Buffaloes prevail 20-6 in school’s first-ever football contest

Ninety years ago, on October 13, 1923, Manteca High School won its first-ever football game when it defeated Hilmar High School with a score of 20-6. The game was featured by heavy line plunging and end runs for decisive gains on the part of Manteca’s heavy backs, Behrens, Norman and Washington.



In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

10 years ago: October 22, 2003 – It wasn’t quite as ugly as its 14-0 shellacking of Sonora High a month ago, but the Manteca High soccer  team certainly did enough in a 6-0 win against the host Wildcats on Tuesday. The Buffaloes’ top scorer, Anthony King, finished with four goals. Sal Vaca contributed a goal, while Jacob Escobedo netted the final score.

Just about everyone contributed in Sierra High’s victory over Los Banos High on Tuesday. The Timberwolves won with 25-14, 25-21, 25-16 scores. Jennifer Hendowski led the team with 12 kills, seven blocks and seven digs. Coach Tevani Liotard’s girls are now 6-6 overall.

Sara Slade accounted for the last five service points in a 29-27, 16-25, 25-21, 14-25, 15-10 East Union High volleyball win Tuesday night over Manteca High. EU middle blocker Sam Wendt was an all-around threat, finishing with 12 kills, three blocks and season-highs in aces (seven) and digs (23). Stephanie Aschenbrenner turned in 39 assists and eight digs for the Buffs.

Scoring for the East Union High soccer team wasn’t a problem on Tuesday as the visiting Lancers thumped hapless Los Banos High 4-0. Edgar Garibay scored twice while Chris Vaughn and Joseph Rocha netted one each. Goalie Bobby Gaston had five saves.

Sierra High’s Nicole Sanchez squeezed out a 6-4 win over her Buhach Colony High opponent to decide the 8-7 final outcome in tennis action Tuesday afternoon. Coach Rick Hammarstrom’s T’wolves are now 13-2.

The Sierra High soccer team got past host Pitman High 2-1 in Turlock on Tuesday. Josh Godfrey and Jesus Acuna scored the goals for the T’wolves.

Anjelica Dill-James won all three of her singles matches as the East Union High tennis team edged Pitman High 8-7 yesterday.

Sierra High’s Casey Heupel carded an 89 for 18 holes at the Manteca Park golf course during the Valley Oak League championships on Monday. The score clinched MVP honors for the T’wolf golfer. Oakdale High took the VOL title with a 508 score. Sierra finished second at 532, while East Union High had 541 and Manteca High, a 542. Tara Burlingame shot a 98 for EU, and Manteca High’s Brittinie Huffman carded a 95.

Buhach Colony High stunned Manteca High 23-0 in Atwater Saturday night as the newly-opened school nabbed its first VOL football win. The Buffaloes were able to come up with only 34 yards on offense and never crossed the mid-field stripe. Safety Michael Turner led the MHS defense with eight tackles.

Pitman High stopped Sierra High three times in the final four minutes and held on for a 33-28 football win over the host T’wolves on Friday. Ross Strmiska passed for two SHS touchdowns, to David Rubio for 24 yards and to Brian Nelson for 20 yards. Rubio also ran eight yards for another score and ran in a conversion. James Purtle, who had a touchdown run of 36 yards, was the leading Sierra rusher with 150 yards in the game. Pitman quarterback Colin Kaepernick passed for 151 yards.

Unfortunate turnovers allowed Sonora High to take a 31-13 win over East Union High at Dino Cunial Field on Friday. Nick Turner, who ran for 113 yards on the night, tallied the first Lancer touchdown on a 13-yard run. Kevin Renke passed a yard to J. R. Soriano for the other score. Ryan Fleckenstein kicked the PAT.

  

20 years ago: October 19, 1993 – The host East Union High soccer team had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the red-hot Los Banos High team despite out-shooting them 20-8. David Rodrigues scored the EU goal.

Manteca High used a defensive-minded pressure to control Ceres High and gain a 3-1 soccer victory on Monday afternoon. The Buffs had taken a half-time lead on goals by Ernesto Arellano and Justin Fatzer.

The East Union High volleyball team took a 15-8, 13-15, 15-9, 15-7 win over a stubborn Sonora High team Tuesday night at Dalben Center. Lisa Noceti led the charge for the Lady Lancers with 21 kills.

Despite a letdown in the final two games, Manteca High still posted a 15-3, 15-10, 15-9 volleyball win over Livingston High on Tuesday night. Sophomore Beth Cochran and junior Anna Jackson controlled the net for the Lady Buffs with a combined 13 kills and three blocks.

Manteca High’s Andrea Belluomini was the main highlight for the Lady Buff tennis team in a 9.5-5.5 loss to Livingston High on Tuesday afternoon. The MHS junior took three singles wins.

East Union High’s tennis team was shutout 15-0 by Oakdale High on the road. There were few bright spots for the Lady Lancers, who are 3-11 on the season.

