NEWMAN, Calif – Devon Bell and defense took the spotlight for the Orestimba High football in a Trans-Valley League and homecoming game against Ripon’s squad.
In front of a large crowd at Warrior Stadium, Orestimba came away with a 10-7 win over Ripon. The contest wrapped up the Warriors’ homecoming week-long festivities.
“It was an awesome homecoming atmosphere,” said Orestimba head coach Aaron Souza. “It was an awesome football game. It was good for our kids to win a tight, close game. We hadn’t won a grinder, yet. It was a great win for us.”
This was the second time since 2010 that Orestimba beat Ripon in a football game. That was when the Warriors were a member of the TVL in which they posted a 40-21 victory over Ripon in the 2010 game. The Indians won the next three games from 2011 to 2013. Both schools were members of the Southern Athletic League until 1984 when Ripon joined the TVL.
The win for Orestimba (2-1 in the TVL, 5-1 overall) over Ripon (0-2 in the TVL, 2-4) in another plus in terms of earning a better Sac-Joaquin Section playoff spot.
According to CalPreps, which is used to help seed the section playoffs, the Warriors have a rating of 0.1. Orestimba has already qualified for a post-season berth with at least four wins during the regular season.
League-leader Sonora (3-0 in the TVL, 6-0) has a 23 rating, followed by Hughson (3-0 in the TVL, 6-0) at 9.6 and Escalon (1-2 in the TVL, 2-4) at 3.7 and the Warriors. Ripon is at -10.7.
After a scoreless first quarter, Orestimba scored first in the second quarter.
An offensive drive that reached to the Ripon 5-yard line had built momentum for the Warriors. But a few misfortunes pushed the football back to the Ripon 17.
“We were very fortunate we got points out of there,” Souza said.
Then Bell trotted onto the field to boot a 34-yard field goal that sailed through the uprights and gave Orestimba a 3-0 lead.
“I know that at that point in the game, that field goal would be the difference, no,” said Souza, “but I did know that, based on how the first quarter went… defensive slugfest. I knew that points would be at a premium.”
The Warriors increased their lead to 10-0 in the quarter when quarterback Jacob Valenzuela threw a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Dylan McCauley. Bell’s extra-point kick was good.
“We drove, drove and drove,” said Souza of the Warriors’ only touchdown of the game. “
Ripon scored its only touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard run.
The Warriors’ defense came up with a big play in the fourth quarter that kept Ripon out of the end zone. Defensive back Mateo Navarro had an interception at midfield with over three minutes left in the game that sealed the win.
“Our defense made a statement,” Souza said.
The Warriors’ defense, Souza states, did the job from the start of the game until the end.
Valenzuela completed 10 of 20 passes for 119 yards.
McCauley pulled in 4 receptions for 60 yards. Warrior teammate Richie Rivas had 2 catches for 47 yards.
On the ground, running back Nicolas Cuevas had 35 yards on 5 carries. He accounted for half of the Warriors’ rushing yards at 65.
Moving to defense, Cuevas, from his linebacker’s spot, had a total of 10 tackles that included four solo and six assisted and a quarterback sack. Rivas, playing defensive back, followed with seven tackles that included five assisted and two solo.
Souza further stated that the win over a strong program like Ripon is a moral boost for the Warrior football program, the school and the city of Newman.
“I just think it was one of those wins we needed as a program,” Souza said. “We needed to prove all our off-season hard work that we had prepped for to be in this league, in this league realignment. It was an opportunity that we needed to take, and we took it.”
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushphotography.
