Merced ready to tackle Modesto

With the playoffs here, the safety net is gone for local high school football teams. Merced senior A.J. Stewart knows the next loss is his last in a Bears football uniform.

“It’s way different,” Stewart said. “I know there’s no second chances. We have to get it done or we’re done. I’m not ready to be done.”

Stewart and Merced (7-3) will open the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs tonight against Modesto (7-3) at Veterans Stadium.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“For this group, they’ve really enjoyed the journey,” said Merced coach Rob Scheidt, whose team won its third consecutive Central California Conference championship and brings a six-game winning streak into the playoffs. “They don’t want the journey to end. I had guys at halftime last week against Golden Valley that were down because they knew it was their last Mayor’s Cup game.

“We have the possibility of having 16 practices left. We want to get all 16 of them in.”

To do that, Merced has a tough road. The winner of tonight’s game will likely face No. 2 seed Elk Grove (10-0) in the second round next week with a possible matchup in the semifinals with No. 3 seed Oak Ridge (8-2) and Notre Dame-bound quarterback Ian Book.

However, that’s down the road for Merced. The Bears’ focus this week has been on Modesto and quarterback Max McCabe, who has passed for 1,665 yards and 14 touchdowns and also rushed for 443 yards and 11 more scores.

“We have to get after him,” Scheidt said. “Obviously their quarterback is dynamic. He has 2,100 all-purpose yards. He can throw the ball and run the ball. They’ve got some good skill guys. We have to take that away from them.”

The Bears head into the playoffs banged up. Running back Ulonzo Gilliam hasn’t played in three games with a high ankle sprain and middle linebacker Marco Granados tore an ACL against Turlock two weeks ago.

Merced is expected to have quarterback Jake Foss tonight. The junior didn’t play in the second half against Golden Valley last week after injuring his throwing shoulder against Turlock the week before.

“The plan is he’s going to go,” Scheidt said. “We’re trying to figure out what he can do. There’s nothing structurally wrong, but he’s still having a lot of pain when he throws. We’re going to leave it up to our big guys. Our running backs are running the ball well and our defense is playing well. It’s been a good formula for us.”

The Bears have battled through the injuries as Paul Scoggins and Rayveon Slaton have shared the carries in the backfield and have played well. The duo combined for 322 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 42-12 win over Golden Valley.

Stewart, who filled in at quarterback for Foss, says everybody is ready to do whatever is needed for the team.

“I’m ready to help the team no matter what it is,” Stewart said. “I know my team has my back and I’ve got theirs.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Merced ready to tackle Modesto."