The legend of Jeremiah Bertalotto continued to grow Friday in Modesto as the speedy Turlock senior ended his regular season with a hat trick, his third game with multiple scores and his fifth consecutive game with a touchdown, as the Bulldogs blasted Enochs 55-14.
Bertalotto’s scores came by way of 14-yard and 33-yard touchdown rushes and a 74-yard kickoff return.
Also finding the end zone was Turlock’s defensive captain Logan Durkee, who brought in a 14-yard pass from quarterback Vincent Gonzales, who also scored from 26 yards out later in the game.
Dayne Hart, Nelson Lozano and Junior Silva contributed to the scoring frenzy, each finding the end zone in the second half.
The win officially clinched the Central California Athletic League title for the Bulldogs, who went 5-0 in league play following an 0-5 preseason. The Bulldogs received a No. 6 ranking in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 playoffs. They will take on No. 11 Sheldon (Sacramento) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Joe Debely Stadium.
The winner of Friday’s matchup will travel to take on No. 3 ranked Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) next week.
For a few moments Friday night, it appeared a highly anticipated Turlock-Central Catholic matchup — the area’s top public and private schools — might materialize in the quarterfinals.
Based on the MaxPreps ratings utilized by the section, Central Catholic appeared destined for the No. 3 slot and one of the byes awarded to the top four seeds.
However, Oak Ridge fell to Rocklin 21-17 in the Sierra Foothill League finale, dropping the Trojans into the No. 3 slot and elevating the Raiders to No. 2.
Central Catholic (8-2), champion of the Valley Oak League, will tangle with the winner of No. 10 Gregori (Modesto) vs. No. 7 Edison (Stockton).
Turlock and Central Catholic could eventually meet if both advance to the semifinals on Nov. 17.
On the other side of the D-1 bracket, No. 1 Folsom (8-2) — its only losses coming to powerful Serra (San Mateo) and De La Salle (Concord) — awaits the winner of No. 9 Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) vs. No. 8 Lincoln (Stockton). The SFL-champion Bulldogs are favored to reach the semifinals and expected to face No. 4 Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), 7-3 and champion of the Metro League. The Mustangs await the winner of No. 12 Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) vs. No. 5 Inderkum (Sacramento).
Going strictly by the seedings, odds favor a Central Catholic-Folsom meeting in the final, which would be a rematch of 2022’s other D-1 semifinal.
According to CalPreps.com, which has an 82.3 percent accuracy rating for California, Turlock has been installed as a 30-point favorite over Sheldon.
The Bulldogs have played two teams this year that impacted the D-1 playoff brackets.
Turlock fell to top-seeded Folsom 49-7 on Sept. 8 at Joe Debely, and lost by four touchdowns in the season opener to Rocklin, the No. 2 seed in the D-2 playoffs and the team that just beat Oak Ridge, the Bulldogs’ probable second-round opponent.
A Turlock-Oak Ridge matchup would mark the fourth time the schools have met (not counting the COVID year) in the past five seasons, with the Trojans winning in 2018 (27-9), 2019 (24-14) and 2022 (24-0).
The Bulldogs also have some recent history with Sheldon, falling to the Huskies 36-22 in the first-round of the 2021 playoffs, and splitting regular-season matchups with them in 2019 and 2018.
Hilmar 48, Modesto Christian 24, at Hilmar — The Yellowjackets had a field day on the ground in wrapping up Trans-Valley League play. Hilmar rushed the ball with 10 different players for a total of 359 yards while only attempting four passes on the night.
Leading the charge was junior Caden Bailey, who racked up a team-leading 142 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Close behind him was senior Logan Cardoso, who ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.
Though the Yellowjackets only threw the ball four times, they were efficient, with junior quarterback Merek Ellerd finding junior wideout John Labno for a 20-yard score. Labno also returned a punt 50 yards for a touchdown.
The win pushed Hilmar’s TVL record to 4-1 and their overall record to 7-3. They were given a No. 3 seed in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 playoffs, which means they have a first-round bye this week. Next week, they will play the winner of No. 11 Ceres at No. 6 Pioneer (Woodland).
The Yellowjackets last won the D-5 title in 2021 after reaching the D-6 final three consecutive years (2017-19) and winning twice.
Hilmar’s path to this year’s final likely will go through 9-1 Casa Roble (Orangevale), the No. 2 seed that awaits the winner of No. 10 Foothill (Sacramento) vs. No. 7 Lathrop.
The other half of the bracket features No. 1 Twelve Bridges (Lincoln) and No. 4 Los Banos.
The top-seeded Raging Rhinos will take on the winner of No. 9 Dixon vs. No. 8 Rosemont (Sacramento), while the third-seeded Tigers, 9-1 and champions of the Western Athletic Conference, get the winner of No. 12 Mesa Verde (Citrus Heights) vs. No. 5 Center (Antelope).
Hughson 55, Ripon 26, at Ripon — Huskies quarterback Robert McDaniel had a heck of a month on a Friday night in Stouffer Field.
The 6-1, 195-pound senior completed 26 of 38 passes for 470 yards and seven touchdowns, pushing his season totals to 2,138 yards with 25 touchdowns (against just three interceptions).
Larkin Meyer was his favorite target Friday. The duo hooked up on eight completions for 188 yards.
The defending section, NorCal and state champion Huskies drew the No. 4 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Division 6 bracket and await the winner of No. 12 Amador (Sutter Creek) vs. No. 5 Colfax.
Should the Huskies (7-3) reach the Nov. 17 semifinal, they’d likely face top-seeded Sutter (8-2). The Huskies, champions of the Pioneer Valley League, will meet the winner of No. 9 Bear River (Grass Valley) vs. No. 8 Liberty Ranch (Galt).
On the other side of the D-5 bracket, No. 2 Sonora will face the winner of No. 10 Marysville vs. No. 7 Summerville (Tuolumne), while No. 3 Bradshaw Christian (Stockton) gets the winner of No. 11 Calaveras (San Andreas) vs. No. 7 Union Mine (El Dorado).
Pitman 52, Modesto 13, at Pitman — The Pride ended their 2023 campaign on a high note, exploding for a season-high 52 points in a rout of the Panthers.
Pitman senior running back Matthew Burciaga gained 142 yards and scored four touchdowns on just 13 carries.
Through the air, senior quarterback Andrew Azevedo completed 10 of 14 attempts for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Pride. The night was highlighted by a 97-yard touchdown from Azevedo to sophomore Lawson Aviles. Azevedo also connected with senior Adam Quezada for a 44-yard score.