East Union High’s Brach Harris ran 65 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the game. The Lancers then went on for a 34-7 win over Bear Creek High last night at the Grape Bowl in Lodi. Harris went on to score two more touchdowns and gain 164 yards on only 11 carries. Gene Ballardo rushed for 102 yards, including a 48-yard TD romp, and kicked four extra points. Ryan Stutz tallied the other EU score on a nine- yard run.



30 years ago: October 18, 1983 – The Manteca High tennis team remained undefeated in VOL play with a trashing of Sonora High13.5-1.5. Lynn Henderson, Katy McKenzie and Leslie Toy all had MHS sweeps in singles play. Stephanie Flowers-Junior Ruble had little trouble in the doubles, sweeping their matches.

The Manteca High volleyball team continued its steady march toward a second straight VOL championship Tuesday night with an easy win over Modesto High, while East Union High’s spikers were handed a startling upset loss by Oakdale High. MHS posted a 15-6, 15-9 triumph, with Gina Buzzini and Carrie Nepote leading the way. The Lady Lancers, an up-and-down team all year, were down last night in a 6-15, 15-4, 13-15 loss to the Lady Mustangs.

East Union High’s Lollie Castro had a good game but, unfortunately the rest of the Lady Lancers tennis team didn’t as it dropped a 13-2 decision to Oakdale High Tuesday afternoon on the EU courts.

Manteca High, led by Johnny Flores’ 124 yards, feasted on four Modesto High turnovers en route to a 26-6 triumph over the Panthers Thursday night in Modesto. Pete Nelson, Sam Ochoa, Doug Castle and Flores all scored for the Buffaloes. Jose Vasquez kicked two extra points. The Buff defense was led by Ray Victor’s two interceptions.

East Union High junior Dondi Russ cruised to a 37-second victory Thursday in the three-mile run to highlight cross-country action in a makeup meet against Bret Harte High. Russ crossed the finish line in 16:50.

What appeared to be a sure Homecoming victory turned into a nightmarish defeat for East Union High Friday night at Guss Schmiedt Field. With one second remaining on the clock, the Oakdale High fullback caught a scoring pass that glanced off the fingers of a Lancer defender to hand the Mustangs a comeback 29-28 VOL win.



40 years ago: October 17, 1973 – Manteca High turned a good defense into a good offense in a bruising 7-0 win over a very strong North Salinas High team Friday night. A super effort on defense late in the first quarter proved to be the difference. Craig Stonehocker and Bill Ruble teamed up to score the lone touchdown of the game. Stonehocker blocked a North Salinas punt at the 13, with Ruble picking it up at the three and rumbling into the end zone for the score. Rich Brocchini calmly split the uprights for the extra point.

Racking up touchdowns in every quarter with a crunching ground game, East Union High carved out a 28-6 win over an out-classed Sonora High eleven Friday night in the mountain city. It was EU’s fourth straight win, a school record, and contributed to the “new look” in football at the Union Road campus. Four different Lancer runners scored the touchdowns, with junior fullback Doug Swift punching four yards for a score and later adding a run for a pair of extra points. Junior tailback Dana Taylor carried the ball only 12 times but was the EU offensive leader as he collected 97 yards.

The cross-country team from Manteca High took a major step towards the sub-section meet by defeating a tough Tracy High team this week. The Buffs were imposing as they tacked a 19-41 loss on the Bulldogs. Mike Packer paced the Buffaloes to their important win as he toured the 2.9 mile course in 14:40.



50 years ago: October 17, 1963 – The best Atwater High team in the school’s history wasn’t good enough Friday night as Manteca High fought their way to a 20-0 win over the Falcons on a rain-soaked field. Buffalo quarterback Paul Goodwin, coming into the contest as Northern California’s leading passer, completed only six of 12 for 58 yards and had three passes intercepted, but did throw for one touchdown. Goodwin’s scoring pass was for five yards to Bob Leatherwood in the third quarter. Goodwin scored the first TD himself on a keeper. Bill Mendosa ran 71 yards for a Buff score and Ron Brown kicked two extra points.



60 years ago: October 18, 1953 – Manteca High made it win number two over VOL opponents last Friday evening as they thoroughly trounced Oakdale High by a score of 24-6 on the Manteca field. Emmett Lee passed for a pair of touchdowns, for 50 yards to Jim Coveney and 18 yards to David Lake. David Lawton retuned an intercepted pass 50 yards for a touchdown and Dwayne Howze ran a yard for the final Manteca score.



80 years ago: October 19, 1933 – Manteca High lost its first league game to Turlock High last Friday on the local field by the score of 14-0. This was the third loss in a row for the local boys. Theodore Abrew, Buffalo right halfback, was injured in the first quarter and was out for the rest of the game. Gust Lourentzos took his place and played nearly the whole game with one arm in a cast. He did some very good punting and blocking, but couldn’t tackle.