Battles for the lead, and other key games with major playoff implications, dot the landscape of the Sac-Joaquin Section this week. And don't forget to also check out our NorCal Games of the Week feature, which highlights the top game to watch from each section.
Monterey Trail (5-2, 2-2 Delta) at Elk Grove (6-1, 3-1) Friday, 7:15 pm
Monterey Trail's 29-23 loss to Grant last week pushed them out of a tie for first place in the Delta League but they have an opportunity on Friday to regain some control with a victory over the Thundering Herd.
But that won’t be easy. Aside from a surprising two-point loss to Davis four weeks ago, Elk Grove has dominated its opponents. Quarterback Jayden Machado leads the league with 15 touchdown passes and 1059 passing yards while his teammate and passing buddy Gavin Reinwald has caught seven of those touchdowns and is tied for the most touchdown receptions with Grant’s Lawrence Hardy.
The Mustangs answer will most likely be dual-threat quarterback Robert Holt. Holt struggled throwing the ball last week against Grant’s stifling defense, completing only three passes out of ten, but he continued to prevail on the ground with 161 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
“Holt is as big a playmaker as they’ve ever had at quarterback,” Elk Grove coach Chris Hixon said. “We’re very impressed with his ability to run an already explosive offense. He’s won games with his feet and his arm.”
Whitney (6-1, 4-0 CVC) at Roseville (6-1, 3-1) Friday, 7:00 pm
Roseville’s loss to Antelope (7-0) two weeks ago has turned the Capital Valley Conference into a two-horse race between Whitney and Antelope but the Tigers can still create some chaos with a win over Whitney.
After being routed by Antelope 42-7, the Tigers responded with their own 57-0 blowout of Bella Vista (0-7) last week. Running back Brendan McMinn had a slow day with 69 yards rushing but still scored two touchdowns. If not for the electrifying Elijah Dotson, McMinn’s 13 rushing touchdowns and 610 rushing yards would be tops in the league.
On the other side of the field, the Wildcats have thrived behind a strong passing game led by Jake Cruz. Cruz’s 1658 passing yards leads the league and is good for the ninth most in the entire section. Three receivers have over 400 yards but the biggest beneficiary is junior Justin Kraft. Kraft’s 918 receiving yards are third best in the section.
Amador (6-1, 3-1 MLL) at Calaveras (6-1, 2-1) Friday, 7:00 pm
With Sonora in tight control of first place and wins over both Amador and Calaveras, both teams are still fighting for control of second-place in the MLL. Just how close are these teams? Bret Harte (4-3) might have the answer.
Calaveras beat Bret Harte 27-26 two weeks ago while the Buffaloes pulled out a tight 8-6 win last week against the same team. With two such close wins, who has the advantage? That might be Calaveras, home of of the league’s leading rusher Noah Preuss. Ranked 15th in the section in rushing yards, the Buffaloes will have a lot to worry about on defense when Preuss gets the ball.
The Buffaloes struggled mightily on offense last week. Their lone touchdown didn’t even come from scrimmage, it was from a kickoff return by Andrew Keeter. But that game score might be a fluke since they’ve averaged over 40 points a game the previous six weeks.
Grant (6-1, 3-1 Delta) at Sheldon (5-2, 2-2) Friday, 7:15 pm
In a five-way tie for first place in the Delta League, the Pacers needed their defense more than ever against Monterey Trail last week and they answered the call, twice. Leading by only six points in the fourth quarter, the Pacers defense stopped not one, but two goal line drives to ice the game at 29-23.
While not as close, the Huskies pulled off their own heroics in a 43-32 victory over Jesuit (4-3). With 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, two-way player Graylon Lindsey picked off Jesuit and ran 79 yards for the game sealing pick-6.
The Huskies biggest challenge will be stopping Pacers running back Tyree Marcelle who has amassed 1046 yards rushing, only 12 yards behind the league leader Ismael Perez. Marcelle churned out 122 yards on 14 carries along with two touchdowns last week and doesn’t look to be slowing down.
Vacaville (5-2, 2-0 MEL) vs Napa (4-3, 2-0) Friday, 7:30 pm
The Monticello Empire League could potentially crown its champion this week when the Indians and Bulldogs face off. Both teams have established themselves head and shoulders over the rest of the league with the exception of maybe Vintage (3-4).
The Indians will take cruise control off this week after routing Wood (4-3) 42-6 and Rodriguez (0-7) 48-0. Quarterback Austin Spinelli heated up the past two weeks, tossing three touchdowns against Rodriguez and running for three more touchdowns against Wood.
Vacaville is also on a two-game winning streak but had a tougher time finishing off Vintage last week in 29-20. Four different Bulldogs scored a touchdown while the defense accumulated seven sacks. But for the first time this year, the Bulldogs failed to gain 200 yards rushing after averaging 345 yards the six weeks prior.
BEST OF THE REST
Modesto (6-1, 3-0 MMC) at Downey (6-2, 4-0) Friday, 7:00 pm
For the 62nd time, Modesto and Downey will face off in the city's oldest rivalry. Once again it could decide first and second place in the Modesto Metro Conference. Modesto hasn’t scored under 30 points all year while Downey has only allowed one 30-point game in a loss to the Lincoln Trojans.
Knights quarterback Brett Neves threw four touchdowns last week and has 23 on the season which leads the league. Neves 2,150 passing yards is over 1,000 more than the next quarterback in the league.
Merced (5-2, 2-1 CCC) at Buhach Colony (4-4, 2-2) Friday, 7 pm
Buhach Colony suffered a 47-7 loss to Pitman (7-0) while Merced kept steady in third place of the Central California Conference by tearing apart El Capitan (2-6) 47-7.
Coming off back-to-back blowout victories, Bears running Ulonzo Gilliam Jr. remains the team's most consistent back as he rushed for another 100 yards and one touchdown last week. Two weeks ago he ran all over Atwater for four touchdowns.
Alejandro Andrade leads Buhach Colony with 594 rushing yards but the Thunders running back by committee approach has managed to produce 2129 yards on the ground.
Central Valley (6-1, 2-0 WAC) at Pacheco (4-3, 2-0) Friday, 7 pm
With a win over the Panthers, Central Valley would solidify its first place ranking in the Western Athletic Conference, while knocking off its closest competition.
After losing three of their first four games, the Panthers are on a three-game winning streak and running back Tk Teneng has been the team’s driving force. Teneng has rushed for 479 yards and seven touchdowns off just 46 carries in the past three weeks.
The Hawks have won five in a row but had their closest win last week against Los Banos (4-3) in a 16-8 battle. Hawks running back Jonathan Barragan went over 100 yards rushing four the fourth consecutive week but teammate Willie Soriano dealt the most damage with two rushing touchdowns.
