Eddie Lopez of the Manteca Cowboys called Saturday’s 44-0 shutout of the Weston Ranch Ravens at Guss Schmiedt Field “as close to a perfect game I have ever coached.”

The Cowboys (8-2) are firing on all cylinders going into the first NorCal All-American Youth Football League playoffs. They are the National Conference’s No. 1 seed in all four of levels of play, and the varsity squad opens with the Pacheco Panthers of Los Banos on Nov. 5.

Manteca was led by quarterback Nillo Yuson, who completed all of his passes including a 53-yard score to Darrion Parnell. Yuson totaled 139 passing yards and 20 rushing.

Donicio Samoy had 115 yards from scrimmage, 70 on the ground. Parker Caston (70 yards), Justin Scoz (55 yards) and Mykail Redman (35 yards) each rambled for two touchdowns.

Seth Santos, Jaymz Jones, Redman and Scoz (fumble recovery) collected four tackles apiece to pace the defense. Samoy added three tackles and sack.



Junior varsity

Cowboys 46, Ravens 14

Jake Harries set the tone for the undefeated Cowboys by returning the opening kickoff 78 yards to paydirt.

Angel Sena and Seuseu Alofaituli handled the rest. Sena passed for close to 100 yards and rushed for 40 more while scoring three times. Alofaituli bulldozed his way to 75 rushing yards and two scores. The two standouts also recorded two sacks apiece on defense.

Devon Young added 60 rushing yards and a score and tied Alofaituli and Gabriel Francisco for team-high honors with eight tackles. Joseph Espinoza picked up a sack, Kyle Wesley picked off a pass and Jordan Black recovered a fumble.



Rookies

Cowboys 6, Ravens 0

Manteca (9-1) completed a season sweep of the Ravens with Manuel Guerrero tacking on the only points on a quarterback sneak in the second quarter.

It was all defense from there. Matthew Pilkay led the charge with five tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. He was also the workhorse on offense, piling up a hard-earned 74 yards on 22 carries. Presley DeMello rushed eight times for 55 yards.

Melvin McCoy turned in seven tackles and a sack, while Ismael Munoz and Vincent Bocanegra both recovered a fumble.



Starters

Ravens 12, Cowboys 6

The Cowboys (7-3) came out on the short end of a defensive battle with the American Conference’s undefeated first-place team, but it could be a preview for the league’s Super Bowl.

Kimoni Stanley churned out 107 rushing yards and a touchdown to account for the majority of Manteca’s offense. The defense was led by Nicco Cedolini’s 12 tackles and a fumble recovery.