Coming off a historic season, Sierra isn’t thinking about championships going into Friday’s 2016 opener at Ripon.
The Timberwolves’ objective for the season is simple: start 1-0.
“All we’re worried about is Friday night,” Sierra coach Jeff Harbison said. “We’re totally focused on Ripon. Ripon took it to us last year and we’d like to get back at them for that and come out and play good football.”
The Indians visited Daniel Teicheira Stadium last year and handled Sierra 34-20, scoring all of their points in the first half. They went on to capture a share of the Trans-Valley League title in Chris Johnson’s 12th and final year as head coach. Johnson now teaches at Sierra.
Beleaguered by injuries, Sierra was up and down for the rest of the regular season and needed a come-from-behind win over Weston Ranch in Week 10 to finish with a 5-5 record and sneak into the postseason.
The Timberwolves, of course, made the most of their opportunity to extend their season and extend it some more, as they seized the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV, NorCal and CIF State Division IV-A Bowl Game championships.
Six of the seven Manteca-area teams will participate in zero-week contests. Hitting the road Friday are Lathrop (at West), Weston Ranch (at Ceres) and Ripon Christian (at Mountain House). Manteca gets an extra day to prepare for its opener with Buhach Colony at Atwater High on Saturday.
East Union chose to start its season with a bye. The Lancers head to Ceres next Friday, Sept. 2.
The clash at Stouffer Field also marks Chris Musseman’s first as head coach for Ripon, though he has been with the staff since 2002.
“We’ll learn a lot from that zero-week game,” Musseman said.
There is always a level of uncertainty for teams at the start of each season, but Ripon has undergone the most change with the bulk of its league championship team lost to graduation. Senior Andrew Durrer and sophomore Ryan Daggett battled all summer for playing time at the quarterback position vacated by three-year starter Nick Price.
Musseman said Wednesday that Durrer is getting the starting nod, though Daggett may still take snaps behind center.
“Ryan is an asset to us on other parts of the field,” Musseman said. “Andrew will also see action at middle linebacker and tight end.”
Elsewhere, Manteca has title aspirations with a wealth of returning talent on both sides of scrimmage, but coach Eric Reis also has his troops looking at what is ahead of them.
“We’re excited to get this thing going, but we’re trying to take it one at a time,” Reis said. “Last week it was all about Ripon and Sonora (in Saturday’s scrimmages), and now we’re looking at Buhach. They have some athletes over there so we’ll have our hands full.”
Manteca smashed its former Valley Oak League foe 34-6 in the 2015 opener, but Reis expects a stiffer challenge from the Thunder, which competes in a competitive Division I league in the Central California Conference. Junior receiver/defensive back Lavon Wallace, in impressive 6-foot-3 athlete, has received a scholarship offer from Fresno State.
Lathrop, Weston Ranch and Ripon Christian are likely favorites Friday.
Lathrop brings its experienced defense to West High’s Steve Lopez Stadium in Tracy. The Spartans lost close games to the Wolf Pack the last two seasons, but West has graduated much of the talent from its SJS Division I playoff team.
Weston Ranch is 3-3 all-time against Ceres, but the two haven’t squared off since 2009 in Ceres’ final year in the VOL. The Bulldogs are led by quarterback Chris Lubinsky who threw for 2,677 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2015.
Mountain House is a second-year varsity squad still in search of its first win. Ripon Christian throttled the Mustangs 52-0 last season.
