Sixty years ago, on September 7, 1953, over 40 candidates were present when Coaches Pete Denevi and Jack Caruso called the first practice for the Manteca High Buffaloes. With only three weeks of practice ahead of them before the first game, the Buffaloes were put right to work to get into condition. With the loss of 16 lettermen from last year’s squad, the coaches have their job cut out for them. There are 16 candidates working to win a starting job in the backfield and all four positions are open as last year’s entire backfield was lost through graduation.

In other sports stories from the Bulletin files:

10 years ago: September 1 7, 2003 – Coach Greg Wilson’s Sierra High golf team beat East Union High 285-308 Tuesday on the Manteca Park course. Casey Heupel led the Timberwolves with a 47, while EU’s Tara Burlingame was not far behind with a 50.

The undefeated Oakdale High soccer team used a hotly-debated goal with four minutes remaining to edge Sierra High 3-2 Tuesday afternoon. The T-wolves (7-2-1) were paced by goals from Isais Lopez and Joe Pires.

East Union High won every singles match en route to a 9-6 tennis win over visiting Oakdale High yesterday. One of the deciding matches won by EU was freshman Desiree Haroldsen’s 7-6 (11-9) triumph.

Anthony King’s hat trick led visiting Manteca High to a 3-0 win over Atwater’s Buhach Colony High on Tuesday. Shane Farmer had a strong day in the goal, racking up 15 saves for the Buffaloes.

Ashley Hammarstrom and the Sierra High doubles teams swept past the competition to spearhead the T-wolves’ 13-2 home tennis victory over Manteca High Tuesday.

In an old-fashioned defensive thumping, the Manteca High defense posted a rather slow-paced 20-7 win over host Ceres High Friday night. The stingy Buffalo defense yielded just 35 yards on the ground. Akeem Wade, Manteca’s leading rusher with 115 yards, scored on a 67-yard run, Ronald Hodge tallied a TD on a two-yard run and Sam Miller passed to Bryan Cross for a 16-yard score.

Managing at times to be its own worst enemy, Sierra High’s miscues rubbed out three apparent touchdowns as it dropped a 14-7 decision Friday night to visiting Modesto High at Guss Schmiedt Field. Dave Novak passed three yards to Mark Silva for the T-wolves’ only touchdown.

Missed opportunities proved to be the poison Friday night for East Union High, who dropped their home opener 23-21 to visiting Beyer High at Dino Cunial Field. Nick Turner had 122 yards on 14 carries for the Lancers, including a 50-yard scoring scamper. Dino Zanini caught five passes from quarterback Kevin Renke for 101 yards. “The turnovers were something I didn’t expect,” said EU Coach Mike James, “it should have been our ball game.”

Host Ripon High churned out a three-game sweep (26-24, 25-18, 25-19) over a lackluster Manteca High volleyball team Thursday evening. Trina Texeira headed the Lady Buff attack with six kills and two aces. Stephanie Aschenbrenner handed out 18 assists.

Winning the last three games, the East Union High volleyball team escaped Hilmar High with a 21-25, 22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 15-8 victory over the host Yellowjackets. Sam Wendt again led the charge for the Lady Lancers, tallying 14 kills, 17 digs, four blocks and 17 service points.  

20 years ago: September 14, 1993 – The Manteca High girls’ cross-country team claimed top honors Monday at Durham Ferry Park with a 24-31 victory over the Lady Lancers from East Union High. The EU boys notched a rare win over the short-handed Buffaloes. The win was by default as the Buffs had only three entrants. EUHS, the defending Valley Oak League girls’ champion, was led by Nicole Carter’s 20:54 winning time.

Winning all four doubles matches and getting a three-match sweep by Danielle Eckard, the East Union High tennis team cruised by West High of Tracy 12-3 on Tuesday afternoon in Tracy.

Bear Creek High swept all four doubles matches en route to an 11-4 tennis victory over Manteca High on Tuesday afternoon. The Lady Buffalo netters scored all their points in singles, with Andrea Belluomini picking up a pair of wins.

The Manteca High volleyball team cruised to a victory over Beyer High with relative ease Wednesday night in the Winter Gym. They won by scores of 15-10, 15-6, 15-3. Anna Jackson, a 5-10 junior, had a great match, with seven blocks, five kills and four aces.

The East Union High volleyball team is now a perfect 5-0 after taming the Merced High Bears. The Lady Lancers dominated  15-7, 15-4, 15-1 at Merced on Wednesday. Lisa Noceti had seven kills and Diann Aufdermaur had four kills and four aces for the Lady Lancers.

After jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, the East Union High football team put it on cruise control and went on to wallop Franklin High 41-0 at Magnasco Stadium in Stockton Friday night. Gene Ballardo scored touchdowns on runs of two and five yards and kicked five extra points as Coach Jim Brown played his reserves for more than half the game. The Lancers gained 332 yards total offense against the 22-man Franklin roster. Eric Brandt and Eddie Moreno also tallied TD’s for EU, on runs of 21 and nine yards, respectively. Quarterback Ben Kelley tossed a 13-yard scoring aerial to Chris Reitzel. Don Jaramillo recovered a Yellowjacket fumble in the end zone for the other Lancer score.

30 years ago: September 10, 1983 – Wide receiver Dana Carney caught five passes for 147 yards and two first-quarter touchdowns to lead Manteca High to a 27-7 non-league victory over St. Mary’s High in the home opener at Guss Schmiedt Field. Quarterback Pete Nelson also found Johnny Flores with a six-yard scoring toss and then ran one in himself from two yards out to have a hand in all the Buff scoring. Nelson passed for 214 yards on the night.

After dropping the first game, the East Union High volleyball team roared back to take the next two and gain a non-league victory over Escalon High Tuesday night in Escalon. Coach Jon Olson’s Lady Lancers came out on the short end of an 8-15 score in the first game, but then rebounded with 15-10 and 15-3 triumphs to score their first win of the seasonl. Lori Kooyman led EU as she notched 17 points in the match.

Manteca High’s volleyball team continued on the same road they left off last year when they won the title by downing Oakdale High as VOL competition got under way Thursday night. The scores were 15-8, 15-9 with Teresa DeGroot pacing a great front line.

Manteca High’s tennis team cleaned up on Stagg High in Stockton Wednesday afternoon as they cruised to a 5-0 victory. Ranata Scholl, Katie McKenzie and Leslie Toy were singles winners for the Lady Buffs as the duos of Junior Ruble-Stephanie Flowers and Vickie Evanson-Leslie Gaynor also topped the Delta Queens.

East Union High’s cross-county team wound up with a third-best showing in a three-way meet against St. Mary’s and Edison Highs Wednesday. In the girls’ race, St.Mary’s cleaned up, taking the first five places. Honey Bee McMullin produced EU’s best effort with a sixth-place finish.

East Union High’s Bobby Rusconi broke loose for a 63-yard touchdown ramble in the second quarter and later added another with a 10-yard scamper as the Lancers claimed their first win of the season, thrashing Franklin High 20-6 in a sloppy contest of fumbles and yellow flags. Rusconi had 160 yards on 15 carries. Derek Hall completed 11 of 15 passes for 168 yards, with one touchdown toss to his favorite receiver, Chris Indelicato.

40 years ago: September 12, 1973 – A big, tough opponent awaits the East Union High gridders tonight as they open the prep football season by traveling to Galt to do battle with the red-and-white-clad Warriors. What makes preparation for this game difficult is the now-rare single-wing formation taught by Galt High coach Irv Hatzenbuhler and his assistant, John Giannoni. Only once has EU beaten Galt, and that was back in 1967 when they edged the Warriors, 19-13.

The 1973 prep football season opens tonight for the Manteca High Buffaloes when they travel to Tracy High to renew their 48-year rivalry with the Bulldogs. Manteca coach Walker Vick feels the Buffs have to make a good showing tonight if they are to get off on the right foot this season. Starting at quarterback will be Matt Rouse, who handled the signal calling duties most of last year. Rouse’s statistics were respectable: 44 completions out of 106 passes for nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Gary Shupe and Mark Duncan are counted upon to do much of the rushing, with both boys having quickness and fast acceleration. Shupe also fills in as a punter and both can handle a defensive halfback spot if called upon.

50 years ago: September 12, 1963 – The Manteca Union High School Buffaloes lost seven offensive men from last year’s starting lineup, but the Buffs’ starting lineup against Franklin High tomorrow night will be minus only one letterman. When the Manteca home opener begins at 8 p.m. at Guss Schmiedt Field, only senior end John Hunter will be lacking the experience the other 10 Buffs have. Buff mentor Phil Harmon announced the starting lineup earlier this week and each player is a letterman except Hunter. At the other end will be Lowell Grissom, who was named to the all-VOL squad last season.

100 years ago: September 12, 1913 – The game last Sunday with the Athletics of Stockton was another repetition of Manteca’s supremacy on the diamond. Fox, who pitched for Manteca, fanned 12 men, allowing six hits and one run. Manteca got three runs off Goodwin, the Athletics pitcher. Kurtz got two of the six hits annexed by the local nine.