Golden Valley High football coach Rick Martinez has seen glimpses of what his team can be so far this season. There’s been a big play here, a key stop there, but Martinez wants to see the Cougars put it together for a full game. “We have kind of kept growing from week one to week two to week three,” Martinez said. “We were playing well for two quarters to two and a half quarters to three quarters. We need to play four quarters.”

 

The Cougars hope that four quarters of solid football comes out tonight when Golden Valley (0-3) hosts Pitman (2-1) at Veterans Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. With Merced, El Capitan and Livingston all on byes this week, there are only three MUHSD teams in action. Atwater (2-1) travels to Hilmar (2-1) and Buhach Colony (1-2) hosts Ceres (1-1).

 

After rotating quarterbacks through the first three games, Martinez and the coaching staff have opted to turn to Gabe Richards as the primary quarterback. The junior has completed 28 of 48 passes for 345 yards and four touchdowns through the first three games. Martinez says he’s making the change to allow the offense to get in a flow. “It’s a about one guy getting to play and finding a rhythm,” Martinez said. “So moving forward, we'll have a starter and a backup, and we’ll start that (against Pitman).

 

The Cougars have shown some-big play ability, especially from running back Isaiah Welch, who has rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns. Jaren Bell has been a consistent weapon at receiver, hauling in eight catches for 87 yards against Elk Grove last week. 

 

Martinez says he’s seen a difference in practices as players have become accustomed to expectations and playing at the varsity level. “I think the biggest thing is that we're really learning how to practice at a high tempo,” Martinez said. “They're really picking up the tempo and just learning how to practice the correct way every day and not just going through the motions. We continue to grow and we’re seeing the development.”

 

The Cougars will get a tough test in Pitman, which is coming off its first loss to Hughson last week. The Pride are led by senior Mason Helwick, who has rushed for 358 yards in three games. First-year coach Braden Plaa took over the Pride program this year. “They’ve gone from a Wing-T to more of a spread look,” Martinez said. “We just have to execute. I don't think it's so much about what Pitman is doing or what anybody's doing. It's what we have to do, and we have to execute and minimize our mistakes, just be efficient on the field, on both sides of the ball.”

 

Atwater (2-1) at Hilmar (2-1) – These two teams have played some games that have come down to the wire in recent years with Hilmar winning 8-7 in 2023 and the Yellowjackets also winning 24-23 last year. Atwater running back Durrell Morrison is coming off a career-best 224 rushing yards and three touchdowns in the Falcons’ 27-14 win over Gregori last week. Atwater quarterback A.J. Banks has thrown for 700 yards and nine touchdowns through three games.

 

Ceres (1-1) at Buhach Colony (1-2) – The Thunder snapped their 23-game losing streak with an 18-13 victory over Enochs last week. Blake O’Brien delivered two rushing touchdowns last week and leads the Thunder with 207 rushing yards and 72 receiving yards this season. Mason Caetano has led the Buhach Colony defense with three sacks.

 

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.