Buhach Colony, Mariposa unable to reschedule games

The smoky, hot conditions on Friday night forced many high school football programs to adjust start times or even cancel games.

The poor air quality due to the Rough fire burning in Fresno and Tulare counties forced Fresno, Clovis and Madera school districts to cancel all sporting events in their areas.

Buhach Colony and Clovis North tried to reschedule their game for Saturday, but the air quality did not improve enough to allow the game to be played in Clovis.

“Talking to their AD (Coby Lindsey), he felt it wasn’t worth the risk of the health of the players even if the air quality had improved some from the day before,” Thunder coach Kevin Navarra said. “I agreed with him. We’re always going to side on the safety of the players.”

There was thought of playing the game at Falcon Field in Atwater on Saturday night, but Buhach Colony administration didn’t feel they could get everything ready to host a football game in time.

“I’m not part of the putting together the game day, but I know there’s a lot that goes into it, from custodial, supervision, security and referees,” Navarra said. “That part was totally out of my hands. It was a decision our administration made that we wouldn’t be able to do it.”

Buhach Colony may still be able to add another game to its schedule. Navarra has had preliminary discussions with Central of Fresno, who also had its game against Liberty of Bakersfield canceled on Friday. Both teams have the same bye week of Sept. 25.

According to Navarra, Central has a fundraiser scheduled for that Friday, so if the game happens, it will likely be played on a Thursday or Saturday.

“It was a whirlwind of emotions this week,” Navarra said. “Our players work hard – just like everyone else. We always tell them you get 10 guaranteed games to work for a league title and playoffs. It’s tough to lose one even though it was uncontrollable.”

Mariposa also saw its game at Minarets canceled. According to Grizzlies coach Ryan Oliphant, there was talk of rescheduling the game for Monday, but the Central Section wouldn’t allow it with Minarets scheduled to play on Friday, too.

Mariposa has no open dates in its schedule because it already had its bye on Aug. 28.

Hilmar and Sonora switched venues for their game with ash falling in Sonora. The game was moved to Hilmar, with the Wildcats winning a thrilling 36-35 game.

“I was pleased to see our district go above and beyond to make the game happen,” said Hilmar coach Frank Marques. “There was no way we were going to play in Sonora. They had no other open dates, so if we didn’t get this game played, we were going to lose it.”

Marques suggested since the Hilmar buses were already scheduled to make a trip to Sonora, why not use them to transport the Sonora varsity and junior varsity teams to Hilmar. The district went along with the idea.

Marques said so many parents made the trip from Sonora to Hilmar that only one bus was needed to transport the Sonora players home after the game.

“After our expenses, we gave (Sonora) the rest of the gate,” Marques said. “It was their turn to host, so it was the right thing to do.”

The heat index also forced many games to push their start times back to 8 p.m. or later.

Birthday gift for Stubbs

Golden Valley High coach Dennis Stubbs celebrated his 56th birthday in style on Friday night as his Cougars snapped a 15-game losing streak with a 30-20 win over Livermore.

Golden Valley’s offense sparkled as quarterback Armando Muzquiz threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran in another score. Receiver Cadrian McDaniel finished with over 200 yards receiving, including an 80-yard touchdown reception.

The star of the game might have been running back Rudy Aramburu, who rushed for 170 yards, including a 90-yard touchdown gallop.

Aramburu filled in for star Isaiah Montanez, who could be out another four weeks with an injured finger. Aramburu also played safety on Friday night.

Drought over for Livingston’s Mendoza

Golden Valley’s losing streak is nothing compared to the one endured by Livingston quarterback Eduardo Mendoza.

The Wolves’ 42-27 win over Le Grand on Friday was Mendoza’s first win since third grade.

“It felt good; we’ve been working hard all summer, lifting and practicing,” the sophomore said. “We started slow but came out strong in the second half.”

Mendoza didn’t play football after third grade until he got to middle school, where his teams went winless his seventh, eighth and freshmen years.

“It’s been quite a while,” said Mendoza, who rushed for three touchdowns in the win. “My coaches were surprised and shocked when I told them. They were congratulating me for my first win in high school, and I told them, ‘First win since third grade.’

“When they told the team, their reaction was crazy.”

Track meet in Hilmar

There was plenty of offense in Sonora’s 36-35 win over Hilmar. The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of offense with seven touchdowns scored from 40 yards or farther.

Sonora took a 36-35 lead with about 2 minutes left in the game. Hilmar was unable to answer, going four-and-out on its final possession.

The Yellowjackets were dinged up in the second half, with running backs Cody Rentfro and Josh Jennings both out of the game.

Hilmar coach Marques says Jennings should be fine; however, Rentfro may have suffered a concussion. He’ll be evaluated this week.

“He complained of a headache and dizziness,” Marques said. “We’re not sure if it was a concussion or dehydration.”

Golden Valley will play on Saturday

This week’s Golden Valley-North Monterey County game has been moved to Saturday at 6 p.m. at Veterans Stadium.

North Monterey County has transportation issues and couldn’t get a bus for Friday. The schools talked about playing on Thursday, but transportation was still an issue. The freshmen and junior varsity games will start at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, on Saturday.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Buhach Colony, Mariposa unable to reschedule games."