Five high school football games to watch Friday
Buhach Colony (1-1) at Pacheco (1-2)
If the Panthers’ last two games are any indication, prepare for a high-scoring game that will come down to the wire. Pacheco lost to Chavez 46-43 when its 40-yard field-goal attempt was no good in the final seconds last week. That came on the heels of a 28-27 win over Heritage (Brentwood) after the Panthers converted a two-point conversion with less than two minutes left.
The Thunder (1-1) beat Pacheco 24-21 last year. Buhach Colony will be well rested after last week’s game against Clovis North was canceled because of poor air quality. Jace Alcazar leads a stingy Thunder defense with four sacks.
Dos Palos (1-1) at Los Banos (2-1)
The Tigers have won four consecutive games and six of the past seven in the Westside War. This is the 77th meeting between the longtime rivals with Dos Palos holding a 42-28-6 advantage.
Both teams are led by their quarterbacks. Dos Palos quarterback Ozzie Suarez leads the team with 271 rushing yards and one touchdown but is only averaging 80 passing yards in two games. Meanwhile, Los Banos’ Adam Herrera has thrown for 448 yards and six touchdowns to go with 371 rushing yards.
Patterson (3-0) at Atwater (1-2)
The record of the Falcons’ last three opponents, including the Tigers tonight, is 8-0. Atwater will try to get its offense going after being shutout 49-0 by Central Catholic and 28-0 by Clovis the past two weeks. Noah Torres has been a bright spot on the defense with 29 tackles and two interceptions.
Patterson averages more than 40 points per game with a balanced offensive attack. The Tigers average 283 yards on the ground and 225 yards in the air. Keep your eyes on Patterson’s Mike Lawson, who has 245 rushing yards and two touchdowns and five catches for 166 yards and three scores.
Central Valley Christian (3-0) at Chowchilla (2-1)
The Redskins will try to bounce back after Immanuel (3-0) bottled up their rushing attack in last week’s 17-8 loss. The Cavaliers will be another tough test for Chowchilla after defeating the Redskins 44-6 last season. CVC’s Kolin Stock rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns in that game. Stock comes into tonight’s matchup with 424 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The Redskins will lean on their three-headed monster of Anthony Stewart, Alex Gutierrez, and Danny Chavez out of the backfield.
Livingston (1-2) at Mariposa (0-1)
The Grizzlies were the other area team to have their game canceled last week because of poor air quality. So while most teams are preparing for their fourth game, Mariposa is set to play its second game. The one benefit is the Grizzlies have had two weeks to fix the defensive mistakes they made in a 70-44 loss to Summerville. Zack Smith was one bright spot with 12 catches for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
Eddie Avila has been carrying a heavy workload for Livingston with 66 carries for 363 yards and three touchdowns in three games. The Wolves come in with momentum after erasing a 15-point halftime deficit against Le Grand last week with 36 consecutive points in a 42-27 win.
Shawn Jansen
This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:15 PM with the headline "Five high school football games to watch Friday."