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PREP FOOTBALL PREVIEW: Turlock faces section runner-up Central this Friday; Pitman faces huge test against Hughson
football

Turlock High, coming off a big win against Tracy in the Battle for the Bone, will look to avenge at 2023 loss to Central (Fresno) this Friday night at Joe Debely Stadium.

Central defeated the Bulldogs 21-18 last season and ended up reaching the Central Section Division 1 championship game, losing 24-14 to Clovis North (which ended up losing 41-0 to De La Salle in the NorCal regional).

The Grizzlies are 2-0 this year with a 40-0 win over Garza (Fresno) and a 49-21 victory over Davis (Anchorage, Alaska).

The Bulldogs will be aiming to stop Central’s high-powered spread offense, led by sophomore quarterback Jelani Dippel, who has completed 44 of 61 passes this season (.721) for 587 yards and eight TDs. Dippel has an array of receivers from which to choose, including Bayon Harris (10 receptions, 199 yards, 3 TDs), Daylon Scott (9/129/3), E.J. Morgan (9/86/1), and Zeb White (8/96).

The running game is led by 6-0, 190-pound junior Brandon Smith, who is already amassed 267 yards and three touchdowns on just 23 attempts this season.

Defensively, senior linebacker Marcus Nolen is the one to watch. The 6-3, 210-pounder has 25 tackles in the two games. He has committed to play baseball at Fresno State.

A handful of Grizzlies will not see action this week, sitting out because of suspensions handed down from an on-field altercation during Week 1.

Pitman (0-2) at Hughson (2-0), 7 p.m. — The Pride is searching for its initial victory of the 2024 campaign and, well, it’s a long shot that it comes this week against the two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section champion Huskies.

Pitman made improvement last week, narrowly losing to Cosumnes Oaks 27-24. But the Pride’s first loss of the season was a 27-0 blanking at the hands of Central Valley (Ceres), a team that Hughson handled last week 42-0.

Denair (0-2) at Bret Harte (0-2), 7 p.m. — The Coyotes will make the trip to Angels Camps to face another Mother Lode League foe as they search for their first win of the season. Denair narrowly lost to Big Valley Christian (Modesto), 36-30, in Week 1, but was handled by MLL member Summerville (Tuolumne), 38-0, in Week 2. Bret Harte, meanwhile, was dominated 50-0 by Golden Sierra (Garden Valley) in Week 1, then made things close in a 21-14 loss to Franklin (Stockton) last Friday night.

California School for the Deaf (0-1) at Turlock Christian (0-1), 5 p.m. — The TC Eagles will entertain the Eagles from Fremont in a battle of eight-man squads searching for their first win.

Turlock Christian fell 40-20 to Cuyama Valley (New Cuyama) last week, while CSD lost 62-28 at Fresno Christian.

Hilmar (1-1) — Following a narrow 19-14 defeat to Grace Davis (Modesto) to start the season, the Yellowjackets evened their record with a narrow 21-20 victory over Los Banos at McSweeney Field. Hilmar has a bye this week before facing Atwater on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. The Yellowjackets are hoping to have star Caden Bailey (hamstring) back in time to face the Falcons.