Turlock High head coach James Peterson has been involved in each of the first 21 Harvest Bowls, the first five as a defensive line coach and the last 16 as the Bulldogs’ skipper. It has been a rivalry that has seen both his program and that of crosstown rival Pitman High experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
Pitman won eight of the first 10 meetings between the two teams, but for the past 11 years, it has been Peterson and the Bulldogs boasting in success and earning bragging rights. And with every year that has passed, the scores have gotten more lopsided, with Turlock winning 58-0 in 2023 and 66-6 last year. Each broke the record for biggest margin of victory by any team in the all-time series, which Turlock leads 13-8.
But ask folks from each school about this year’s game, taking place Friday at 7 p.m. from Joe Debely Stadium, there is a general consensus that this may not be the blowout that many have become all too accustomed to.
It’s not that Turlock has taken significant steps back. After dealing with a myriad of injuries during their tough non-conference slate, the Bulldogs have won by a combined score of 86-6 over Enochs and Gregori in their first two contests in the Central California Athletic League to improve to 3-4 overall. More and more players are returning by the week to provide the necessary sparks needed to win a third straight conference title.
What has happened, though, is that Pitman has improved immensely under first-year head coach Braden Plaa, sporting a 4-3 record after not having won more than three games since 2018.
How much has the gap closed? We’ll find out. As the old saying goes, you play the games for a reason. Peterson certainly understands that anything can happen on any given Friday.
“It is not going to be a cakewalk,” he said. “We're expecting a dogfight. I expect nothing else.”
WHERE EACH TEAM STANDS IN PLAYOFF RACE
If each program needed any more reason to expect that dogfight that Peterson predicts will unfold, this is the first time since 2019 that there are major league title and postseason implications on the line, as the Bulldogs are 2-0 in league play, tied with Downey atop the CCAL standings. Pitman is 1-1 in league play.
With a new playoff format implemented last week, Turlock’s goal is to win out to claim sole possession of first place and receive an automatic bid to the eight-team Division I playoff bracket.
Pitman poses the first real conference test for the Bulldogs. If Turlock wins on Friday, the Pride will be all but eliminated from championship contention, though they’d still be in a strong position to appear in a regional bowl game at the Division II level. The Bulldogs would then turn their attention to Downey, with the winner being in the driver’s seat for the coveted automatic berth.
Pitman lost to Downey 28-0 last week, though it was a scoreless contest through the first half.
A Pitman win against Turlock would leave the possibility of a first-place tie alive at the end of the regular season, where they’d be eligible for an at-large berth. The Pride would then be rooting for the Bulldogs next week so that they and Downey would each have one league loss with a week to play, with the Knights owning the tiebreaker. Though a bracket berth wouldn’t be guaranteed for the Pride, they’d still have a chance.
KEY PLAYERS ACTIVE
It remains unclear if key skill players Alex Ventura and Jeremy Garcia will be cleared to play on Friday night, as the running back and wideout/safety are battling through respective injuries. But pretty much everybody else is back for the Bulldogs.
Quarterback Scout Silva, receivers Landyn Fitzgerald and Donovan Muirbrook, running backs Kaleb Guinn and Braiden Fuentes, and cornerback Donnell Harmon III had each missed some time this year and each contributed to the scoring in last week’s 43-0 win over Gregori.
“These guys are fighters that never give up,” Peterson said. “We’re not quite there yet, but we’re slowly getting guys back, and it makes a huge difference. And with some of these guys being out, so many others have stepped up.”
Plaa praised Turlock’s perseverance with injuries this season and acknowledged their talent.
“They’ve had some big injuries, but they've been able to weather the storm really well. You give credit to them, the kids over there, because they're really tough and they're tough to play against,” Plass said. “They're a really good group of kids and some really good athletes. They have good coaches, and all of that makes a really good program. So we know that they're going to be tough to play against, but at the end of the day, if we just go out and play at our best, it should be fun.”
The Pride are also getting good news this week, with defensive end Jesse Gutierrez returning from a three-game suspension and middle linebacker Xadian Padilla (one of just a handful of four-year football players and one of the team’s emotional leaders) being cleared to play after appealing his disqualification last week.
“I think people look at the Downey score and they say, ‘Oh, it was 28-0. Pitman got blown out,’” Plaa said. “It was 0-0 most of the game when we lost Xadian, which didn’t really help, and we had one of I think two uncompetitive quarters we’ve had all year. The goal is to clean it up and play a complete game, which we are more than capable of.”
The Pride’s defensive returners set up what should be a war in the trenches, as the Bulldogs field an impressive offensive line that includes 3-star recruit Avery Michael at offensive tackle and senior staple Braxten Durkee at guard.
“By that 0-0 (halftime) score, it tells me they’re playing pretty good defense,” Peterson said. “That’s impressive.”
Offensively, Silva — despite being banged up throughout the year — has continued to be an efficient playmaker for the Bulldogs, as he tossed for three touchdowns last week to bring his season total to 13.
Consistently lighting up the scoreboard for the Pride has been running back Mason Helwick, leading the team with 15 touchdowns.
MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN COACHES
Plaa knows it takes a lot of time, hard work and dedication to build sustained success, like the type Turlock has experienced in recent years.
“Growing up around here when Coach Peterson took over the program, and watching how he went 0-1o in his first season (in 2009) to where it is now is super impressive. He's built that program up. I have a lot of respect for them. Everyone knows that when you go play Turlock, they're going to be really, really competitive.
“We’re doing pretty well this year, but we're trying to get to that point in our program where we are doing pretty well every year, back to the point where we're always competing with Turlock.”
Peterson, meanwhile, has been impressed with what Plaa has accomplished in such a short amount of time.
“What (Plaa) has done to turn it around to start bringing them back, it’s great. At the beginning of the year, I heard their numbers, their depth, and it was really good,” Peterson said, referring to the Pride’s 51 varsity players compared to just 37 last year. Plaa shared with the Journal during the offseason that the program had as many as 140 players come out across all three levels. “That’s doing a great job to keep his guys inspired. And they're playing well, right? I think it's cool to watch them do their thing. I always root for them when they're not playing us.
“But that's the plan — come out and prepare for them like we have every team all season, and come out and do the things that win football games while eliminating the things that lose football games.”
NO SHORTAGE OF EXCITMENT
Thursday morning at Turlock High School seemed as if there was a Black Friday sale taking place at the student store. The sight of students in pajamas emerging from their sleeping bags and tents as they wait to purchase the hot commodities that are Harvest Bowl tickets always gives Peterson a laugh.
“We’ve got people camping out on our campus the night before tickets go on sale, and I just start laughing because it is so awesome,” he said. “It really is pretty amazing just to see all the fans do that and the student body. With all that support, no matter what side you’re on, you take a lot of pride in winning this game.”
Though Plaa will be wearing the main headset for the first time in the Harvest Bowl, he certainly isn’t unfamiliar with what the rivalry means to all involved and the greater community.
Plaa grew up in Turlock, and many of his childhood friends played in the game. While at Downey High and shadowing his father, Knights head coach Jeremy Plaa, the clash of Turlock teams was always a topic of interest. Prior to taking over as the Pride’s head coach, Plaa had been at Pitman for the past three seasons, serving as junior varsity skipper and watching his players move on up and participate in the highly anticipated fall classic.
“We know that the Harvest Bowl is a big game,” Plaa said. “There’s always excitement, but you can really feel the anticipation with the student body. This is something people look forward to every year, and me and the players are just as excited.”
