It was a historic night as Buhach Colony and El Capitan high schools both hosted their first-ever football games in their new stadiums. Large crowds turned out to celebrate the beginning of a new era for both programs. 

 

“It was pretty electric,” said Buhach Colony head coach Kevin Navarra. “It just seemed so different to watch all the pieces kind of get put together. I thought leadership did a really great job.I could hear the band, I could hear our cheer section.  I think people were super excited.”

 

At El Capitan there was a helicopter flyover prior to the opening kickoff. It was a goosebump-type of moment for the Gauchos coaches and players. “it was great,” said El Capitan head coach Xavier Ramirez. “Just to see the house packed, to see the people in the stands. We had the Rotary Club come and do the coin toss. We had the flag in the middle of the field, you have the national anthem and you and the fireworks going off. You had to flyover. It was a great atmosphere. I saw a couple tears in a couple kids' eyes and a couple coaches too.”

 

On the field, it wasn’t a storybook night as Johansen (2-00 defeated Buhach Colony (0-2) 28-8 and Central Valley (1-1) picked up a 41-20 win over the Gauchos (0-2). “(Johansen) won the line of scrimmage, they won that battle in the trenches,” Navarra said.

 

Jonathan DeLoa will be the answer to the future trivia question as he scored the first Buhach Colony touchdown in the new stadium on a run. 

 

El Capitan’s first touchdown came on a 4-yard pass from quarterback Jesse Morgan to receiver Austin Gooding.The Gauchos opened the game by recovering an onside kick and going down the field to set up the first score in the new stadium. “What a great moment for (Gooding),” Ramirez said. “What a great moment for Jesse, the team and everyone.”

 

Central Valley recovered two onside kicks of their own in the first half as the Hawks built a 26-14 lead at the half. The Hawks scored three consecutive touchdowns with the help of the two onside kicks recovered. 

 

“We fell behind early and we couldn't catch up,” Ramirez said. “Our offense only had three possessions in the first half. We kept our defense on the field too long.”

 

Evan Jenkins returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the Gauchos and Morgan later added a touchdown run.

 

Merced 29, Gregori 7  – The Bears improved to 2-0 with another strong defensive showing. Chris Jackson returned a punt for a score and also added a touchdown catch. Jomei Montes kicked two field goals for Merced.

 

Tokay 49, Golden Valley 21 – Tokay returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and quickly added a pick-six to jump out in front 14-0 a few minutes into the game. Gabe Richards and Isaiah Welch both scored rushing touchdowns for Golden Valley (1-1) and Richards connected with receiver Damian Soriano for the other score. 

 

Hughson 39, Atwater 7 – The Huskies jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first half. Brayden Bettis accounted for the Falcons lone touchdown as Atwater dropped to 0-2 on the season.

 

Stevenson 35, Livingston 14 – The Pirates outscored the Wolves 28 to seven in the second half to pull away. Jeff Meneses returned a kickoff 98 yards for the Wolves and Tony Henry added the other touchdown on a 20-yard reception. 

 

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