Fourteen weeks have come and gone in the local prep football season, and two local teams — Turlock and Hughson — remain alive and in contention for Sac-Joaquin Section titles in their respective divisions after securing exciting wins on Friday. Meanwhile, players from Denair and Hilmar have returned their gear as their seasons came to an end.
For the two teams still alive, there’s a lot to unpack when considering how they match up with their respective opponents. Let’s get into it.
Turlock looks to finally conquer Oak Ridge
For the third consecutive year, the Bulldogs of Turlock High will be taking the nearly three-hour drive into El Dorado Hills to face their boogeyman, Oak Ridge. The contest comes a week after the No. 6 Bulldogs knocked off nearby, third-seeded Central Catholic in a 43-42 overtime thriller.
Turlock fans have probably heard enough about the Trojans for the past decade, as they have eliminated the Bulldogs in 2018 (27-9), 2019 (24-14), 2022 (24-0) and 2023 (45-6).
Immediately following last year’s loss, head coach James Peterson admitted that the long, crammed bus rides and the freezing temperatures of El Dorado Hills “takes a lot out of you.” The time of the trip will be the same. Peterson said he expects their buses to leave the Turlock High campus at 2 p.m., which would give them enough time to suit up in the locker room, and be out on the field for warmups by 6 p.m., an hour prior to kickoff.
But there will be a different element that the Bulldogs will have to grapple with. The forecast shows that Friday’s game will be played in heavy rain and 12 mile-per-hour winds. While the No. 2 Trojans (7-4) have already played a game in wet conditions this year, a 17-6 win on the road against reigning D-2 champion Rocklin, the Bulldogs (9-3) have played on dry fields the entire year.
Before there was any thought of rain, the question facing the Bulldogs was whether they’d be able to have that same explosiveness they’ve displayed the entire season against one of the best defenses in the region.
Through 12 games, the pass-heavy Turlock offense, led by freshman quarterback Scout Silva and his plethora of athletic wideouts like Junior Silva, Landyn Fitzgerald, Joseph Delte and Leo Contreras, has averaged nearly 21 points. Meanwhile, the Trojans defense has forced 13 interceptions, seven fumbles and have scored five touchdowns.
Speaking of Rocklin, the program is one of two opponents that Turlock and Oak Ridge have shared this season. The Bulldogs hosted the Thunder in the season-opener, losing 41-28. The other is top-seeded Folsom, who are two wins away from a section four-peat. Turlock lost to the powerhouse 56-14 on Sept. 13. As for the Trojans, despite losing to their Sierra Foothill League rivals 35-7, they held Folsom to its second-lowest point total this season.
Turlock’s defense is darn good, too. Before surrendering 42 points to Central Catholic last week, the Bulldogs allowed just 156.4 yards and 5.2 points per game, both Central California Athletic League records.
Will it be enough to hold an Oak Ridge offense that has put up even better numbers?
Oak Ridge is also pass-heavy, having racked up 2,152 yards through the air, mostly between senior quarterbacks Joaquin Graves-Mercado and Phoenix Hester. It’s helped them put up a whopping 30.7 points per game.
It’s for these reasons that CalPreps.com favors the Trojans by 11 points on Friday night, giving them a 75% chance of victory. Being an underdog is nothing new for Turlock, who were also projected to lose to Central Catholic and, in the regular season, Downey. But as I said last week, games aren’t played on paper. Don’t be shocked if the Bulldogs pull off a shocker.
Hughson takes on second straight SVC opponent
The Huskies of Hughson High are hoping that any cobwebs they had left on themselves from their quarterfinal match with the Sierra Valley Conference’s El Dorado (Placerville) have been shaken off, as they face a tough test in Union Mine on Friday in the Division 5 bracket.
The 9-2 Diamondbacks, who are from, you guessed it, the city of El Dorado, also hail from the SVC. Because of that, the top-seeded Huskies (11-0) won’t have to look too far back to see how they may match up with their latest opponent.
On Nov. 1, Union Mine dismantled El Dorado 48-7 in each team’s regular season finale. The Diamondbacks, who average 32.5 points per game, earned their trip to Husky Memorial Stadium by outlasting Casa Roble in a 55-41 shootout.
But if you don’t know by now, the Huskies are just as if not more explosive than anybody in the section. Their offense is littered with collegiate-level talent, whether it’s senior quarterback ad Arizona-commit Robert McDaniel, Air Force-bound tight end Max Mankins, Washington State-offered receiver Bryce McDaniel, a wideout in Malakai Sumter who has also garnered interest from D-1 programs, or the hard-nosed junior running back Eli Wilbanks. It doesn’t matter if they go into a game looking to pound the rock or air it out, these guys can score in a hurry.
This season, Hughson averaged 33.7 points per game. It doesn’t seem like much of a difference from Union Mine, but remind you, the Huskies play in the Trans-Valley League, one of the toughest small-school leagues in the state. They are battle-tested and looking to send off their stellar seniors with their third straight blue banner after claiming the section’s D-6 titles in each of the last two years.
The Huskies, coached by Shaun King, have an 87% chance of winning, per CalPreps. The website also favors the boys in black by 17 points.
