Five Merced-area high school football games to watch

Atwater (0-9, 0-5 Central California Conference) at Buhach Colony (4-5, 2-3) – The Thunder have a possible playoff spot on the line in Bloss Bowl XI. Buhach Colony hopes a fifth win would be enough to get the Thunder in the playoffs with their strength of schedule. Buhach Colony holds a 6-4 advantage all-time against Atwater.

Hilmar (8-1, 4-0 Trans-Valley League) at Ripon (6-3, 4-0) – The Yellowjackets’ path to a TVL title got a little tougher with the injury to quarterback Chase Kindberg, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Tristan Crowley takes over and Hilmar coach Frank Marques feels his team will be able to adjust because Crowley has rarely missed a rep in practice all season. This could be a defensive battle with the Indians only giving up 16 points in their four TVL victories.

Liberty-Madera (6-3, 3-0 North Sequoia League) at Chowchilla (7-1, 2-1) – The Redskins could create a possible two- or three-way tie atop the NSL standings with a win. The Hawks win the title outright with a victory. Chowchilla rebounded from its first loss of the season with a 40-10 victory over Sierra last week. Ronnie Reyes leads the Redskins’ rushing attack with 12 touchdowns.

Gustine (5-4, 4-2 Southern League) at Orestimba (8-1, 6-0) – The Reds need a win to qualify for the playoffs. They’ll have to knock off the two-time Southern League champions to get it. Gustine’s Oliver Perez leads the area in rushing with 1,353 yards.

Stone Ridge Christian (8-1, 4-0 Central California Athletic Alliance) at Big Valley Christian (5-4, 2-2) – This is a rematch of last year’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division VII championship won by the Knights 69-0. Stone Ridge Christian may come into this game with a chip on its shoulder after a tough 20-12 loss to Fresno Christian.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 5:28 PM with the headline "Five Merced-area high school football games to watch."