The Manteca High football program has stored away more hardware than any employee at a furniture store.
The Buffaloes own nine Sac-Joaquin Section titles, all since 2001. Expanding their trophy case is almost a yearly exercise. Without question, they’re earned their place among the section’s football elite.
They still stare, however, at one unchecked box – beating Central Catholic.
Since rejoining the Valley Oak League, Central Catholic has hung a 9-0 weight on the Buffaloes’ horns. These showdowns have almost always been razor close, sometimes coming down to a bounce or a break, but always the same result.
“We’ve done everything except finish the game ahead,” Manteca coach Mark Varnum said. “I think we'll have to make our own luck."
Manteca (3-1) can set aside all that CC baggage Friday night in the game that, in all likelihood, will decide the VOL title. The game will be played at Lathrop High due to reconstruction taking place at Manteca’s Guss Schmiedt Field.
Full disclosure: Topping Central Catholic is not just a Manteca issue. The Raiders have often ruled the VOL since their re-entry in 2014. In fact, CC has won at least a share of VOL honors in all but two seasons (Sierra in 2014, Oakdale in ’17), and has lost exactly one league game since ’17. Their overall VOL record is an overpowering 52-4.
Manteca has felt the brunt of the CC hammer. The Buffaloes, for all their success winning blue banners, haven't taken home an outright VOL championship since 2013. They split conference honors with Oakdale and Central Catholic in ’16 and ’19. On five occasions, the Buffaloes have pounded through the bracket for section titles after losing to the Raiders in the regular season.
That they’re overdue to vanquish their rivals is not news to Varnum and the Buffaloes. Getting there is not easy, but it is do-able.
“This is the measuring stick,” said Varnum, Manteca’s leader since Eric Reis stepped down after 2018. “You want to be good or do you want to be great?”
All signs point to another VOL summit meeting. Manteca smoked Elk Grove, Laguna Creek and Lincoln (65-6 last week), and it took a Marin Catholic rally from a 28-7 deficit to beat Manteca 29-28 two weeks ago.
Manteca is led on offense by sophomore Nikko Juarez (640 yards, 10 touchdowns), the latest productive Buffalo ball carrier to run behind another huge offensive line. On defense, lineman and four-year varsity veteran Isiah White (11.7 tackles per game) and linebacker and captain Ruben Moreno (9.7tpg) have proven hard to beat.
Central Catholic (3-2, 1-0) has won two straight, over Nevada power Bishop Manogue and last week in a hard-fought league opener 25-14 over Patterson. The Raiders clearly have moved forward after losses to St. Mary’s and Central Catholic of Portland, Ore.
Re-inventing themselves after the graduation losses of Tyler Paul Wentworth (Clemson, baseball), Brooklyn Cheek (Cal) and Mana Itete (Florida State) was Job 1 this season.
“We’re playing a lot of juniors and seniors who didn’t play a lot last year,” CC coach Roger Canepa said. “We are getting better against good competition.”
The Raiders feature senior running backs Joey Alcutt (600 yards, five TDs) and Carter Meeks, but quarterback Kayden McHenry has found a reliable target in junior receiver Chase Perino. The team’s heartbeat is senior fullback/linebacker Wyatt Dragoo, a throwback talent who’s on the field almost nonstop.
“Five or six of our games with Manteca could have gone either way. We’ve just found a way to win,” Canepa said. “They can run the ball. It’s always a good game with them.”
