If you’ve been to a few games around the county recently, or you know about the local high school traditions, you’re probably aware that it’s homecoming season for local high schools. The next few weeks are sure to feature parades, fireworks and crownings. So, let’s take a ride on the Merced County bandwagon as we look at the scores across the county:
Livingston 31, Beyer 14: Beyer took the early lead in this one, but just before the half ended, the Wolves came alive as if to set the stage for the soon to be crowned homecoming royalty. Quarterback #5 Roberto Rivera tied the game before halftime 14-14 with a touchdown run. In the third quarter, the Wolves defense held the Patriots, setting the Livingston offense up with excellent field position. Running back #6 Mathias Valencia stormed his way downfield before eventually scoring a touchdown run to give the Wolves the lead. The defense shut out Beyer in the second half, and the Wolves howled the night away for the new Homecoming Royalty.
Merced 56, Enoch 12: The hottest team in Merced County seems to look better every week. Many have tried, but none have been able to slow the orange wave of Vicente Cortez, Cammarri Jackson, and Hayden Czirban. These athletes are as reliable as a sundial. Enoch took a quick 6-0 lead over the Bears before Merced got the ball and clawed their way downfield the rest of the night. Merced, once again, had multiple athletes with multiple touchdowns as they added another (e)notch to their belt. In week 7, they kick off CCC play against Golden Valley for the Mayor’s Cup.
Le Grand 21, Waterford 14: Speaking of hot teams in Merced County, the Le Grand Bulldogs have won 3 in a row after traveling to Waterford and defeating the Wildcats. They are now 4-1 on the season and look like contenders in the Southern Athletic League. Their freshman running back #20 Thomas Benting ran for 148 yards against the Wildcats and has greatly energized the Bulldogs offense. Week 7 will be a real challenge for the Bulldogs; they travel to Denair to take on the red hot 5-1 Coyotes.
Stone Ridge Christian 42, Delhi 0: Coming off a frustrating loss to league opponent Denair, Stone Ridge needed a win over Delhi to draw even in league play at 1-1. Stone Ridge’s powerful offense went back to work against an overmatched Delhi team that has struggled to score points and has now lost four in a row. In week 7 Stone Ridge will return home to face Waterford while Delhi continues its homestand against Mariposa County.
Central Valley 28 Pacheco 20: The Panthers put up a valiant effort against a rebuilding Central Valley team. Pacheco took the lead before the first quarter ended and was up by an extra point going into halftime 7-6. They extended their lead in the third quarter to 14-6, but after that, Central Valley rallied with back-to-back touchdown drives and went ahead 21-14. The Panthers was unable to recapture the lead and ended up losing their fifth straight. The winless Panthers will need to try again in week 7 when they return home for another league matchup against Johansen.
Escalon 27 Hilmar 9: Whoa! This was a big-league victory for Escalon. Hilmar has been heating up the past two weeks with a boiling hot rushing attack. However, a trip to Escalon cooled the Yellowjackets down to a small simmer. The Cougars took the lead in the first half and maintained it with just enough offense to hold off Hilmar. Hilmar struggled to get the ground game going and ended up falling to 4-2 on the season. The Yellowjackets are a resilient group, and that resiliency will be tested, once again, in week 7 when they take on 6-0 Sonora.
Immanuel 44, El Capitan 20: The Gauchos have fallen to 3-2 after losing by their largest margin of the season to Immanuel. El Capitan had no answer for the aerial attack of Immanuel. The Eagles’ offense threw four touchdown passes against a struggling Gauchos secondary. The Gauchos have routinely played from behind throughout the season and that trend continued in this one. Immanuel took a 14-0 lead in the first half and never let up. El Capitan kept things close for two quarters, but in the end, the high-flying eagles were too much for the Gauchos. In week 7, El Capitan returns home where they’ll host Los Banos for their Homecoming.
Denair 42, Gustine 14: The Big Red Gustine Machine had some trouble getting started in week 6. Denair has proven themselves to be a real contender in the Southern Athletic League after defeating Stone Ridge last week. In week 6, the Coyotes continued crushing league opponents by easily wrapping up Gustine. Meanwhile, the Reds have now lost three in a row, including back-to-back league games, as they head into their bye week. They will need to readjust their game plan before taking on Waterford in week 8 if they have any hopes of postseason play.
Sonora 56, Orestimba 0: Last week, the Warriors were riding high after a homecoming shootout that left them victorious. In week 6, however, they stayed home to host undefeated Sonora and things went very differently. To be fair, no one has been able to stop Sonora all season. They look like the TVL favorite so far. In this game, they had no trouble defeating Orestimba with an abusing ground game that kept the Warriors guessing all night. The Warriors will try to rebound in week 7 when they hit the road to take on another difficult TVL opponent, 4-1 Ripon.
The end of week 6 wraps up September for Merced County Football. As the leaves change color, the temperature slightly drops, and the sun sets a little earlier, league play is now in full swing, and the stakes are only getting higher. Week 7 begins league play for the CCC which will include the Mayor’s Cup in Merced and the Bloss Bowl in Atwater. Meanwhile, Hilmar will host Sonora while Le Grand takes on Denair.
