Teams like Merced, Golden Valley, El Capitan still looking for that first victory

Two weeks into the football season and already I'm shaking my head.

Hold your hand up high if you had Merced, Golden Valley, Buhach Colony, Atwater and El Capitan all starting 0-2. Five of the six Merced High School Union District teams have taken it on the chin so far this season.

However, that's nothing compared to Le Grand.

Not only did the Bulldogs finish their season opener on Aug. 25 against Yosemite with just 10 healthy players. This week Le Grand High fired its football coach Raul Alvarez. It's not a good sign when you have to hold two parent/player meetings in two weeks to discuss the future of the program.

Out of our 16 area teams, only Hilmar, Delhi and Los Banos are off to 2-0 starts.

Please tell me brighter days are ahead.

Teams put in so much time in between seasons to get ready for the start of football. Hours upon hours are spent in sweaty weight rooms during the spring and summer.

The reward for all that hard work comes on Friday night in the form of victories and so far we have eight area schools still looking for that first win. Let's hope that changes this Friday.

On to this week's predictions.

McNair (1-1) at Merced (0-2): The Bears found themselves in the same position in 2015. After opening the season with losses to Clovis West and Monterey Trail, Merced won seven of its next eight games to close out the regular season and still win a Central California Conference championship.

Merced has been its own worst enemy by either turning the ball over in the red zone or turning the ball over and setting up its opponents with short fields.

Prediction: Merced.

Gregori (2-0) at El Capitan (0-2): The Jaguars are going for the Merced high school sweep after opening with wins over Golden Valley and Merced. Gregori has given up only 14 points in two weeks. El Capitan may have to wait one more week before delivering Frank Solis his first victory as the Gauchos head coach.

Prediction: Gregori.

Golden Valley (0-2) at Los Banos (2-0): The Tigers have been one of the pleasant surprises after a 2-0 start. Quarterback Anthony Caballero and running back Antonio Lopez have given the Los Banos offense a nice one-two punch. The Cougars have struggled out of the gate with losses to Gregori and Beyer.

Prediction: Los Banos.

Buhach Colony (0-2) vs Clovis North (1-1) (Lamonica Stadium): The Thunder have been able to move the ball and score on offense, but the defense has given up 109 points in losses to Downey and Tracy. The schedule doesn't get any easier with Clovis North this week.

Prediction: Clovis North.

Sierra (1-1) at Pacheco (1-1): The Panthers don't even have to look at their road uniforms until their fifth game of the season with four home games to start. The Timberwolves knocked off defending Western Athletic Conference champions Central Valley last week so this should be a good test for Pacheco.

Prediction: Pacheco.

Le Grand (0-1) at Livingston (1-1): Hard to imagine what it's been like for the Bulldogs players so far this year with all the turmoil within the program. Livingston is coming off an impressive 25-20 win over Amador. Livingston quarterback Eduardo Mendoza has passed for 325 yards and five touchdowns without an interception through two games.

Prediction: Livingston.

Hilmar (2-0) at Gustine (1-0): Two of our four undefeated teams square off in Gustine this week. Hilmar has taken on two larger schools and emerged victorious with wins over Beyer and Lathrop. The Hilmar defense is a big reason why, limiting teams to just 13.5 points per game and forcing six turnovers.

Prediction: Hilmar.

Fremont (2-0) at Delhi (2-0): The Hawks are averaging 294 rushing yards per game and are led by Damian Rivera's 218 rushing yards through two games. Delhi has scored nine touchdowns on the ground in wins over Livingston and Johansen. Fremont will be a much tougher opponent.

Prediction: Fremont.

Minarets (1-1) at Mariposa (0-1): The Grizzlies relied heavily on quarterback Colton Weidner in last week's opener against Summerville. Weidner threw the ball 34 times for 216 yards and a score. He also ran the ball 11 times for 72 yards. Mariposa will look to get the offense going against a Minarets defense that has surrendered just 21 points in two games.

Prediction: Mariposa.

Stone Ridge Christian (1-1) at Riverbank (1-1): After jumping out to a 6-0 lead against Ripon Christian, the Knights were shut down the rest of the way. Running back Shane Casillas will look to break out against the Bruins after being bottled up for just 17 rushing yards on 13 carries last week.

Prediction: Stone Ridge Christian.

Immanuel (1-0) at Chowchilla (1-1): The Tribe are still trying to break in a young offensive line. Justin Cantrell leads Chowchilla with 158 rushing yards through two games. The Eagles are short on numbers with just 20 players. That's a tall order against a Tribe team that will grind away with their rushing attack.

Prediction: Chowchilla.

Last Week: 11-4. Season 22-6 (.786).

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Teams like Merced, Golden Valley, El Capitan still looking for that first victory."