The Gregori High football team capped a hot preseason with a dramatic, come-from-behind win Friday night against visiting Tokay.

After falling behind early and trailing at halftime, a late Michael Marsden rushing touchdown put the Jaguars ahead for good in a 21-20 win.

Gregori finished its five-game nonleague season 4-1 and worked its way into The Bee’s Top 10 with key wins over Atwater and Livermore.

Tokay took an early 7-0 lead, but Gregori answered with a Trey Webb touchdown reception. Tokay scored twice before the end of the second half, taking a 20-7 lead into the intermission.

The Jaguars slowly chipped away at the Tigers’ lead in the second half. A three-yard run made it a 20-14 game and Michael Marsden tied the score with a 10-yard rushing touchdown. The Jaguars converted the extra point to take a 21-20 lead and got a late-game defensive stop on fourth down and short to seal the win.

Gregori has a bye this coming Friday before kicking off Central California Athletic League play against Turlock High at home.

Sierra 49, Modesto 6: The Panthers allowed more than 40 points for the second straight game in Friday night’s loss to Sierra of the Valley Oak League. Modesto has a bye next week but will look to end its three-game losing streak in its first Central California Athletic League game against Enochs.

Hilmar 24, Pitman 14: Pitman jumped out to an early lead but after that, the Hilmar defense forced four turnovers. The Yellowjackets reclaimed the lead and didn’t look back. They didn’t allow a Pride touchdown until the fourth quarter. Both teams begin league play Sept. 29 after byes.

Lathrop 28, Ceres 21: Manuel Mendoza finished with 109 receiving yards but Reis Smith had the Bulldogs’ lone receiving touchdown in the narrow loss to Lathrop. Smith also rushed for 67 yards and a score. Ceres dropped its second straight game and will continue league play next week against Beyer.

Hughson 49, Elite 20: Hughson jumped out to an early advantage, taking a 35-14 lead into halftime. Robert McDaniel threw three touchdown passes, two to Malakai Sumter. The second-and third-string finished out the game, scoring touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters. Hughson has a bye next week before facing off against Escalon in the TVL opener.

Los Banos 33, Beyer 0: Beyer was unable to score against the defending WAC champions. The Patriots were shut out for the second time this season and fell to 0-4 on the season. They have lost their past three matchups with Los Banos.

Mountain House 33, Davis 19: The Spartans finished the first 12 minutes behind by just six points but Mountain House outscored Davis 20-12 in the second quarter to take a 26-12 lead at the half. While both teams scored just seven second-half points, Davis’ early deficit was too big to overcome.

Central Valley 10, El Capitan 0: The Hawks defense forced two fumbles and an interception as they earned their third win this season and first in Central California Conference play. Central Valley won the game despite injuries to both of their quarterbacks. Two-way player Amir Drakeford stepped in at QB. The Hawks scored a touchdown in the second quarter and a field goal in the fourth. Drakeford sealed the win with back-to-back sacks.

Calaveras 41, Big Valley Christian 13: The Lions dropped their fourth straight game in Friday night’s loss to Calaveras. Big Valley scored on its first drive, but scored just six points in the rest of the game. The win is Calaveras’ first on the season. The Lions hosts Biggs High next week.

Johansen 28, Pacheco 26 (OT): The Vikings won their first game over Pacheco since 2019 courtesy of an overtime touchdown and two-point conversion. Johansen is 3-1. Regulation ended in a 20-20 tie and Johansen struck first in the extra frame. Pacheco scored a touchdown but the Vikings’ defense stopped the tying two-point conversion to seal the game.

Clayton Valley Charter 21, Turlock 14: The Bulldogs nearly earned their first win of the season Friday. After falling behind 14-0, Turlock scored two unanswered touchdowns to tie the score. Clayton Valley scored the winning touchdown with 4:27 left in the game. