40 years ago: March 1, 1978 – Manteca High wrestler Ed Mayfield finished third at the Sac-Joaquin Section finals held in Napa this weekend, just high enough to qualify for state competition which starts Friday morning at San Diego State College. Mayfield’s coach, Larry Lathrop, said to the best of his knowledge, Mayfield is the first Buffalo grappler to ever attend two state tournaments. The 165-pounder also qualified last year.

Manteca High won the Nesbitt trophy last weekend in a three-day basketball tournament at Oroville. Six teams played shortened 18- minute games, with the Buffaloes defeating Gridley High 34-33 to receive the tournament crown. Bob O’Rourke scored 64 points in the tourney’s six games to finish fourth in overall scoring.

Trailing by four points at halftime of their first-round playoff game for the Sac-Joaquin Section 2A basketball title, Manteca High roared back for an eventual 62-46 victory over El Dorado High of Placerville Friday night. Four Buffaloes scored in double figures as Larry Cardoza led the way with 15 points. Larry Potter tanked 14, Bob O’Rourke had 12 and Pete Duenas added 10 to the winning total.

Fighting fierce wind and cold, and battling each other, Manteca and Livingston Highs ended their Friday baseball game in a 5-5 tie.

East Union High was no match for the wind or Lincoln High Friday afternoon, losing a traumatic 15-1 ball game on their home diamond. The lone Lancer run was scored in the bottom of the first inning when Temo Chavez came home on Neil Prater’s wind-blown single to left field. Chavez had reached first on a Trojan error.

Ed Williams, East Union High golf coach, said gusty winds added about four or five strokes to each player’s game Friday afternoon but his school still tallied 216, eight strokes lower than the nearest competitor when Manteca, Atwater and Tracy High Schools played the Lancers on the Manteca golf course. Dave Perry carded a two-over-par 38 for the Lancers.

The East Union High tennis team was handed a 4-1 defeat by Edison High Friday as the Lancers took to the courts for their first match this season. EU’s first doubles team of Peter Rembulat and Kurt Shigematsu scored the Lancers’ only victory of the day.

Winning their first match of the year despite a menacing wind, Manteca High’s tennis team defeated Livingston High 5-0 last Friday. Singles winners were Jeff Brock, Randy Adair and Mark Pinto. Buffalo doubles victors were Grant Brashears/Paul Moore and Ricardo Suarez/Jim Anderson.

30 years ago: March 6, 1988 – Placer High capitalized on East Union High’s uncharacteristic cold spell in the final four minutes and emerged 50-49 victors in Saturday night’s championship game of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III basketball playoffs at Del Campo High in Fair Oaks. For the Lancers, the loss was its sixth in the past 11 seasons going to the playoffs. EU has yet to win a Section title in the boys’ cage sport. Gary Kron led all scorers with 23 points in a losing cause. David Horton added 15 points, all on three-pointers. Coach Bill Strickers’ boys will enter the NorCal playoffs with a 23-9 record.

In a baseball game described as “bizarre” by East Union High Coach Darrell Hardcastle, the Lancer diamond crew was edged 7-6 by Stagg High Saturday afternoon. The non-league contest was marked by a player ejection, a forfeit call by the umpire and cancellation of the forfeit moments later. The Lancers racked up 10 hits, including three doubles and two triples and stole seven bases but were done in by erratic pitching and messy defense. Five EU pitchers gave up 11 walks, while the defense committed five errors. Tony Alexander had a double and a triple in a losing cause.

The Manteca High girls, cruising toward one of the biggest upsets of the basketball season, ran into a horrid cold spell late in the fourth quarter and dropped a 52-47 decision to league rival Sonora High in the semifinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III tournament at Del Campo High in Fair Oaks Friday afternoon.  Coach Butch Linn’s Lady Buffs end the season with a 20-9 mark. 

Joey Franco shook off some early pitching woes and received seventh inning help from Ricky Ochoa as Manteca High rallied from a 4-0 deficit to claim its first baseball win of the season Friday, a 5-4 triumph over Edison High of Stockton. Alberto Almeida and Oscar Castellanos each drove in a run for Coach Jack Thomson’s Buffaloes.

Mike Parsons fired an even-par 36 and Jason Snyder registered his second straight 38 to boost East Union High’s golf team to its fifth straight win of the season, a 208-229 victory over Tracy High at the Manteca Park Course.

It was nearly a second clean sweep by the Manteca High tennis team Thursday, as it registered an easy 4-1 triumph over the host Modesto High squad. The Buffalo netters got perfect efforts from both their No. 1 singles player and No. 1 doubles team. The Buffs’ Eddie Hubik won 6-0, 6-0, while the duo of Paul Banks/Tony Mello posted the same scores.

East Union High’s soccer team landed seven players on the first team as the Lancers dominated the All-VOL selections. Tim Hamm was named the co-MVP on the squad, with teammates Phil Diaz, Jed Phelps, Jason Tyra, Brian Soiseth, Alan Sandoval and Philip Menchaca joining him. Oscar Castellanos was the lone Manteca High player chosen.

With a trio of sophomores shooting in the low 40’s Wednesday, Manteca High posted a 223-232 victory over host Granada High at the Los Positos golf course in Livermore. Alan Thomas led the Buffaloes with a 41.

Four local high school gridders, two each from Manteca High and East Union High, have been selected to play in the annual Lions Central California All-Star Football Game. This year’s quartet selected to play for the North squad are Manteca’s Marshall Cannon and Marc Kokoris and EU’s Alex Landeros and Gary Madden.