Now that week 7 is in the books and the calendar has hit October, teams everywhere are facing the final stretch of their regular season. As the weather cools, the race to the top just gets hotter with only four games left. Let’s see who’s getting ahead in this race after an intense week 7.
Merced 51, Golden Valley 6: The Bears devoured a struggling Golden Valley team to keep the Mayor’s Cup and improve to an impressive 6-0 record. Merced’s many playmakers were too much for Golden Valley to handle. # 0 Cammarri Jackson scored the Bears first and last touchdowns while also recording a sack and an interception. Bears running backs #6 Douglas Andrews and #22 Anthony Tachiera both ran for two touchdowns as well. In week 9, the Bears go to Los Banos to face the Tigers while Golden Valley returns home to host a revitalized Buhach Colony.
Stone Ridge Christian 48, Waterford 16: The Knights rebounded well on a festive homecoming night, dismantling the Wildcats in decisive fashion. After last week’s tough loss to Denair, Stone Ridge made a statement by handling the Wildcats from start to finish. Stone Ridge is now 2-1 in league play. In week 9, they will travel to Le Grand to take on a Bulldog team with an identical 2-1 league record. The matchup looks very intriguing.
Buhach 42, Atwater 40: If there was a game to be at in Merced County this week, it was the Bloss Bowl. Atwater came out with their usual high-powered offense. However, each time Atwater scored, Buhach found a way to keep the game close. By halftime, it was 21-20 in Atwater’s favor. In the second half, Buhach’s rushing attack started to wear on Atwater, and by the 4th quarter, it was clear that Buhach was slowly stealing the momentum. In the 4th quarter Thunder running back #6 Blake O’Brien bolted through Atwater with a 74-yard touchdown run that gave them the lead for good. He would later seal the game with a 69-yard dash to the one-yard line. O’Brien finished the game with three rushing touchdowns. Buhach will head to Golden Valley in week 9, while Atwater will try to rebound at home against El Capitan.
Los Banos 42, El Capitan 21: The Tigers gave the Gauchos far more than they could handle as they played visiting spoilers during El Capitan’s homecoming. Tigers quarterback #7 Gavin Blackwood-Estrada had three touchdown passes and a touchdown run. Tigers running back #1 Raul Diaz caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Blackwood-Estrada and ran for two touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown run that sealed the game. Los Banos will return home to take on the undefeated Merced Bears in week 8. El Capitan, meanwhile, has lost two in a row and will head to Atwater to take on the Falcons.
Dos Palos 56, Avenal 0: The Broncos began league play by trampling their opponent. Dos Palos dominated in all three phases of the game. By the end of the first half, Broncos running back #26 Andres Flores scored a rushing touchdown and recovered a blocked punt in the endzone while #16 Jesus Bon scored on a sweep and returned a punt for a touchdown to end the half. There wasn’t much Avenal could do to stop the Broncos stampede. In week 8 Dos Palos will travel to Mendota to play for first place in the West Sierra League.
Sonora 22, Hilmar 21: What a showdown in Hilmar! This was probably the biggest TVL game of the week. Sonora was attempting to keep their undefeated streak going and Hilmar needed a win after losing in disappointing fashion in week 7 to league rival Escalon. The Yellowjackets showed up to play and gave Sonora their toughest game of the season. Hilmar even took a lead into halftime. However, the Wildcats made the right adjustments at halftime and kept the Yellowjackets out the endzone. Sonora took the lead late in the game and did just enough to hold off Hilmar. The Yellowjackets are now 1-2 in the TVL and will travel to Orestimba in week 8, a place where they must win if they want back into the hunt.
Grace Davis 24, Livingston 13: The Wolves fought a gallant fight, and even managed to take the lead in the 4th quarter, but Davis found a way to retake the lead and upset Livingston. The win by Davis brings their league record to 2-1, which ties them with Livingston and leaves them both one game behind first place. In week 8, the Wolves travel to Ceres to take on a surging Central Valley squad.
Denair 49, Le Grand 21: The Bulldogs rode a three-game winning streak into Denair and had high hopes of gaining ground in a very competitive Southern Athletic League. However, Denair has been top notch every week, and week 7 was no exception. The game stayed close for the first half, but by the end of the 3rd quarter, the high-powered Coyotes ran away from the Bulldogs, leaving Le Grand with their first league loss of the season. In week 8, the Bulldogs will host Stone Ridge Christian in what is likely to be a great league matchup.
Mariposa County 42, Delhi 13: The Hawks played an undefeated Mariposa County team that currently looks like the best team in the Southern Athletic League. Delhi was unable to keep up with the strength of the Grizzles’ offense and fell to 1-6 on the season. Delhi has a bye week in week 8, which should give them time to readjust before traveling to Waterford where they’ll take on a Wildcat team that’s just lost three in a row. Week 9 may be a good chance for them to get into the win column.
Johansen 24, Pacheco 0: The Panthers troubling season continued in week 7 as they traveled to Johansen where they were promptly shut out by the Vikings. They endured their first shutout loss of the season and fell into a tie with Ceres and Beyer for last place in the Western Athletic Conference. In week 8, Pacheco will return home to take on Ceres in what should be a highly competitive matchup.
Ripon 49, Orestimba 0: The Warriors are struggling to stay competitive in the Trans Valley League this year. They have yet to score a point against their last two league opponents. Defensively, they have allowed their opponents to score at least 30 points in all but one game this season. In week 8, they return home to face a Hilmar team that has lost their last two in a row.
The race for playoffs continues in week 8. Teams that need a win to stay atop their league include Merced, Los Banos, Buhach and Dos Palos. Teams that need a win to keep up with their leagues include El Capitan, Hilmar, Livingston, Stone Ridge, Le Grand, and Atwater. And teams that just plain need a win include Golden Valley, Pacheco, Orestimba, Delhi, and Gustine.
