Can Central California Conference teams rebound after tough first week?

It was a rough start to the season for the Central California Conference. Only Pitman emerged from the opening week with a victory as the CCC opened with a 1-6 record combined.

Turlock, Merced and Buhach Colony opened with some tough matchups.

“I think the teams in the CCC have a hard time going out and finding teams to play,” said Buhach Colony coach Kevin Navarra. “Every team we’re facing in nonconference was either in the playoffs or contending for a playoff spot. Sub .500 teams don’t want to play teams in the CCC.

“I’ve had coaches tell me, ‘Coach, we’re not at your level of a program.”

Navarra said his preseason goal is to go 3-1 during nonconference play so the Thunder aren’t in a position where they have to win out in the CCC to make the playoffs. A 2-2 start and Navarra feels you’re still in it, but 1-3 and it’s an uphill climb to a playoff spot.

That means CCC teams are quickly going to find themselves in a position to start picking up wins before they find their backs against the wall.

Leagues like the Western Athletic Conference and the Trans-Valley League fared much better in the first week. The WAC and TVL both went 5-1 combined last week.

Remember, leagues want to build a strong reputation when it comes time to seed the playoffs. To build a strong resume you have to pick up some quality wins outside of league.

We’ll see if the CCC can do that this week.

Here’s this week’s predictions after opening with a 11-2 mark last week.

Thursday

Mariposa (0-0) at Summerville (1-0): The Grizzlies will have their hands full with the Bears, who opened with a 48-2 win over Denair. Summerville’s Brick rushed for 172 yards and three touchdowns on just seven carries. The Bears racked up 436 rushing yards and scored seven touchdowns on the ground against the Coyotes.

Prediction: Summerville.

Tracy (0-1) at Buhach Colony (0-1): The Thunder lost a tough 58-55 overtime game to Downey last week. The good is the Thunder offense ran the ball effectively. The bad is the defense struggled. The Bulldogs present another tough matchup as Buhach Colony tries to right the ship.

Prediction: Buhach Colony.

Beyer (0-1) at Golden Valley (0-1): Not much went right for the Cougars last week in a 37-0 loss to Gregori. Bad snaps and turnovers led to poor field position and short fields for the Jaguars. The Patriots are also looking to rebound after a narrow loss to Hilmar.

Prediction: Beyer.

Merced (0-1) at Gregori (1-0): The Bears offense moved the ball at times in the loss to Del Campo. Merced has to eliminate the penalties and turnovers that hurt them against the Cougars. The Dhameer Warren to Xavier Stewart connection could result in big numbers this year for Merced.

Prediction: Merced.

El Capitan (0-1) at Oakdale (1-0): The Gauchos head to the Corral to face the Modesto Bee’s top-ranked large school team. Oakdale blew out a talented Sonora team last week 47-13. This one will likely get ugly fast.

Prediction: Oakdale.

Atwater (0-1) at McNair (0-1): The Falcons slugged it out with Central Valley last week in a 12-9 loss. Atwater is trying to snap an 11 game losing streak after an 0-10 season last year.

Prediction: McNair.

Heritage (1-0) at Pacheco (1-0): These two teams have played some exciting games the last three years. Heritage opened with a strong win over Tokay. The Panthers battled back from a 14-0 deficit to defeat Madera South 35-14. This one could come down to the wire.

Prediction: Heritage.

Los Banos (1-0) vs Liberty Ranch (0-1) (at Galt): Tigers quarterback Anthony Caballero had a nice debut by throwing for 183 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried the ball 18 times for 108 yards and another score. Los Banos Running back Antonio Lopez finished with 164 yards and two touchdowns.

Prediction: Los Banos.

Amador (0-1) at Livingston (0-1): Amador is coming off a historic 14-2 season that saw the Buffaloes play in a state bowl game. The Wolves played Delhi tough last week in a 31-28 loss.

Prediction: Amador.

Lathrop (1-0) at Hilmar (1-0): The Yellowjackets squeaked out a 16-14 win last season against the Spartans. It’s the second week in a row Hilmar is facing a bigger school.

Prediction: Lathrop.

Delhi (1-0) at Johansen (0-1): The Hawks rushed for 302 yards against Livingston last week. Damian Rivera led the way with 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Prediction: Delhi.

Gustine (0-0) at Linden (0-1): The Reds open the season after a bye last week. Gustine returns leading rusher Oliver Perez, who ran for 1,496 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Prediction: Gustine.

Ripon Christian at Stone Ridge Christian: Shane Casillas rushed for 120 yards in SRC’s 37-8 win over Fresno Christian. Ripon Christian rushed for 268 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-0 win over Millennium.

Prediction: Ripon Christian.

Fresno (0-1) at Chowchilla (0-1): The Tribe were held to under 100 yards rushing by Roosevelt in a 33-14 loss last week. Chowchilla will look to get on track against a Warriors defense that gave up 42 points.

Prediction: Chowchilla.

Roosevelt (1-0) at Dos Palos (1-0): The Broncos running back by committee approach racked up 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 21-12 win over Sierra Pacific. Roosevelt had a statement win with a 33-14 victory over Chowchilla last week.

Prediction: Roosevelt.

This story was originally published August 30, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Can Central California Conference teams rebound after tough first week?."