Week 5 prep football rewind: Madera South, among trio of section surprises, arrives as contender

There’s a new contender for the Central Section’s Division IV football crown.

Quarterback Jonah Johnson made sure of that with a six-touchdown performance as Madera South High knocked off defending division champion Liberty-Madera Ranchos 41-21 on Friday night.

The Hawks entered top-ranked by The Bee in D-IV and riding a state-best 22-game winning streak.

“We’re very excited,” said Dane Cook, the second-year Stallions coach. “I have a lot of respect for their program.”

Madera South (4-1) is one of a trio of surprising success stories – with the starts by Selma (5-1) and Tranquillity (5-0) also being noteworthy – at the season’s midpoint.

The Stallions have had one winning season – an 11-2 mark in 2011 that included a run to the D-III semifinals – since the program’s launch in 2007.

They were 1-19 while being outscored by an average of 48.4-10.2 in the two seasons before Cook, a 1982 Madera graduate, took over.

After opening with a 51-28 loss to Chowchilla, Madera South has won four straight, including 61-40 over D-III contender Fresno and 21-0 against D-IV rival Exeter, the Monarchs’ only loss in a 5-1 start.

Then came the biggie, in Liberty’s house, no less.

Johnson rushed for touchdowns of 23 and three yards, and threw a 19-yard scoring strike to Isaac Hernandez to help Madera South build a 22-7 halftime lead.

Johnson touchdown runs of eight, one and 31 yards allowed the Stallions to put away the Hawks in the second half. Johnson finished with 174 rushing yards on 24 carries while completing 12 of 18 passes for 177 yards.

“He’s an exceptional kid. He makes plays,” Cook said of Johnson, a three-sport athlete who also stars in basketball and is the reigning County/Metro Athletic Conference champion in the shot put.

The Stallions move into CMAC play next week, opening against perennial contender Sanger next Friday. Cook said the Apaches, ranked No. 15 overall and No. 3 in D-II, present a challenge both on the field and as a program to emulate.

“We aspire to be like Sanger,” Cook said. “It’s a similar town to ours. They don’t have a bunch of (NCAA) Division I athletes, but a bunch of blue-collar kids. If we can play like them eventually, I’m going to be happy.”

For now, Cook’s job is keeping Madera South, which has also received key contributions from running back/safety Maurice McClain, outside linebacker Adrian Gomez and defensive end Thomas Doyle, focused on improving each week.

“Our kids haven’t won, so this is new territory for them,” Cook said. “Our job as coaches, we can’t let them relax. We have to stay on top of them and expect them to get better.”

Selma starting to soar – Madera South isn’t the only team making a charge into D-IV contender status.

The same can be said at Selma, where the Bears have won five straight after opening the season with a 38-28 loss to Kerman.

The Bears, who have gone 4-6 each of the past three seasons, responded to the Kerman loss by outscoring their past five opponents 236-28, including back-to-back shutouts of Roosevelt (62-0) and Tulare Western (39-0).

“We still have a long way to go, but the kids have bought into what we’re trying to get going,” said first-year coach Matt Logue, who spent the past eight years as an assistant at Sanger. “The kids are playing hard and with a lot of energy and emotion.”

Selma has averaged 44 points a game behind a diversified offense led by running backs Jordan Dominguez and Joel Aranda, receiver Tiveon Stroud and quarterback Henry Ramirez Jr.

Ramirez passed for three touchdowns on Friday against Tulare Western, including a 28-yarder to Stroud, while Dominguez scored on a two-yard run in the Bears’ final tuneup before starting Central Sequoia League play next Friday at Exeter.

“We have the pieces to be a very good football team,” Logue said. “We have a chance to surprise some people and make a run at our league or whatever happens in the playoffs. It’s all about putting it together. I have high expectations. I think our kids are starting to have those expectations, too. They are starting to believe we can compete.”

Selma’s defense also got in on the scoring Friday, with Dominguez and Paul Moreno each returning a fumble for a touchdown.

“I feel like we are finally starting to play fast,” Logue said. “We always preach, ‘Get to the football. Even if you mess up, if you are going 100 mph, you can make up for a mistake.’ And it’s starting to show up. You see a lot of black jerseys running around the football.”

Unity breeds success at Tranquillity – It’s been six years since the last winning season at Tranquillity.

The Tigers have gone 14-38 since an 8-3 campaign in 2009.

But one of Tranquillity’s own, Juan Sandoval, is helping bring stability and success to a program he played for in 1996 and 1997.

And it all starts with building relationships that foster accountability so players attend class at the small westside farming community school everyday, maintain good grades, show up to practice and stay out of trouble.

“They key is keeping the team together – making sure players are working on their education, making sure when they are on the field, they connect with each other,” said Sandoval, who is in his fourth season as head coach and 11th as a coach in the program.

“In our area, you’ve got to make sure kids are active in sports and getting their grades up.”

The Tigers’ 5-0 nonleague start was punctuated by a 35-21 victory over Riverdale on Friday that saw fourth-year varsity running back Aaron Tafoya go for 225 yards and four touchdowns.

Tranquillity has also received important contributions from quarterback Adan Barajas, tailback Alexis Guillen, fullback/tight end Christopher Silva, slot receiver/tight end Daniel Rodriguez, receiver Jonathan Guzman and safeties Alexis Rubio and Omar Mejia.

The Tigers, who are the only undefeated team in D-VI, open West Sierra League play next Friday by hosting Firebaugh.

“The players are excited,” Sandoval said. “They talk about winning and making the playoffs. But as the head coach, I’ve got to make sure we’re not looking ahead of ourselves and that we are doing what we’re supposed to do to move forward.

“Their goal is to win games, but their goal is also to make sure their teammates are on the same track in school and out of school, coming to practice and being together as a team. Togetherness is what helps teams win.”

Big bounce back for Sunnyside – No. 18 Sunnyside has lost twice this season.

Both times the Wildcats have bounced back with wins over ranked opponents, this time a 27-21 victory Friday against seventh-ranked Stockdale, a D-I contender out of the powerful Southwest Yosemite League.

“The way we came out and responded last night was the right way,” Sunnyside associate head coach Rus Pickett said. “Stockdale has a tradition of winning. We know what their league looks like and the caliber of teams that play against them. For us to ... pull out a win is huge for our program.”

Nate Hughes, who was banged up in a 28-20 loss to Memorial on Sept. 25, rushed for touchdowns of one and seven yards, and threw a 13-yard score to P.J. Patterson to help Sunnyside improve to 3-2.

It’s the first time in four seasons that the Wildcats have finished their nonleague schedule with a winning record. They open North Yosemite League play next Friday at McLane.

Sunnyside, which began the season with a 7-0 loss to El Diamante before beating then-No. 17 Mt. Whitney 49-19 the next week, also got a boost from its defense Friday, with Andrew Ortega returning a fumble five yards for a score and Marcus Hawkins reeling in a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter.

“This was a good win for us, character building,” Pickett said. “We fought it out.”

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Week 5 prep football rewind: Madera South, among trio of section surprises, arrives as contender."