Manteca High would have obviously preferred to outlast its opponent in the 3rd Annual Buff Cup championship, but the Buffaloes will certainly accept a 6-4 win over Patterson for the tournament’s consolation championship.
Manteca lifted itself into the consolation championship with a win over a solid Petaluma team, and then rode the offensive dominance of Jose Maravilla to a third-place finish. Maravilla made good on a pair of goals, leading Manteca towards the opening of the Valley Oak League season.
“I’m proud of the consolation finish,” senior-leader Robbie Geerlof said. “We fought back and we never gave up; none of us quit and that is really what we wanted coming into this tournament.”
The Buffaloes were forced to deal with a heart-wrenching loss to the eventual tournament champion Los Banos Tigers, when Los Banos scored in the game’s final minute to steal the opening round contest. Manteca’s contest with the Tigers was their closest game, giving both teams something to build on going into the league seasons.
“Los Banos is a very good squad, they get after it and nothing is going to come easy against them,” Manteca head coach Justin Coenenberg said. “In hindsight, this tournament was huge for us, because I kind of feel that we started coming together as a team.
“We lost to Los Banos in a close one, so it very easily could have been us over there.”
The Buffaloes got Giovanni Marin goals as well in the win.
Overall the tournament ran without any misfortunes and provided a quality showcase for eight high school programs.
“Of the three tournaments I have been most happy with this one,” Coenenberg said. “That is because it was so competitive. In year’s past there usually there is team that just gets worked over, but this year I don’t think you can say there was one of those teams.
“The entire tournament was competitive throughout.”
Manteca lifted itself into the consolation championship with a win over a solid Petaluma team, and then rode the offensive dominance of Jose Maravilla to a third-place finish. Maravilla made good on a pair of goals, leading Manteca towards the opening of the Valley Oak League season.
“I’m proud of the consolation finish,” senior-leader Robbie Geerlof said. “We fought back and we never gave up; none of us quit and that is really what we wanted coming into this tournament.”
The Buffaloes were forced to deal with a heart-wrenching loss to the eventual tournament champion Los Banos Tigers, when Los Banos scored in the game’s final minute to steal the opening round contest. Manteca’s contest with the Tigers was their closest game, giving both teams something to build on going into the league seasons.
“Los Banos is a very good squad, they get after it and nothing is going to come easy against them,” Manteca head coach Justin Coenenberg said. “In hindsight, this tournament was huge for us, because I kind of feel that we started coming together as a team.
“We lost to Los Banos in a close one, so it very easily could have been us over there.”
The Buffaloes got Giovanni Marin goals as well in the win.
Overall the tournament ran without any misfortunes and provided a quality showcase for eight high school programs.
“Of the three tournaments I have been most happy with this one,” Coenenberg said. “That is because it was so competitive. In year’s past there usually there is team that just gets worked over, but this year I don’t think you can say there was one of those teams.
“The entire tournament was competitive throughout.”
