By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
1963: Victory over Oakdale is Buffs 11th straight victory
Placeholder Image

Forty years ago, on October 4, 1973, revenge is getting sweeter every week for East Union High’s Lancers. For the third time in three weeks, EU has defeated a football team that beat them last year. This week’s victim was the defending Valley Oak League champion St. Mary’s High. With 16 seconds remaining in the game, halfback Carl Esquivel took a pitchout and roared around right end to score and give the Lancers a 28-25 victory over the visiting Rams in one of the most thrilling finishes ever witnessed at Guss Schmiedt Field. Esquivel had been on the receiving end of an earlier 14-yard scoring toss from Ron Barretto. Junior halfback Dana Taylor had a 13-yard scoring run and Barretto sneaked across for another. Rick Horn added a pair of extra points and Danny Coffman ran for two more.

In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

80 years ago: October 12, 1933 – Manteca High lost to Sonora High last Friday afternoon by the close score of 7-6, the game being played at the mountain town. Joe Escobar scored the Manteca touchdown. The score would indicate an exciting game, but it was slow and dull.

60 years ago: October 8, 1953 – Manteca High started the VOL season off with a bang by trouncing Livingston High in the league opener by a score of 21-0 last Friday evening on the losers’ field. Emmett Lee scored twice on quarterback sneaks and David Lawton ran two yards to score. Bill Spence kicked three straight extra points.

50 years ago: October 10, 1963 – Manteca High opened their VOL season with a hard-fought 13-7 win over Oakdale High Friday night. Paul Goodwin passed for 154 yards on 10 of 25 attempts to give the Buffaloes their eleventh straight win. Don Carney rambled 27 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and Goodwin passed 37 yards to Bob Leatherwood for the Buffs’ other TD with just 1:40 remaining in the game. Baxter Dunn kicked an extra point.

40 years ago: October 10, 1973 – It may have rained “cats and dogs” Saturday night, but nothing could dampen the Manteca High parade as they thundered past a talented Ceres High eleven 29-0. Mike Hubbard sparked a brilliant MHS defensive effort while Mark Duncan and Gary Shupe provided all the offensive muscle needed as the Buffs controlled nearly every phase of the game. Hubbard intercepted a pair of passes and also picked up a loose pitchout and rambled 58 yards for a touchdown. Duncan tallied three times, Rich Brocchini kicked a pair of extra points, and Rafael Nunez booted an 18-yard field goal.

Despite a soggy turf, Manteca High and East Union High locked up in their first competition of the 1973-74 year on the Buffs’ cross-country course. After the mud had settled, the Manteca squad had registered an 18-37 rout. Mike Packer won the race with a time of 15:39 on the three-mile course. Jerry Tucker, EU’s premier distance runner, took third in 15:51.

30 years ago: October 12, 1983 – Manteca High rallied for a hard-fought 15-1, 0-15, 15-10 victory over the Lady Lancers of East Union High in VOL volleyball action Tuesday night. Terri Menezes and Karen Cambra paced the Lady Buffs, while Terri Severns and Nancy Nunes led the EU girls.

The Manteca High tennis team, possibly the strongest girls team in school history, improved their VOL record to 4-0 Tuesday afternoon with a 15-0 thrashing of Sonora High. The regulars for Coach Sharyl Burgeson: singles players Lynn Henderson, Ranata Scholl and Katy McKenzie, combined with doubles teams of Stephanie Flowers-Junior Ruble and Leslie Toy-Leslie Gaynor, kept the Lady Buffs undefeated.

At Sonora High yesterday, the East Union High tennis doubles team of Lollie Castro and Debbie McCoy picked up a pair of tough tie-breaker wins, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Lancers fell to an 8.5-6.5 defeat to the Lady Wildcats.

Taking advantage of four second-half Manteca High turnovers, Oakdale High stunned the previously undefeated Buffaloes 19-6 in the VOL opener Friday night before an enthusiastic Mustang homecoming crowd. Manteca scored its only touchdown of the night in the second quarter. After Brian Mothershed blocked an Oakdale punt, Pete Nelson scored on a two-yard keeper.

East Union High, playing its final warm-up game before next week’s VOL opener, found the going rough in Sacramento Friday night, losing to McClatchy High by a one-sided 43-14 score. Trailing 22-0 in the second quarter, EU’s Bobby Rusconi exploded for a 65-yard touchdown run. The Lancers scored again in the final quarter as Ron James punched the ball over from two yards out. Lenny Rieb kicked both extra points.

20 years ago: October 12, 1983 – Snapping a two-year drought, the Manteca High soccer team claimed a 3-1 victory over the host East Union High team on Monday afternoon. Buffalo goals were by David Hauser, Jeremy Reed and Ernesto Arellano.

Manteca High visited the Dalben Center on the East Union High campus Tuesday night to battle the EU volleyball team. With MHS taking the first game 17-15, the Lady Lancers, paced by Lisa Noceti and Renelle Acosta, won the next three games by 15-9, 15-6, 15-5 scores. Coach Jon Olson’s squad is now 9-1 overall.

