A Ripon resident and former business owner for more than a decade, first-year East Union coach Booie Daniels has gotten to know the community well.
That includes the players he is coaching against this week.
The 1-1 Indians from Ripon High invade Dino Cunial Field on Friday eager to end their four-game skid against the Lancers (2-0). It’s a Week 2 game with big implications after both teams missed the postseason last year.
“I’ve been (in Ripon) for about 15 years, so I’m familiar with the kids,” Daniels said. His family used to run the Alpha Omega CrossFit facility in town. “They’re a very physical team, and I know that they’re going to come into our house ready to give everything they got.
“They had a tough win against Enochs last week, and that’s where you find yourself — in those types of games. With East Union beating them last year, I’m sure that has left a bitter taste in their mouth. We have to fire on all cylinders Friday night.”
His Lancers know what it’s like to bust out of a losing against a rival. Last week, they ended Kimball’s six-year hex with a 28-14 win. In that game, senior Anthony Morales provided a spark after replacing starter Kirk Simoni at quarterback coming out of halftime. East Union was shut out in the first half, done in by two turnovers.
“This week, we’re going to go with Anthony at quarterback,” Daniels said. “We saw some good stuff from him in the second half. In the first half, we were stagnant, and he was able to spark that fire and the guys rallied behind him. From there, the guys were executing. We want to keep that momentum rolling this week against Ripon.”
Daniels and is staff are also tinkering with the offensive line, as they want to continue establishing a consistent run game that can complement the aerial attack.
Ripon has also had to made some early tweaks, namely on defense.
After a frustrating 47-44 loss to Linden in Week 0, the Indians tightened up their secondary and grounded Enochs’ dangerous passing game in a 10-7 comeback victory. Enochs just so happens to be East Union’s next opponent.
Ripon gave up an early touchdown and did not answer until the fourth quarter when Nathan Curless found the end zone on a 4-yard jaunt. Ricky Langenfeld hit the tying point-after kick and later pushed Ripon ahead with a 32-yard field goal.
“It has been a very big learning process,” Ripon coach Chris Musseman said. “Our offense is in a different mode than what it has been, and we’ve made some changes on defense. The focus has been mainly on ourselves and what we can to do get better. We’re coming along, and we’ve come a long way. It’s just about getting a little more refined.”
Ripon has had varying results against spread offenses and will face another at EU. It’s good preparation for what’s to come on the other side of the Indians’ bye. They open Trans-Valley League play on Sept. 20 Arizona-committed quarterback Robert McDaniel and Hughson.
They’re not looking past the Lancers, however.
“They’re a super fast team,” Musseman said of East Union. “It’s always a concern when we go against a team with that much speed. On film, they look really well coached and they execute well on both sides of the ball. It’s going to be quite a challenge for us, but I think our kids might be up for it.”
Also in Week 2:
Manteca (1-0) at Laguna Creek (1-1): Coming off their early bye, Buffaloes are taking on a second Delta League opponent in three weeks.
Laguna Creek is a newcomer to the talent-rich Delta League after three seven-win seasons in the last four. Ryan Eddy and Armon Thorntona are among the Cardinals’ top returning playmakers.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Eddy was their leading receiver as a sophomore but is now getting touches in the run game. He has totaled 306 yards from scrimmage to go with four touchdowns. Sophomore Kyle Draper (230 yards, four TDs) is another multi-dimensional threat with speed. At 5-9, 208 pounds, the muscular Thorntona (146 rushing yards, three TDs) provides the power.
Senior quarterback Owen Burke (12-of-16 passing, 282 yards, three TDs) filled in well for injured third-year starter Mitchell Labrado last week when Laguna Creek outlasted Tokay, 62-40. Labrado appeared to injure his throwing arm in the Cardinals’ season-opening 33-27 loss at Vista del Lago.
The defense is anchored by 6-1, 290-pound two-way lineman Thomas Pantega.
Sierra (1-1) at Modesto (1-1): Modesto has been on opposite ends of one-sided shutouts. The Panthers were first blown out by city rival Johansen, 37-0, and they blitzed Bear Creek last week, 57-0.
