High school football: Buffaloes silence Thunder early in season opener

Posted Aug. 28, 2016 at 12:01 AM

ATWATER — Manteca High’s football team displayed its many talents Saturday night, rolling to a 30-point halftime lead on the way to a 37-13 rout of Buhach Colony in the season opener for both schools.

The Buffaloes were dominant from the start, chewing up chunks of yardage thanks to quarterback Gino Campiotti and a stable of hard-running backs. Campiotti played only the first half, tossing a 10-yard TD to Jose Garcia in the first quarter for a 15-0 lead.

Six-foot, 215-pound bruiser Ferrin Manuleleua opened the scoring with a 3-yard burst up the middle, and the two-point conversion made it 8-0 mere minutes into the game.

A partially blocked punt and an interception led to the next two touchdowns, short runs by Seth Owings and 6-1, 215-pound James Thomas for a 30-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Thomas wasn’t finished, either.

After Alex Andrade broke free on a 65-yard scoring run to give Buhach its first score, the Thunder challenged again late in the half. On fourth-and-goal from the 9, Buhach lined up for a field goal — then discussed sending the offense back on the field after Manteca jumped offside.

The kicker stayed on the field, which led to Manteca’s big play of the night.

A high snap destroyed any chance for a field goal, and the holder tossed the ball toward the end zone. It never got there, as Thomas reached up with his big paws to catch the ball — and didn’t stop running until he had covered 95 yards for another TD and a 37-7 lead.

Manteca’s defense featuring 6-foot-4, 270-pound interior linemen Justin Kakala and a set of quick linebackers, repeatedly dropped Buhach runners at or behind the line. With the Thunder running a variety of sweeps from its fly offense, Manteca stretched its personnel horizontally and was able to defend from sideline to sideline.

Aside from the two interceptions, Manteca repeatedly smacked Buhach quarterback Andrew Morris as he desperately looked for receivers downfield. Even when Morris found a target, he usually ended up on the ground with a Buffalo atop him.

The 30-point halftime lead allowed Manteca coach Eric Reis to play his backups throughout the second half. That helped keep the starters healthy going into next Saturday’s home opener against Christian Brothers of Sacramento and Jamarri Jackson.

It’s going to be Christian Brothers’ opener, which means Manteca has the advantage of having already played. Jackson is a prolific playmaker, though, piling up 1,222 yards and 22 TDs as a junior.