In case you haven’t heard, there’s a big football game taking place in Modesto on Friday night.

For the first time in history, Turlock and Central Catholic high schools will face off in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. It’s a highly-anticipated clash between two of the region’s most decorated programs.

The No. 3 Raiders (7-3) will host the sixth-seeded Bulldogs (8-3) at David Patton Field in the quarterfinal round of the Division 1 bracket. CalPreps.com, the website that the section’s playoff selection committee uses to help determine seeding, favors Central Catholic by a 24-22 score, and gives the team up north a 57% chance of winning. Luckily for Turlock, games are played on the field and not on paper.

Naturally, a matchup between two schools rich with history and within such close proximity of one another (17 miles) is expected to pique the interest of local sports fans. But Friday’s game goes deeper than just the logos on the helmets and a couple of roads and highways shared by each program’s players, coaches and their families.

And it starts at the top.

Leading each team will be some of the most recognizable — and successful — football coaches in the Sac-Joaquin Section. 

For the Bulldogs, it’s James Peterson, a school alumnus currently in his 16th season as the leader of their football program. He is a player’s coach, cool under (most) circumstances and always optimistic. Earlier this year, the tall and energetic “Coach Pete” earned his 100th career win. His 102 wins are the third-most in school history.

Opposite of him Friday will be Roger Canepa, a more stout figure and an old-school coach who my colleague Joe Cortez describes as “part John Wayne, part powder keg.” Under his furrowed brows are eyes that have witnessed just about everything on a high school gridiron. Canepa had stints as head coach at Sonora and Calaveras before spending the last 17 years at Central Catholic, where he has compiled 290 career wins, the most in section history. 

Beginning in 2012, Central Catholic, with an enrollment of about 420 students, won four consecutive state championships and began scheduling preseason dates against large-school powerhouses such as De La Salle (Concord), St. John Bosco (Bellflower), and Serra (San Mateo) — teams with national profiles. And because of their postseason success, the Raiders were gradually promoted to Division 1 — where Turlock, with an enrollment of about 2,600 students, has toiled for decades.

In recent years, Peterson has taken a page out of Central Catholic’s book and began stacking up tough preseason foes like Folsom, Rocklin, Central of Fresno and Clovis West, to help better prepare his squad for the rigors of postseason play. Peterson even took part in preseason scrimmages with the Raiders.

Managing each offense Friday will be marquee quarterbacks.

Turlock’s Scout Silva is a reclassified freshman who has made an immediate impact in his first high school football action. In his first year, the 5-foot-7, 155-pounder broke the program’s regular season passing record with 2,105 yards and 24 touchdowns while also scrambling for 479 yards and 10 scores. He added three more passing touchdowns in the Bulldogs' 48-12 dismantling of No. 11 Laguna Creek in the opening round last Friday.

Central Catholic's Kayden McHenry has also become a familiar name in recent years for his efforts on both the gridiron and the baseball diamond. Many also came to know him after he played youth football in Hughson, little league baseball in Turlock, and attended Turlock High his freshman year, where he was the starting quarterback on the junior varsity squad. He transferred to Central Catholic ahead of his sophomore year. 

Unlike the dual-threat Silva, McHenry is more of a pocket passer. This season, the 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has completed 73 of 134 passes for 1,238 yards and 15 touchdowns. One thing the two gunslingers do have in common is they have trained under Greg Panelli, who has also worked with Hughson’s Robert McDaniel, and in past years, Firebaugh’s Josh Allen. Yes, the same Josh Allen wreaking havoc against NFL defenses for the Buffalo Bills.

Also unlike the Bulldogs is that the Raiders run far more, racking up 2,416 ground yards, compared to Turlock’s 970 in the regular season. Leading the charge is senior Joey Alcutt, who ran for 1,090 yards and 12 scores on 91 carries.

Turlock had their best defensive year in history this season, allowing a CCAL-record 156.4 yards and 5.2 points per game. Senior Jeremiah Stine has been the team’s emotional leader throughout the year, most commonly found in the secondary where he is near the ball after almost every play. Senior Kaeden Patterson is also a big-hitter at linebacker, and they’ll be helped by the return of Dominick Luna, who has been one of the CCAL’s best linebackers in recent years, but barely made his season debut four weeks ago due to academics. Last season as a junior, he had 33 tackles and 5 sacks. He made his presence felt last week with a 60-yard pick-6. 

The Raiders defense is just as balanced, with senior Titus Leota leading the charge in the trenches, racking up 5.5 sacks on the year. As Leota and his fellow linemen bring a relentless pass rush, their secondary defenders have taken advantage, particularly senior Scotty Hallmon, who has had three of the team’s six total interceptions on eight passes defensed. Hallmon and his teammates will be put to work against Silva, who has thrown to eight different receivers this year. His main target is senior Junior Silva, who hauled in 34 catches for a THS regular season record 862 yards and 11 touchdowns. In last week’s win, he caught two of the three touchdown passes from the freshman phenom, one for 86 yards and the other from 27 yards out.

Fans are strongly encouraged by both teams to purchase their tickets as soon as possible, as the game is expected to draw a significant crowd, even for postseason standards. All tickets must be purchased prior to the game online at https://www.gofan.co/event/2230381.

— Journal reporter Joe Cortez contributed to this report.