Running back Vannthesouk Dam leads the Modesto offense with 215 yards (6.5 per carry) and three touchdowns. Israel Ceniceros is a big dual-threat quarterback at 6-2, 215 pounds, though the Panthers have yet to score on a pass play. The defense came up with two pick-sixes against Bear Creek.
Modesto has struggled in recent years. Its last season with three wins or more wins came in 2018. Sierra routed the Panthers in each of the last two years.
Led by Zak Willson’s 284 passing yards and three touchdowns, the Timberwolves ended a nine-game losing streak at home last week with their 30-7 victory over Grace Davis. In fact, their last win at Daniel Teicheira Memorial Stadium was against Modesto, 59-27, on Sept. 19, 2022.
Lathrop (2-0) at Patterson (1-1): The Spartans have key wins over rivals Sierra and Mountain House in their back pocket, and now comes their biggest challenge of the regular season.
This is the first-ever football meeting between the two schools, and Patterson represent the third Valley Oak League opponent in a row for Lathrop.
Patterson is set up for another deep postseason run after narrowly losing to Escalon in the SJS Division IV final last year. Many of the Tigers’ standouts return, including quarterback Max Medina and 6-6, 350-pound lineman Daniel Mataele — both are third-year junior starters.
Also back are leading rusher Jeremiah Lugo and leading receiver Noah Cozart. Second-year sophomore Jace Johnson, a big target at 6-3, 220, Xavier Tinoco and Romeo Manu are some of Patterson’s other weapons of note. Patterson’s defense is led by talented junior linebackers Hayden Groogsma and Royale Tago as well as 6-2, 220-pound edge rusher Tresor Mulumba, who holds offers from Cornell, Penn and UC Davis.
After opening with a win over Merced, the Tigers fell short against California of San Ramon, 41-34. Cal is part of the competitive East Bay Athletic League’s Mountain Division with the likes of NorCal kingpin De La Salle. Jhadis Luckey, a junior transfer from Manteca, torched Patterson for 193 rushing yards and three touchdowns to go with an interception on defense.
Calaveras (2-0) at Ripon Christian (1-1): After splitting their first two games on the road, the Knights face an upstart Calaveras squad that is primed to return to its former glory.
The Red Hawks are off and running with dominant wins over Stone Ridge Christian, 27-7, and Los Altos, 54-0. Ripon Christian’s fly offense will be confronted by a stiff run defense that has surrendered less than 50 rushing yards, so far. The Knights struggled to get their run game going in the zero-week loss at Summerville but ground out 200 yards at 4.4 per carry in a bounce-back win at El Capitan.
Calaveras’ defense is headed by returning All-Mother Lode League first-team selections linebacker Kodey Paulson, defensive lineman Jorn Bauerson, defensive back Cody Ferrante and 6-4, 220-pound defensive end Josh Manzo.
Offensively, Calaveras also looks to run with the fly offense and has been able to do so with fullback Caden Spurr, Ryan Clifton, Ferrante and Paulson. Clifton spearheads the Red Hawks with six touchdowns scored, including one off a punt return last week.
River Islands (1-1) at Chavez (0-2): With the first varsity win in program history now in the rear-view mirror, the Riptide want to build momentum heading into its bye week and maiden voyage through the Mother Lode League.
It will look to do so against a team aching to break a 13-game losing streak. Chavez is under new but familiar management with alumnus Derek Graves at head coach. He previously guided Kimball the past two seasons, making back-to-back postseason appearances.
The Titans have size and experience on their side in the trenches and on defense but are young at the offensive skill positions.
Freshman quarterback Elijah Walker orchestrates the attack, and sophomore Izzac Tapia gets the most touches at running back. Jackson Batch, a 6-2 receiver, leads them with 12 receptions, 116 yards and two scores.
It will be the home opener for Chavez, which opened its season with a 29-6 loss to Galena of Las Vegas. Last week, the Titans took a 14-0 lead at Pacheco but wound up losing, 16-14.
