MODESTO – The five members of the Johansen High Vikings, special guests at Monday’s Modesto Quarterback Club lunch-meeting, appeared to be polite and good-natured young men looking forward to the rest of their season.
That’s admirable, considering the lousy hand dealt to them so far by the football gods.
“We’re 2-3, and we’re two plays from 4-1,” head coach Rod Smith correctly summarized.
Last Friday’s 25-20 Western Athletic Conference loss to Ceres brought more misery for Johansen. The back-and-forth game turned in the Vikings’ favor on Kean Saing’s 75-yard touchdown dash with about three minutes left. But they were denied when Ceres turned a 4th-and-2 into a winning touchdown pass with 35 seconds to go.
Johansen’s fate was even worse three weeks ago during its controversial 13-12 non-league loss to Bear River at Grass Valley. Bear River, out of timeouts with the clock ticking, was called for having too many on the field during the game’s final seconds. The game was stopped for about 15 minutes as the officials made their case, over and over, to the coaches on both sides.
There is no 10-second runoff for such a penalty in high school, however, and Bear River – almost gifted with an additional snap despite the violation – booted the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Officials, when seeing a team has more than 11 players on the field, are told to blow the play dead even if a snap is imminent. That happened as Bear River, in a chaotic scene, rushed to spike the ball to stop the clock.
At the very least, Johansen was victimized by buzzard’s luck. To Smith’s credit, he told the QB club three weeks ago that his team “has no excuses. We had our chances to win.”
Monday’s gathering, after more conventional heartbreak at Ceres, reminded observers of Johansen’s snakebit season.
The Vikings (2-3,1-1) did enjoy positive moments against the Bulldogs. Fullback-linebacker Seth Bierman blocked a field-goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown, and Saing rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just have to come back harder and better," Bierman said. “Mentally, it’s hard but we can only do so much.”
Smith believes his team still can rise above the rough patch and be a factor in the WAC race. The Vikings welcome Pacheco to Dan Gonsalves Stadium on Friday night.
“I think we can beat anyone left on our schedule,” Smith said.
YOUNG – Sam Young, a familiar face at the QB club during his many years as head coach at Modesto Junior College, made a return visit after the Pirates’ 34-14 loss at Butte in a matchup of unbeatens. Young has retired – he was an analyst at UC Davis the previous four seasons – but has returned to Modesto as an assistant under Rusty Stivers.
Young reported that the MJC secondary was burned for five touchdown passes before halftime by Butte quarterback Marcus Beamon, who has been called the best QB in community college football. The Pirates, who trailed 34-7 at the break, played better in the second half.
“It showed the character of our team that we bounced back,” Young said.
Still, MJC’s 414 net yards produced only two touchdowns. The Pirates (3-1) continue theirfrontloaded schedule at home Saturday at 1 p.m. against American River (1-3).The Beavers fell to San Mateo 17-14 last week.
NOTES – Manteca ended its 0-9 curse against Central Catholic with a convincing 31-14 victory last week. Another streak also was snapped. The Raiders suffered their first Valley Oak League loss in five years. They had run off 17 straight wins since a loss to Oakdale in 2019. The Buffaloes crowded the line of scrimmage to contain CC’s rushing attack. Tellingly, Manteca answered both Central Catholic touchdowns – a 67-yard run by Chase Perino and a 24-yard pass from Kayden McHenry to Joseph Stewart – immediately with scores of its own. The Raiders (3-3, 1-1) will stress defense during its week off. …
Beyer (1-4, 0-2 WAC) stayed within striking range until a fourth-quarter turnover led to a Livingston touchdown and an eventual 28-16 loss for the Patriots. Beyer has lost three straight going into its trip to Central Valley. … The Central California Athletic League season opens this week, as Gregori (1-4) opens at Turlock. Coach Lamar Wallace goes along with the consensus – unbeaten Downey and Turlock are the favorites. … Downey (5-0) will celebrate homecoming against Pitman. … Enochs (2-3) begins CCAL action against Modesto at Gregori. The Eagles freshened their rushing attack by totaling 179 yards against Merced, though the Bears put away the 56-14 win with 28 first-quarter points. Eric Myles rushed for two touchdowns for Enochs … Modesto coach Dylan Miller, whose Panthers were beaten 28-0 by Ripon, said plans have begun for a Ripon-Modesto rematch in 2025. Last week’s game was hastily scheduled last week after both teams lost their scheduled opponents …
Modesto Christian (0-4), deemed an independent by Trans-Valley League officials two weeks ago, will play its home game against Ripon Christian on Friday night, according to coach Michael McFadden. … Grace Davis failed to score, despite three trips to the red zone, during its 35-0 loss last week to Lathrop. The Spartans (2-3, 1-1 WAC) will meet Livingston at Downey on Thursday night.
THIS WEEK’s GAMES – Manteca at Sierra, Oakdale at East Union, Mountain House at Patterson, Pitman at Downey, Gregori at Turlock, Modesto at Enochs (at Gregori), Escalon at Hughson, Hilmar at Sonora, Ripon at Orestimba, Ripon Christian at Modesto Christian, Merced at Golden Valley, El Capitan at Los Banos, Buhach Colony at Atwater, Merced at Golden Valley, Ceres at Lathrop, Livingston at Grace Davis (Thursday at Downey), Beyer at Central Valley, Pacheco at Johansen, Denair at Le Grand, Stone Ridge Christian at Waterford, Gustine at Riverbank, Delhi at Mariposa County, Linden at River Islands, Summerville at Calaveras, Big Valley Christian at Bret Harte, Liberty Ranch at Argonaut
