Merced’s Gilliam questionable for football showdown with Turlock

The status of Merced High School running back Ulonzo Gilliam is in the air for the Bears’ big matchup Friday night against Turlock.

Gilliam suited up against Buhach Colony last Friday and took the field on defense but lasted only one play. The Bears star rolled an ankle late in the game against Pitman on Oct. 16.

Coach Rob Scheidt said Merced will take the same approach this week by holding Gilliam out of practice and letting him rest and receive treatment. Scheidt said it likely will come down to a game-time decision again.

The Bears (5-3, 3-0 Central California Conference) face Turlock (6-1, 3-0) in a battle for the CCC title at Veterans Stadium. The winner clinches a share of the championship. A Merced win would also clinch the top seed in the conference.

If Gilliam can’t go, juniors Paul Scoggins and Rayveon Slaton will carry the load in the backfield. The duo combined for 209 rushing yards and two touchdowns in last week’s 38-21 win over Buhach Colony. Scoggins carried 16 times for 125 yards. He also returned a punt for a touchdown. Slaton carried 11 times for 84 yards.

“The good thing about last week is it was good game experience for both of them,” Scheidt said.

Merced is trying to win its third consecutive CCC championship and has won 16 conference games in a row.

Buhach Colony banged up – The Thunder came out of the Merced loss bruised and battered, with linebackers Jace Alcazar, Antonio Escalante and running back Brandon Muse leaving the game. Alcazar dislocated his shoulder, and Muse suffered an injured hip flexor.

Coach Kevin Navarra believes both will be able to play this week against Golden Valley.

“The way our season is going, it’s their last two high school games these next two weeks and they want to be out there if they can,” Navarra said. “They still have to be able to pass some tests and movement drills. We’ll probably know more by Wednesday.”

Navarra said Escalante is probably out this week because of a sprained knee.

Mariposa earns forfeit win – The Sac-Joaquin Section awarded Mariposa a forfeit win for the Sept. 11 game against Minarets that was cancelled due to poor air quality from fires burning in Fresno and Tulare counties.

“Mariposa did all it could to play the game, and the other school was either unwilling or unable to play it,” said Will DeBoard, Sac-Joaquin Section director of communications. “As the season has played out – and if everything finishes like it would on paper – Mariposa could be 5-4 and miss the playoffs. We don’t want to have a team not make the playoffs because they couldn’t play a game through no fault of their own.”

When the game was cancelled, Mariposa tried to reschedule for Monday, Sept. 14, but the Central Section doesn’t allow teams to play two football games in the same week.

The Grizzlies had a bye in week zero, so they didn’t have an open date to try to schedule another opponent, as Buhach Colony was able to do when its Sept. 11 game was canceled against Clovis North.

The win is only reflected on Mariposa’s record for section playoff purposes. The Grizzlies (5-3) need one win in their final two games against Ripon Christian (6-2) and Le Grand (1-7) to get their sixth win, which should earn them a playoff spot.

Another bagel for the Knights – Stone Ridge Christian’s defense continues to post shutouts. The Knights defeated Rite of Passage/Sierra Ridge 49-0 last week.

It was the sixth consecutive shutout for Stone Ridge Christian (7-1), which has outscored its opponents 317-0 during the streak.

Stone Ridge Christian has a good chance to continue the streak this week against Turlock Christian (1-7), which has been shut out twice.

Livingston’s Gonzalez reaches Masters – Livingston junior Alexi Gonzalez became the first girls golfer in school history to qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters.

Gonzalez shot a 91 in the Division IV section tournament at Sierra View Country Club in Roseville on Monday to tie Los Banos’ Morgan Pimentel for the final individual berth for the Masters. Gonzalez then made a par on the par-5 first hole to win the playoff.

Gonzalez will head to The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton on Monday for the Masters.

CCC cross country title on the line – The third CCC Cluster Meet will be held Wednesday at Atwater High, and the boys and girls titles will be decided.

The Merced and Atwater boys come into the meet tied at 9-1. The Falcons advanced to the CIF State Meet last year. The Bears are led by the area’s top runner in Daniel Ambriz, who shattered the course record at Atwater two weeks ago with a time of 15 minutes, 3 seconds in winning the Merced County Championships.

On the girls side, Atwater and Turlock come into the final race tied at 9-1. The Falcons are looking to win their fifth consecutive CCC championship on their turf.

The boys race is scheduled for 11 a.m., and the girls race should start at 11:30.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Merced’s Gilliam questionable for football showdown with Turlock."