Hilmar 31, Ripon Christian 21, at Ripon Christian

Hilmar held off a late Ripon Christian rally to win their TVL opener by a 31-21 score.

Caden Bailey gave the Yellowjackets an early 7-0 lead after a 7-yard touchdown run in is second game back from a lingering hamstring injury. Jacob Sward, who kicked a game-winning field goal  against Atwater last week, extended their lead to 10-0 with an early second quarter field goal. After an RC score with three minutes to play in the half, John Labno hauled in a 19-yard pass from Merek Ellerd to make it a 17-7 game. Bailey opened the second-half with an 8-yard touchdown run.

In the fourth frame, the Knights scored less than three minutes in. Ellerd responded with a 54-yard connection to Tanner Westmoreland to increase the Hilmar lead to 31-14. The ensuing drive, RC quarterback Amos Cady broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run with 7:33 to go in the game, but the ‘Jacket defense were able to keep the Knights at bay for the remainder of the evening.

After a season-opening 19-14 loss to Modesto’s Grace Davis, the Yelllowjackets have now gone unbeaten in three games. They will take on longtime league foe Escalon next week at McSweeney Field in the second annual Vaca Bowl. The Cougars, who have struggled with injuries early on, have started the year 1-3 after suffering a 35-14 loss to Sonora in their league opener on Friday.

Hughson 28, Ripon 7, at Ripon

The Hughson offense has put up points with ease all season, outscoring opponents 122-14 through their first three games. But they had to work a little harder Friday night to pull out a win against a scrappy Ripon team in their Trans-Valley League opener.

Hughson quarterback Robert McDaniel was his usual self, getting the Huskies going by finding tight end Max Mankins from 13 yards out for the opening score late in the first quarter. After a defensive struggle, the Huskies were able to expand on their lead midway through the third quarter when Colt Foss punched the ball into the endzone from one yard out, a play set up by a 40-yard connection from McDaniel to Malakai Sumter. After an Indians touchdown to start the fourth, the Arizona-bound McDaniel and the speedy Sumter linked up again for 32-yard play midway through the fourth, this time for a touchdown to make it a 21-7 ballgame. Eli Wilbanks put the game to rest with an 8-yard rushing touchdown with just over a minute left on the clock.

The Huskies will look to improve to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the TVL when they travel to Ripon again next week to face off with neighboring Ripon Christian in a rematch of the 2022 CIF State Div. 5-AA semifinals, which the Huskies won 31-28.

Turlock 19, Clovis West 15, at Clovis West

The Bulldogs of Turlock High have made it through their preseason gauntlet of a schedule with a 2-3 record after beating Clovis West 19-15 in Fresno on Friday night.

The contest went down to the wire, with Turlock stopping the Golden Eagles on fourth down deep into Turlock territory with just 30 seconds to play.

The defense set the tone all night for the ‘Dogs. They took command over the CIF Central Section playoff regulars in the first quarter, with defensive back Junior Silva forcing and recovering a fumble in the early minutes of play, leading to a touchdown strike from quarterback Scout Silva to Joseph Delte. After another Turlock stop on defense, the two Silvas (no relation) connected for a 60-yard score. The Golden Eagles responded with a kickoff return touchdown just moments later. Silva capped off the ensuing drive with a quarterback sneak into the endzone to make it a 19-6 game at the intermission.

Clovis West’s late comeback attempt began with a field goal early in the third quarter. The Golden Eagles then had a prime opportunity to score early in the fourth when a Turlock punt attempt was bobbled at their own one-yard line. But the Bulldog defense held up with a goal line stand to force a turnover on downs.

The Golden Eagles managed to score a touchdown with roughly four minutes to play in the game before failing to convert in the waning seconds.

The Bulldogs have a bye this week, then host Gregori of Modesto (1-4) on Oct. 4 to kick off Central California Athletic League competition. 

Atwater 41, Pitman 10, at Pitman

Aside from pregame and halftime homecoming festivities, the Pitman fans at Joe Debely Stadium had little to cheer for on the football field, as the Pride were blown out by the Atwater Falcons, 41-10.

The Pride were trailing big from the jump, first giving up a touchdown on the Falcons’ first two drives of the game. Each took up significant time on the clock. After a made field goal from Pitman’s Isaac Padilla early in the second quarter, the Falcons responded with three more touchdowns in the span of eight minutes. Their sixth and final touchdown came early in the second half. The Pride eventually found the endzone with just seconds remaining in the third, when quarterback RJ Wilharm found Syncyr Sanders for a 30-yard score.

The loss dropped Pitman to 0-5 heading into CCAL play. After a bye next week, they travel to Modesto on Oct. 4 to face the undefeated Knights of Downey High.

Stone Ridge Christian 28, Denair 6, at SRC

It was a night to forget for Denair in their first Southern Athletic League game of the season against Merced’s Stone Ridge Christian. After just a 12 minutes of play, the Knights led 21-0. The Coyotes were held scoreless until midway through the fourth quarter. By that time, SRC had long had their starters removed. They managed a fourth touchdown in the last few minutes of the game.

The loss drops the Coyotes to 2-3 on the year. They will look to get back into the win column next Friday when they welcome the Gustine Reds to Jack W. Lytton Stadium. The Reds are 3-1 on the year after defeating Mariposa County 34-25 in their SAL opener.