The Governor’s Hat will be on the line as two unbeaten teams square off with the Merced High football team hosting Madera on Friday night at Cathie Hostetler Stadium. The Bears (3-0) are ranked No. 21 in the Sac-Joaquin Section by MaxPreps, coming off a 41-39 victory over Downey two weeks ago. Merced is coming off a bye week. The Coyotes (4-0) are ranked No. 27 in the Central Section.

 

Madera gained possession of the Governor’s Hat with last year’s 48-35 victory over Merced. The hat was a unique prize awarded to the winner of the Merced-Madera rivalry game. The cowboy hat was donated by former California Governor Goodwin Knight in 1959. The winning school gets to write the score of the game on the hat and the prize gives both teams a little extra incentive. 

 

“They’ve got something that we don't have,” said Merced head coach Rob Scheidt. “I think that's great motivation for the kids. I think it geographically ties us back to Madera,  where before schools like Golden Valley, Buhach Colony and El Cap were built around us, that trip down 99 was significant to the teams that played in the rivalry. I think it only enhances the matchup when both teams are undefeated.”

 

All six MUHSD football teams will be in action on Friday night with kickoffs scheduled for 7:15 p.m. Golden Valley (0-4) is still looking for its first win of the season and will travel to Tracy to face Kimball (2-1). Buhach Colony (2-2) hopes to stretch its streak to three consecutive wins at Lodi (0-4). El Capitan (2-1) looks to rebound from a loss to Sacred Heart Prep two weeks ago at home against Waterford (3-0). Atwater (2-2) hosts Pitman (3-1) and Livingston (0-3) opens Western Athletic Conference play at Ceres (1-2).

 

The Bears are hoping the two weeks they had to prepare for Madera will give them an advantage. Scheidt and his coaching staff set up their bye week to simulate a normal game week as much as they could. “I think that really prepared us for this week, and it's kind of carried over,” Scheidt said. “What I've seen in our practice, at least from last week to this week, is a lot less mistakes and a better identity of what we're trying to get done in all three phases of the game.”

 

Merced senior quarterback Vicente Cortez has been a dual-threat nightmare for opposing teams through three games this season. Cortez has thrown for 477 yards and six touchdowns and leads the Bears with 176 rushing yards and five more scores. Senior receiver Hayden Czirban has hauled in 18 catches for 263 yards and three touchdowns. 

 

“We've done a really good job of being really balanced offensively,” Scheidt said. “We've run the football really well in a lot of different scenarios, so that's been a great thing.”

 

The Coyotes have steamrolled their first four opponents, averaging 56 points per game, including an 84-13 victory over Madera South last week. Madera is led by freshman running back Anthony Estrada, who has rushed for 806 yards and 11 touchdowns. The freshman is averaging 11.9 yards per carry, including a 97-yard run this season. Sophomore quarterback Elias Mena has completed 42 of 55 passes for 751 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

 

Scheidt believes his players will be up for the challenge of slowing down this high-powered Coyotes offense. “Our guys have great resilience and they believe in what we're doing,” Scheidt said. “They're playing with a lot of focus and a lot of energy, and hopefully we can continue that on Friday.”

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org.

 

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