Football roundup: Merced-area teams close season in inaugural SJS bowl games
Merced-area football teams closed out the 2025 season under the Friday night lights with the Sac-Joaquin Section’s first-ever postseason bowl games.
The new format gave teams seeded ninth through 16th in their divisions one final chance to take the field, with winners hoisting a blue-and-tan banner to cap their year on a high note. For seniors, it was one last game in their school colors; for younger players, a preview of postseason football to come.
Programs from across Merced County — including Pacheco, Atwater, Golden Valley, Los Banos, and El Capitan — took advantage of the extra opportunity, some snapping skids and others building momentum for 2026.
Enochs 36, Golden Valley 29 — Golden Valley quarterback Gabe Richards turned in a stellar performance, accounting for four total touchdowns, but the Cougars came up just short in a back-and-forth bowl matchup against Enochs.
Richards threw for three touchdowns — finding Jaden Smith, Isaiah Welch, and Jaren Bell in the end zone — and also added a rushing score. Welch contributed on the ground as well, punching in two touchdown runs to keep the Cougars within striking distance.
Despite the offensive fireworks, Enochs’ late scoring drives proved to be the difference as the Eagles held off Golden Valley’s rally to secure the 46-39 win.
Patterson 34, Los Banos 20 — Patterson pulled away late to top rival Los Banos in the Westside Bowl, wrapping up the season with a hard-fought home victory.
After a scoreless start filled with punts and defensive stops, Patterson seized early momentum with back-to-back first-quarter touchdowns, including one following an onside-kick recovery, to take a 14-0 lead.
Los Banos roared back in the second quarter. Quarterback Gavin Estrada connected with Jack Goodger on a 31-yard touchdown and later found Joshua Snapp on fourth down for another score to tie it 14-14 at halftime.
The third quarter brought more fireworks. Patterson capitalized on an interception to regain the lead, but Los Banos responded when Estrada hit Joshua Gargano for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to one after a blocked extra point made it 21-20. Patterson extended its advantage with another score to go up 28-20 early in the fourth.
The Tigers’ comeback hopes faded late as Patterson’s defense came up with multiple interceptions — including one on the first play of a Los Banos drive — to seal the 34-20 win.
Estrada finished with three touchdown passes, while Goodger, Snapp and Gargano each hauled in scoring receptions for the Tigers, who battled until the end in a spirited rivalry matchup.
Grace Davis 53, Atwater 27 — Atwater jumped out to an early lead behind a sharp start from quarterback Ali Banks Jr., who connected with Sylas Austin for touchdown passes of 28 and 37 yards in the first quarter to make it 14-6.
Grace Davis answered quickly with a 61-yard touchdown run and a successful two-point conversion to tie it up before the end of the opening quarter.
The Falcons regained the lead in the second when Banks hit Charlie Whitby for a 15-yard score, but the Spartans kept pace and tied it 20-20 late in the half.
Grace Davis’ ground game took over from there. The Spartans ripped off long touchdown runs of 50 and 30 yards, then capped another drive with a 3-yard scoring plunge to pull away 41-20 by the late third quarter. Whitby added a 3-yard TD run for Atwater in the fourth, but Grace Davis finished strong to secure the 53-27 victory.
Banks threw for three touchdowns — two to Austin and one to Whitby — as Atwater wrapped up its season of ups and downs in the Sac-Joaquin Section Bowl at home.
Pacheco 39, Gustine 12 — Pacheco took control early and never looked back in its Sac-Joaquin Section Bowl win over Gustine on Friday night in Los Banos.
After Gustine opened the game by recovering an onside kick, the Panthers’ offense took over. Aidan Pikas powered in from the 2-yard line and added the two-point conversion to make it 8-0, then scored again from 9 yards out late in the first quarter. Joseph Valencia extended the lead with a 15-yard touchdown run as Pacheco went up 22-0.
Gustine responded with a kickoff return touchdown, but the Panthers answered before halftime with a 33-yard field goal, taking a 25-6 lead into the break.
In the second half, quarterback Raul Moreno connected with Jacob Sanchez for a 44-yard touchdown and the Panthers sealed it with a pick-six, pushing the final margin to 39-12.
Pacheco closed its season with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, capping the night by hoisting its bowl championship banner on home turf.