Los Banos High turned the tables on East Union High in a surprising 31-21 football Homecoming game Friday night. Gene Ballardo paced the Lancers with 66 yards rushing and scored one touchdown on a 27-yard run in the third quarter. Ryan Stutz opened the EU scoring in the first quarter on a four-yard run and Nick Nobriga ran seven yards to finish the Lancer scoring. Ballardo kicked an extra point and Ben Kelley passed to Brian Wood for two more points after Ballardo’s TD.

Winning ugly best describes Manteca High’s 32-9 VOL triumph over Bear Creek High on a cold and rainy Friday night in Manteca. The two teams combined for 18 penalties and the Bruins lost the ball four times on a fumble and three interceptions, two of those by Cliff Harris. Don Morgan ran for 62 yards and scored three touchdowns. Jomayo Steward tallied on a two-yard run and Joey Sandoval ran one in from a yard out. Brian Hemman kicked a pair of extra points.

10 years ago: October 15, 2003 – The Manteca High soccer team shook off a sluggish first-half start and rolled away with an 8-1 win over Los Banos High on Tuesday. Jacob Escobedo and Anthony King each tallied two goals, while Chris Buccieri, Sal Vaca and Freddie Lopez chipped in with one apiece. The Buffaloes’ seventh goal came on an own-goal by the host team. MHS goalie Shane Farmer finished with 10 saves.

The Sierra High soccer team amassed six first-half goals en route to a 7-0 thumping of host Sonora High Tuesday. Jason Dalton had two goals in the win, while Chris Serrano, Jesus Acuna, Michael Montes, Josh Lacey and Luis Lopez each netted one. Sonora had only five shots on goal, with Timberwolf keepers Jason Morow and Nick Erickson assuring the shutout.

Atwater’s Buhach Colony High escaped yesterday’s soccer match with East Union High unscathed as they edged the visiting Lancers 2-0. Closest to scoring for EU was Chris Vaught’s second-half attempt that caromed off the crossbar.

Sierra High avenged last month’s three-game sweep by East Union High by taking down the visiting Lancer volleyball team in convincing fashion 25-19, 25-17, 25-18, Tuesday night. Sierra’s prime contributor was middle blocker Jennifer Hendowski, who cranked out 10 kills, nine service points, five blocks, three digs and an ace. East Union (8-9) was led by Sam Wendt, who notched a season-high eight blocks, also finishing with 11 kills and eight digs.

Visiting Oakdale High swept the Manteca High volleyball team 18-25, 13-25, 9-25 at Winter Gym Tuesday night. Stephanie Aschenbrenner led the Lady Buffs with 15 assists.

A 281-329 win over Buhach Colony High on Tuesday moved the Sierra High golf team to within one win of securing the Valley Oak League championship. Casey Heupel and Katie Fahey took co-medalist honors, each shooting a 51.

Sierra High sophomore Cherise McNair cruised to a first-place finish in the Clovis Cross-country Invitational Saturday in the medium-school competition at Woodward Park in Fresno. She checked in at 19:03 in the 3.12 mile course.

The under-sized East Union High football team pounded Los Banos High 35-14 Friday night at Dino Cunial Field to remain undefeated in VOL play. The Lancers ran up 436 total yards—197 coming on the ground from tailback Nick Turner on 20 carries and 198 on 12-of-17 passing from quarterback Kevin Renke. Renke had four scoring tosses to four different receivers. Turner, Eric Texeira, Aaron Amos and Ryan Fleckenstein caught the TD passes from Renke. Coach Mike James’s team is now 2-3 on the season.

Manteca High suffered a crushing 43-0 defeat at the hands of host Sonora High yesterday at historic Dunlavy Field. Quarterback Sammy Miller proved to be the leading rusher for the Buffaloes with 35 yards on seven carries.

For 47 minutes, the Sierra High football team played shutout ball against Buhach Colony High in Atwater last night. Coach Greg Leland was pleased with the 24-8 victory over the host Thunder. James Purtle was the workhorse for the T’wolves as he ran for 262 yards on 20 carries including TD runs of 22 and 93 yards. Other scores were by David Rubio for a record-tying 99 yards and by Eric Texeira for two yards. Joe Pires kicked a 30-yard field goal and three extra points.

East Union High cross-country teammates Caleb Mack and Darren Dodd shared first-place honors as the Lancers beat Manteca High 18-44 Thursday at Durham Ferry. The girls followed suit with a 20-35 victory. Mack and Dodd checked in at 18:02. Manteca’s top harrier, Enrique Jimenez, finished in 18:26. Lady Buff Katelyn McGhee headed the girls’ race with a time of 21:34, but it wasn’t enough to take down the Lady Lancers. Jessica Gonzales was the top finisher for EU with a 21:35 time.

The East Union High tennis team fell 8-7 to Oakdale High on Thursday. Anjelica Dill-James swept her three matches to pace the EU singles players.