field. Martinez was effective in the Manteca passing game, going 6-for-13 with 125 yards and two scores.
Other standouts for the Buffaloes, Liel said, included Reilly Cockrun and J.T. Augulbos
“We came out a little flat on offense,” Liel said. “But our defense was able to keep us in the game.
“It was our defense that was flying around and making things happen.”
The Buffaloes will continue with back-to-back road games when they travel to Sierra to take on the Timberwolves in an always important VOL contest.
“We still need to be more consistent and have less penalties,” Liel said. “But overall, it is nice to get a win and open up league 1-0.”
Sierra, 33 East Union 0 (Sophomores)
The Sierra Timberwolves did nearly everything right as they opened VOL play with a convincing 33-0 win over the East Union Lancers. Sierra had little difficulty disposing of the Lancers, playing efficient football and simply working on the clock over the final period of action. The Timberwolves will find themselves in a more formidable battle Friday when they play host to the Manteca Buffaloes who are coming off a hard-fought 15-point win over the Weston Ranch Cougars.Ripon Christian 20, Denair 20 (Sophomores)
The Ripon Christian Knights fought back into the contest, yet their come back victory attempt fell just short as the squad ended in a 20-20 tie with the Denair Coyotes.Ripon Christian trailed 14-7 going into halftime, but showed some resiliency, outscoring Denair by two touchdowns over the final two quarters of play.
“Our defense tightened up,” Ripon Christian coach Michael Dotinga said.“Forcing two turnovers on huge hits in the Denair backfield.
“We were able to make the most of both turnovers, scoring touchdowns and evening the score.”
The Knights will look to get back on track when they make the short trek to Turlock to battle the Turlock Christian Eagles Friday night.
