Eighty years ago, on February 8, 1936, Manteca High’s Buffaloes showed their quality when they twisted their way to a 40-14 victory over the favored Orestimba High quintet of Newman to take first place in the league with four wins and one defeat. The Buffaloes were led by Milo Candini’s passing and the shooting of Harold Reynolds and Bev Brownell. Brownell had 12 points to lead Manteca.
In other sports stories from The Bulletin files:
40 years ago: February 11, 1976 – Apparently refreshed by a night off earlier in the week, East Union High surprised some VOL followers Friday night at Dalben Center by upsetting Los Banos High 45-38. Jeff Baker got back into the scoring groove as he led the victorious Lancers with 17 points. Ron Hamamoto added 12 points to the winning total.
Faced with a crucial “must win” situation, Manteca High overcame a stubborn Sonora High five, 67-58 in the Sonora gym Friday night. The all-important victory virtually assured the Buffaloes of a playoff berth in the post-season tournament. Dale Delmanowski and Ron Tilton provided much of the offensive power for the Buffs with 23 and 20 points, respectively.
Breaking a three-game losing streak and recording its second-highest point total of the season, the Manteca High girls’ basketball team stampeded past East Union High 49-34 Thursday evening. Collette Collins had a game-high 20 points for the Lady Buffaloes and teammate Karen Steves added 14 more. Rhonda Hardcastle topped the Lady Lancers’ scoring with 10 points.
30 years ago: February 12, 1986 – The East Union High girls’ post-season playoff hopes dropped almost as low as their shooting average Tuesday night when they fell to host Ceres High 46-34. Stacy Lee and Kelli Horton shared EU team scoring with10 points each.
The Ceres High boys walloped East Union High 76-60 in VOL basketball action last night. The Lancer five was led by Mark Waterman and Gary Kron, who scored 25 and 10 points before fouling out.
East Union High’s soccer team played one of their best games of the year on both offense and defense to record their first shutout of the season, a 3-0 whitewash of Manteca High. Lancer goals were by Jim Green, Brian Soiseth and Tim Hamm to win the annual Bobby Baldwin Cup.
Manteca High’s wrestling squad won three of the first five matches Wednesday with host Roseville High in a first-round Division II Sectional tournament dual match, but from then on it was all the Tigers. Roseville rolled to eight straight wins in registering a 55-11 verdict over the Buffaloes. MHS wins were by George Gomes, Robert McGhee and Brian Briggs.
Kelli Iorio and Joette Lucas teamed up in overtime to put the finishing touches on Oakdale High 52-49 as Manteca High took the win.
A layup with three seconds remaining in the game gave Oakdale High a 52-51 win over the Manteca High boys Friday night. Chad Johnson and Joe Dias both scored in double figures for the Buffaloes with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
20 years ago: February 10, 1996 – Manteca High, which had won their last two VOL basketball games in one-point thrillers, coasted past the helpless Sierra High cagers 68-35 Friday night despite a raucous crowd in the T’wolf gym. Bryan Lucas, the Buffaloes’ center, netted a game-high 16 points and 17 rebounds in the win. Jared House added 15 points to the winning total. Coach Frank Triglia’s senior-less T’wolves (7-18) were led by Jared Looney’s 11 points.
Ceres High scored the final eight points from the free throw line to hold on for a 61-54 VOL win over East Union High at Ceres Thursday. Shane Lewis led all scorers with 23 points in a losing cause. Coach Bill Stricker’s Lancers fall to 5-9 in league play.
Manteca High wrestlers Randy Grimm, Jeremy Nuding and Shae Enriquez each thrilled the crowd at Los Banos High with last-second wins in the championship matches of the VOL tournament on Saturday. Elizar Ceballos and Robert Miller also won titles for the Buffaloes. East Union High’s Josh York made it to the finals before losing to Trevor Strand of Sonora High. York has lost only two matches all year, both to Strand. First-year coach Anthony Romero’s MHS team took second in the league tournament, behind champion Oakdale High.
Linemen David Patch of Manteca High and East Union High’s Jeff Abrew, a wide receiver and defensive back, were named to play in next summer’s Lions Central California All-star Football game in Merced. They will play on the North squad.
The Sierra High girls’ soccer team closed out their first season at the varsity level with a 24-1, 15-0 record. The Lady T’wolves won their 15th consecutive VOL match, blasting Bear Creek High with four first-half goals en route to a 6-1 victory to close out the league season. T’wolf freshman Jenni Amaya scored three goals and Amanda Enfield found the net twice. Amanda Allgaier closed out the scoring with a goal in the 66thminute. Coach Manuel Pires’s upstart program has never lost a VOL match and had lost only once in its two-year history.
Lyndi Saxton had two goals as East Union High easily handled Tracy‘s West High 4-1 in girls’ soccer action yesterday. Meghan Harris and Emily Anderson added other scores for Coach Lance Morrow’s Lady Lancers.
Manteca High’s girls outshot Sonora High 14-7 yesterday, but were edged 2-1 in soccer play at home. Lyndsey MacDonald netted the lone Lady Buffalo goal.
Manteca High saw a nine-point lead slip away in the final quarter when Oakdale High came from behind to take a 55-50 win Tuesday in girls’ basketball action at Winter Gym. Lady Buff junior Audrey Jackson had 21 points in a losing cause.
Los Banos High took advantage of Sierra High mistakes and dealt the host Lady Timberwolves a 46-23 loss Tuesday night. The Lady Tigers ran away from SHS with a 19-5 third quarter to turn the game into a rout. The young T’wolves had 26 turnovers in the game. Christi Goodhart finished with seven points to lead the Sierra scoring.
The East Union High girls revved it up and raced past Manteca High 56-40 at Dalben Center Tuesday night. Lady Lancer sophomore Cynthia Mathews led all scorers with 17 points. Tina Simoni added 13 points to the winning total. Atari Watkins paced the 14-13 Lady Buffs with 10 points.
The spring sports season began Tuesday as the rebuilding East Union High golf team edged Downey High 219-220 on the Creekside course in Modesto. Stan Mathews, the only returning golfer among the Lancers’ top five from last year, fired a one-over-par 37 to lead EU.
10 years ago: February 16, 2006 – East Union High’s Eric Brown had himself a remarkable Senior Night Wednesday. The Lancers’ senior guard dropped 29 points against Buhach Colony High, helping lift EU to a 79-67 victory over the visiting Thunder. Brown didn’t even play during the game’s first quarter. Lancer pressure forced Buhach into 14 turnovers. Jordan McDaniel finished with 12 points in the win.
A pair of free throws by Aaron Gonzalez with 4.3 seconds remaining gave host Sierra High an upset 38-36 Valley Oak League basketball victory over Sonora High last night. Gonzalez led all scorers with 16 points in the game.
The Sierra High girls’ basketball team earned its third straight VOL victory Tuesday, dropping host Sonora High 50-38. Timberwolf Ashley Tugade carried her team on her shoulders during the second half, finishing with 25 points (six 3’s). Tatiana Delafosse added 12 points to her team’s total.
