Every week brings answers. It also creates a whole new set of questions.
That’s the fun of a high school football season. There are reactions, overreactions and takeaways as San Joaquin County teams continue to show what they might become.
And then there are the numbers that make you look twice.
Some belong in a video game, the kind you might put up with Madden or EA Sports College Football set to easy mode. Others may not seem quite as unreal but still find a way to fill nearly every corner of the stat sheet.
Here are The Record’s biggest takeaways, reactions and top individual performances from Week 0.
Key Takeaways
Panic or first-game jitters for Chavez?
A lot can change in a year. Chavez went from beating Franklin of Elk Grove 39-26 to losing 34-14, its first
regular-season defeat since Aug. 30, 2024. Maybe Franklin took a step forward. Maybe graduation took more from the Titans than expected. But perhaps nothing showed the difference more than the ground game. Chavez managed just 33 rushing yards on 12 carries, its fewest since Derek Graves took over in 2024, after piling up 181 yards and four touchdowns last year.
Oakdale’s Wing-T just keeps working
Only a few, if any, were really concerned. Still, losing that many rushing yards and touchdowns naturally brought questions about what Oakdale’s backfield would look like. Apparently, just fine. The Mustangs pounded out 310 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries in a 21-9 road upset of Sonora, fresh off a 15-0 CIF State Division 4-A championship season after winning the Division 2-A state title the year before.
Did St. Mary’s somehow get better?
Let’s not crown St. Mary’s after one game. But holding Nevada’s No. 8 Bishop Manogue to seven points sure makes the question worth asking. The Rams followed last year’s 51-38 win with a 27-7 road victory behind three touchdown passes from first-time starter Ronan Carr, five catches for 66 yards and a score from Fresno State commit Rene Garcia, and nine tackles and two sacks from Micah Mandracken. The defense picked off two passes, too. Better yet, the winner of the past two meetings has gone on to win state.
Don’t sleep on River Islands
Two wins in Year 1. Three wins in Year 2. Now, Year 3 may be when River Islands starts turning the corner. State championship contender? No. Section playoff team? Maybe. Top 15 in the county? Who knows. But a 49-20 win over Waterford offered a glimpse of what could be different. Daryl Carpenter threw for 387 yards and six touchdowns, while transfer Darien East caught six passes for 166 yards and three scores.
Trouble brewing for Linden and Lathrop?
Back-to-back league titles had Lathrop reaching heights it never had before. Linden was coming off its first section championship appearance since 2004. Then came an offseason of departures, including the head coach who helped change Lathrop’s program. Is trouble brewing? Lathrop fell 23-6 to Golden Valley, while Linden lost 15-7 to East Nicolaus.
Video Game Numbers
Ayden McClendon, quarterback, Edison — Talk about making a first impression. In his first high school start, McClendon completed 20 of 27 passes for 434 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, leading Edison to a 39-20 win over Elk Grove.
Daryl Carpenter, quarterback, River Island — There are career nights, and then there are nights that blow every previous career high away. The River Islands senior quarterback completed 22 of 28 passes for 387 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in a 49-20 win over Waterford.
Taevion Gibson, wide receiver, McNair — A season’s worth of production nearly disappeared in one night. Gibson finished his junior year with 302 receiving yards, then opened his senior season with 204 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches as McNair beat Livingston 34-14.
Andres Ruiz, running back, Oakdale — So much for wondering who would carry the load. Ruiz rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on five carries and added a 54-yard touchdown catch as Oakdale stunned reigning state champion Sonora 21-9.
Stat Sheet Stuffers
Tokay junior quarterback Nico Sinigaglia made his debut count, tossing four touchdowns with no interceptions while going 10-of-16 for 171 yards in a 48-23 rout of crosstown rival Lodi.
Any questions about Ripon Christian’s new-look backfield after a run to the section championship didn’t last long as junior running back Tyler Van Elderen ran 17 times for 175 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-6 rout of Summerville.
From 1,000-yard rusher at Sierra to a new school and position, River Islands junior Darien East picked up right where he left off with seven catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns in a 49-20 win over Waterford.
After appearing in just three games last season, Tracy senior cornerback Kaedan Gulko made sure Merrill West learned quickly not to throw his way, finishing with two interceptions and four pass breakups in a 69-7 win.
Franklin senior quarterback Miguel Pulido hurt Galt with his arm and his legs, going 9-of-16 for 221 yards and two touchdowns before adding 71 yards and two scores on six carries in a 26-21 win.
Every catch had big-play potential for Edison senior wide receiver Travis Gresham, who turned five receptions into 161 yards and a touchdown in a 39-20 win over Elk Grove.
This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin County football Week 0 takeaways and top performances
