As the season progresses in Merced County, paths are forged, and coaches have stresses. Athletes toil through pain and mistakes. Some will finish last, and some will finish first place, but everyone grows before it’s too late. Let’s take a look at how the teams in Merced County did in week 8:
Livingston 34, Central Valley 20: The Wolves traveled to Ceres and overpowered a Central Valley team that had won their previous two games and looked to be on the rise. Livingston has been impressive since league play started. They are 3-4 overall, but 3-1 in league. That’s what preseason is all about, sharpening up for league. The matchup for Livingston gets tougher in week 9. They will travel to Lathrop to take on the 6-0 Spartans in what may be a battle for first place in their league.
Atwater 49, El Capitan 41: The stars came out to play in this game. Atwater’s explosive quarterback Ali Banks threw for three touchdown passes and ran for an impressive touchdown himself. Meanwhile, Gauchos running back Lorenzo Peters scored four rushing touchdowns of his own. Both teams had 20 points by the end of the first quarter. By the end of the third quarter, however, the score was 49-20 in Atwater’s favor. But the Gauchos rallied in the fourth quarter and almost had a chance to take the lead, yet in the end, the Falcons outflew them. Atwater is now 2-1 in the CCC and will host Golden Valley in week 9 while the Gauchos prepare to host Merced.
Merced 37, Los Banos 21: The Tigers played Merced tough for most of this game. The score was 0-0 after the first quarter, and 14-6 at halftime. However, the third quarter is when Merced usually turns on the gas. The Bears tried to run away from the Tigers in the third quarter with two quick touchdowns from Christian Jackson and Cammarri Jackson, but in the fourth quarter, Los Banos rallied and brought the game within one touchdown: 28-21. Merced added another rushing touchdown from Vicente Cortez and a safety from their defense. That was enough to keep the Bears’ undefeated record intact. In week 9, Los Banos will try again at home when they host Buhach Colony.
Stone Ridge Christian 22, Le Grand 21: Le Grand High was the place to be for what was probably the best game in Merced County in week 9. Stone Ridge took the early lead before Le Grand quarterback Diego Martinez found his receiver Blake Lua and tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter. SRC’s quarterback, Marcus Gray, however, had quite a game of his own. He gave the Knights the lead on their next possession with a powerful dash to the endzone. In the second half, the Bulldogs rallied with a touchdown run by Martinez that tied the game: 14-14. The game stayed tied until late in the fourth quarter when Martinez found Lua again for a 68 yard gain that set the Bulldogs up inside the redzone. Running back Thomas Benting gave the Bulldogs the lead on a 14-yard touchdown run with a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter. However, Stone Ridge executed a beautiful hurry-up offense that ended with Gray finding Daijon O’Neil for a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Knights weren’t done there. Unwilling to risk overtime, SRC lined up to go for two and handed it to O’Neil to finish what he stared. He slammed into the endzone for the 2-point conversion with 45 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulldogs were stunned and the Knights rejoiced. In week 9 Stone Ridge returns home to take on undefeated Mariposa County in what will probably be a battle for first place in their league. Le Grand stays home to host Gustine.
Golden Valley 20, Buhach Colony 19: The Thunder came to Golden Valley High School fresh off a Bloss Bowl victory, but Golden Valley, eager to get their first win of the season, came out fired up and ready to play. The two squads exchanged touchdowns in the first half before a touchdown pass late in the second quarter gave Buhach the lead before halftime: 13-7. In the second half, Cougars running backs Jaren Bell and Isaiah Welch added a pair of touchdowns that gave Golden Valley the lead in the fourth quarter. Buhach had a chance to win it with a field goal but came up just a bit short. Golden Valley won their first game of the season. They will travel to Atwater in week 9 to take on the Falcons.
Dos Palos 36, Mendota 14: The Broncos continue to impress with their second league win. After starting the season 2-3, they have really picked things up. They’ve handled both league opponents they’ve faced by a comfortable margin, and now they sit tied for first place in the West Sierra League. In this game, the running attack allowed the Broncos to jump out in front. Broncos running back Andre Flores had three rushing touchdowns before Mendota even got on the board. Mendota tried to stick around, but they couldn’t stop the powerful Broncos offense from pulling away. In week 9, Dos Palos will travel to Tranquility to take on Tranquility High.
Hilmar 41, Orestimba 0: Hilmar has been a bit inconsistent as the season has progressed. They started out very strong with victories against tough opponents like Atwater and Ripon Christian, but after that, they dropped two in a row to top-tier league opponents Escalon and Sonora. This game, they were able to find their stride and get back on track in dominant fashion. Orestimba, meanwhile, has struggled since beginning league play. In three games they have yet to score a point. They currently are in last place in the Trans Valley League. If they want out of last place, they will need to find a way to travel to Hughson and upset the Huskies in week 9. Hilmar goes on a bye week in week 9 before traveling to Hughson for their own Huskies showdown.
Ceres 21, Pacheco 15: The Panthers’ struggles continued against Ceres in week 8. Although Pacheco has been competitive, and a few times they’ve come close, they just haven’t been able to finish a game with a victory this season. In this game, they fell behind early but rallied in the fourth quarter and almost pulled it off. Once again, they came up just a bit shy. In week 9, Pacheco travels to Modesto to take on Beyer, who is 2-5 and currently without a league win. This may be the Panthers’ best remaining shot to get a win.
Waterford 35, Gustine 6: Gustine High has also struggled to find their first league win. They began league play against the best the Southern Athletic League currently has to offer, Mariposa County and Denair, but they scored more points in those games than they did in this one. Waterford was able to take the lead early and never let up. Gustine was unable to get much going after the first quarter and ended up losing their fourth straight. In week 9, Gustine travels to Le Grand to battle the Bulldogs.
The season continues to intensify for Merced County teams as week 9 approaches. Does Stone Ridge have enough to topple first place Mariposa County? Will Livingston take down league leading Lathrop? Can anybody stop Merced? As teams try to play their best ball to end the season, the game reminds us all what makes Merced County football so great.
