East Union’s quarterback quandary has come at an inopportune time, but ahead are its long-awaited bye week and a winless opponent on the other side.

Meanwhile, Manteca and its rotating backfield has continued their roll from the top of the Valley Oak League standings.

The two will meet for their 57th grid-iron grudge match Friday at EU’s Dino Cunial Stadium. Manteca owns a 42-13-1 series lead and has won 12 in a row since its 2010 undefeated team was stunned by the Lancers in Week 10.

The current Buffaloes (3-0 VOL, 6-1 overall) have been dominant all season, save for a fourth-quarter collapse against Bay Area power Marin Catholic. They’ve bounced back from the 29-28 heartbreaker, even with their leading rusher limited by a shoulder injury since starting league play with a 31-14 win over reigning champion Central Catholic.

Nikko Juarez (829 yards, 10.8 per carry, 12 TDs) sat out entirely last week, as Manteca demolished Mountain House 56-0 with 11 different ball carriers. The Buffs even lined up in spread to air it out. Owen Gully, who has been splitting snaps with Preston Smith all season, completed eight of 10 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

East Union (0-4, 4-4) has struggled after starting 4-0, and costly turnovers have hurt the Lancers in competitive losses to Patterson and Oakdale.

Last week, in a 49-14 loss at Central Catholic, sophomore quarterback Peyton Heath made his varsity debut. Senior Anthony Morales started the game, and junior Kirk Simoni got the nod to begin the second half. The trio finished 13-of-30 for 143 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Lancers end their regular season in two weeks against Mountain House.

Here’s a glance at other Week 8 contests:

Valley Oak League

Patterson (2-2, 4-4) at Sierra (2-1, 5-2): The Timberwolves’ bye week came on the heels of their lopsided 60-21 loss to VOL co-leading Manteca.

The break included some sobering news, however, as their top player, RB/LB Brock Felt had season-ending surgery after suffering a leg injury against Manteca. Sierra now must make do without the punishing ball carrier, whose early-season emergence provided balance to the spread offense. Felt ends his season with 931 rushing yards (9.1 per carry), 11 touchdowns and 48 tackles on defense — all team highs.

Sierra locks up with Patterson for the first time since 2010, a 49-45 playoff loss. With most standouts from their Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV runner-up team returning, the Tigers have proven to be a worthy addition to the VOL, even in defeat. Last week, they lost 56-40 at Oakdale.

Patterson comes with its own prolific spread led by third-year junior QB Max Medina, who is the leading passer in the SJS with 2,188 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Western Athletic Conference

Lathrop (4-0, 6-1) at Livingston (3-1, 4-3): The first confrontation between these two doubles as an unofficial championship game.

The Spartans have already cleared other potential contenders, and their next two opponents — Central Valley and Beyer — are a combined 3-11.

Livingston returns to the WAC after six years in the highly-competitive Trans-Valley League. The Wolves will try and test Lathrop’s physical defensive front with its old-school double-wing offense led by senior fullback Adrian Hernandez (639 yards, four TDs).

The Spartans also like to duke it out in the trenches with their Wing-T. They’ll be met by the likes of 6-foot-1, 265-pound lineman Julian Chavez, who highlighted Livingston’s blowout of Central Valley last week with an interception return 48 yards for a touchdown.

Livingston’s lone conference loss is to Grace Davis, 14-10. Lathrop earlier waxed Davis, 35-0. A Wolves upset win Friday would force a three-way share for first place. The Spartans are vying for their first league title at the varsity level.

Trans-Valley League

Sonora (3-1, 6-1) at Ripon (0-3, 2-5): Ripon had its undefeated streak against Ripon Christian snapped last week in a 30-6 defeat, while Sonora dropped its thrilling battle of unbeatens at Hughson, 52-51.

Although Sonora is new to the TVL, the Indians are already familiar with their next opponent. These small-school heavyweights have met in non-league contests nine times in the last decade, with the Wildcats winning seven of them. Ripon’s last win against them came during its 2019 state-championship campaign.

The Indians have mostly faced spread offenses, but now they’ll get to slug it out with Sonora’s run-heavy triple-option attack powered by a loaded junior class that includes 6-1, 210-pound fullback Tommy Sutton (790 yards, seven TDs).

Quarterback Eli Ingalls is as dangerous with his legs (336 yards, eight TDs) as his arm (487 yards, six TDs). Cash Byington and Brody Speer are key contributors as rushers and receivers.

Ripon Christian (1-2, 4-3) at Escalon (1-2, 2-5): Ripon Christian earned its first-ever win over rival Ripon in convincing fashion, but it will only get tougher from here.

Up next are the wounded and desperate Cougars, who will need to win at least two of their final three contests for postseason consideration. It’s an unfamiliar spot for the longtime TVL titan, which claimed its 12th SJS championship last year.

Junior QB Logan Huebner has not played since injury a knee in Escalon’s TVL-opening loss to Sonora. Last Thursday, in a 28-0 loss to reigning Division V-A champion Woodland Christian, freshman running back Dylan Ball went down with a groin injury. The Cougars have already been without two-way star Sam Jimenez, who suffered a season-ending knee injury over the summer after leading Escalon with more than 1,000 receiving yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Escalon still has weapons in its Wing-T, and they’re running behind big and experienced linemen such as 6-6, 300-pound Ryan Murphy and 6-4, 230-pound tight end Ryan Lewis. Lewis also lead the defense at defensive end with 47 tackles and 7.0 sacks.

RC is 0-4 all-time against the Cougars.

Mother Lode League

River Islands (0-4, 1-6) at Bret Harte (0-3, 0-6): The toughest stretch of their inaugural varsity season is finally in the rear-view mirror for the Riptide.

Since notching their first win in Week 1, they’ve faced five opponents with a combined 28-7 record.

While River Islands is in the process of building its program, Bret Harte is undergoing a complete rebuild after not fielding a varsity team the past three years. The Bullfrogs, in fact, did not even have a program in 2022 but had enough players last season to compete at the JV level.

Like the Riptide, who have been shut out five times, Bret Harte has struggled to get untracked offensively and been held scoreless on three occasions. Dual-threat QB Ezequiel Robles orchestrates the Bullfrogs’ spread offense. Boston Williams is their big-play threat as a runner, receiver and on special teams.