Five games to watch Friday

Buhach Colony (2-5, 0-2 Central California Conference) at Merced (4-3, 2-0), 7 p.m.

Teams headed in opposite directions square off at Veterans Stadium. The Thunder has lost four consecutive games and has given up at least 38 points in each. Alex Andrade has been one bright spot, rushing for 103 yards and a touchdown and also returning a kickoff 90 yards for a score against Turlock.

The Bears have won three in a row behind a strong defense and stellar play from receiver A.J. Stewart, who has six touchdowns in his past four games. A Merced wins sets up a showdown with Turlock next week.

Hilmar (4-3, 1-1 Trans-Valley League) at Hughson (6-1, 1-1), 7 p.m.

The Yellowjackets are coming off a wild 48-41 win over Escalon after Cody Rentfro broke free for a 97-yard touchdown run late. The Yellowjackets have been explosive offensively, and receiver Alex Chavez has been a big reason with 42 catches for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Huskies love to keep the ball on the ground with running back Cesar Cuevas, who has racked up 1,015 yards and 17 touchdowns. Justice Futch isn’t a bad No. 2 option. Futch has 811 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

Pacheco (4-4, 3-1 Western Athletic Conference) at (Patterson 7-0, 3-0), 7 p.m.

The Panthers have scored 153 points during their three-game winning streak, including a 64-57 win over Ceres last week. Aric Barton has led the way since taking over at quarterback, accounting for 616 totals yards and 10 touchdowns in his three starts.

The Tigers have the inside track to the WAC title after routing Los Banos 34-6 last week. Patterson’s Kevin Todd completed 13 of 20 passes for 202 yards and accounted for two touchdowns.

Mariposa (4-2, 3-1 Southern League) at Gustine (7-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m.

The Grizzlies squeaked out a 20-19 win over Delhi last week behind a monster game from Zack Smith. The senior wideout caught 10 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the area with 43 receptions for 712 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Redskins gritted out a 24-21 win over Ripon Christian last week to remain unbeaten. This game features two of the top middle linebackers in the area in Gustine’s Brandon Labry (75 tackles) and Mariposa’s Jake Williams (79 tackles).

Tranquillity (5-2, 0-2 West Sierra League) at Dos Palos (3-4, 2-0), 7 p.m.

The Broncos have rebounded from a 1-4 start by grinding out two white-knuckle games against Mendota and Firebaugh. Andrew Walker has been big in both games, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown in the 14-13 win over Mendota and 142 yards and two touchdowns in the 16-13 win over Firebaugh last week.

Defensive back Adrian Marrufo also played a big role in the Broncos’ win with three interceptions. If the Broncos keep up their momentum, they could be headed for a big game in the final week against Avenal.

Shawn Jansen

This story was originally published October 22, 2015 at 3:44 PM with the headline "Five games to watch Friday."