Halloween night marked the end of the last week of the regular season for Merced County high school football teams. With no tomorrow left for many teams, and postseason seeding looming for those looking to make the playoffs, every team put forth their best effort and the results showed. No team was shut out, and a few teams scored their highest amount of points in weeks. Let’s look at how the Merced County teams ended their regular season.
Pacheco 32, Livingston 22: The Panthers ended their season with a great win over a very tough Livingston squad with postseason ambitions. Pacheco has some explosive pieces on offense, and in this game, they showed up. As a team, the Panthers ran for over 250 yards and scored the most amount of points in a game since week 3. They won their first game of the year and ended the season on a very high note. Livingston, meanwhile, must be disappointed after losing to a formerly winless Panthers squad. The Wolves started league play winning three of four, but now they have dropped their last three, and instead of making the playoffs, they will have to travel to Merced to play El Capitan High in a newly established Sac Joaquin Section bowl game.
Hilmar 33, Ripon 21: The Yellowjackets have proven themselves to be an athletic, aggressive, smart, disciplined, football team. Anyone who plays them knows they’re playing one of the best programs in Merced County. However, it cannot be ignored that this season, against TVL opponents, they have lost some very close games. They needed a win against a difficult Ripon squad to avoid finishing below .500 in league play. Ripon played Hilmar tough and ended up capturing a 14-9 lead with two minutes left in the half. As soon as Hilmar got the ball back, they rallied downfield to get a field goal before the half. In the third quarter, Hilmar came out hot, taking the lead and extending it in the fourth quarter behind a dominant rushing attack led by Cohen Felber, who finished with 3 rushing touchdowns. The Yellowjackets proved they can play with anyone this season and should be in a good position to make a postseason run as the #2 seed hosting Rio Linda on November 14.
Stone Ridge Christian 24 San Rafael 13: The Knights played a nonleague opponent in a final tune up before postseason play. Once again, the Knights played a physical, aggressive and disciplined game leading to another solid victory. SRC finished the season in a three-way tie for first place in their league. The Knights play a very impressive brand of football. They seem to define the “never give up” mentality and it shows in the way they persevere through games. Combine that with some exceptional athletes, like quarterback Marcus Gray and running back Daijon O’Neil, and you should have yourself a legitimate section contender this postseason.
Delhi 16, Gustine 12: This was a thrilling game to watch between two teams that were very closely matched. Both teams featured a heavy rushing attack. Gustine looked explosive with a 90-yard touchdown run to take the lead before halftime, but Delhi turned to the pass when they needed to, and it paid off. Delhi’s Ivan Rhodes ended up with two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Late in the 4th quarter, Delhi also got a safety, and on the ensuing possession, fumbled the ball to Gustine, giving Gustine a final chance to win it with time dwindling. However, Delhi was able to force an interception, and won the game, ending their 7-game losing streak. Next week, Delhi will host Brett Hart High in a bowl game that should be an interesting week 1 rematch. Gustine, on the other hand, will travel to Pacheco. What a great week for bowl games!
Merced 49, Buhach Colony 6: The Bears continued their mauling of the CCC with another big victory over their final CCC opponent. Bears quarterback Vicente Cortez threw for multiple touchdowns in the first half and ran for another one while the defense created all sorts of turnovers including a fumble returned for a touchdown by Tyson Espinosa. By the time the Thunder got on the scoreboard, the game was out of reach. Merced will head into the Division III playoffs as a #3 seed and host Vanden High at Cathie Hostetler Stadium on November 14th.
Golden Valley 32, El Capitan 16: Golden Valley running back Isaiah Welch showed up in a big way on Halloween night. He ran for three touchdowns and returned a fumble for a touchdown on the first offensive play for El Capitan. The Gauchos, on the other hand, scored two touchdowns from wide receiver Anthony Jones, which included a beautiful one-handed 78-yard touchdown grab. However, their inability to score points in the redzone allowed Golden Valley to secure the game in the fourth quarter. Golden Valley stopped El Capitan on fourth down three times, twice inside the redzone. Next week, the Cougars will travel to Enoch, and El Capitan will host Livingston in a pair of newly formed bowl games.
Atwater 35, Los Banos 34: The Falcons at Tigers may have been the most exciting game of the week in Merced County. Los Banos’ playmakers Gavin Blackwood-Estrada and Carmello Smith came to play, connecting for two touchdowns. Blackwood-Estrada threw 4 total touchdowns and ran in another one. For most of the game, Los Banos looked like they were in control. However, Atwater did just enough to hang around. Quarterback Ali Banks kept his team in the game, scoring every time he needed to. When the Falcons were down 21-7 at the beginning of the third quarter, Banks’ 46-yard sprint to the endzone energized the Falcons’ sideline. That didn’t stop Los Banos from scoring on their next possession to maintain a two touchdown lead 27-13. However, Banks found a Falcon receiver for a 31-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 27-21. Blackwood-Estrada threw another touchdown before the end of the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter, the Falcon defense stepped up and kept the Tigers out the endzone while Banks rallied his team from a two-touchdown deficit. The Falcons took the lead late in the game, which gave the Tigers one more chance to retake the lead before the end of the fourth quarter. However, it was not meant to be for the Tigers on Halloween Night as the Falcons escaped with the victory. Next week, Los Banos will play Patterson in a bowl game while Atwater hosts its own bowl game against Grace Davis.
Mariposa County 56, Le Grand 34: The Grizzles gave the Bulldogs all they could handle on Friday night. Le Grand has an offense that is consistent, fast, efficient, and can score on anyone. However, the Grizzles showcased too much power for Le Grand to stop. Le Grand fought tough most of the game, but in the end, Mariposa County defeated them by a comfortable margin and played themselves into a three-way tie for first place in their league. Both Le Grand and Mariposa County qualified for the Sac Joaquin Division VII playoffs, which means these teams may play each other yet again if they can make it through the first round. Le Grand travels to Calaveras High for the first round of the playoffs on November 14th.
Escalon 42, Orestimba 28: The Warriors may have lost to Escalon to end their season, but they have a lot to be excited about after showcasing their ability to score against a very tough Escalon opponent. This was the most points Orestimba had scored in a game since week 4. The offense consistently moved the ball through the air against a team bound for the playoffs. This game demonstrated that Orestimba has pieces in place to build on for next season.
Coalinga 35, Dos Palos 13: The Broncos had been one of the hottest teams in the area, storming through their league with four straight wins and none of those games within one touchdown. However, Coalinga was also undefeated and also dispatched their league opponents in dominant fashion. Therefore, it was a surprise for the Broncos to see themselves become dispatched in similar fashion. The athletes for Coalinga played at a speed the Broncos simply couldn’t keep up with. Dos Palos was shut out on the first half and eventually found a way to put up some points, but by then, Coalinga was rolling and Dos Palos could do nothing to slow them down. The Broncos must be disappointed with the way this one turned out, but they still have the postseason to look forward to. They’ll look to put this loss behind them as they advance to the postseason and travel to Santa Ynez next week.
Now that the regular season has concluded, most teams will move on to postseason playoffs and bowl games. What a great season it was for Merced County high school football. Now, let’s see how the county squares off against section competition.
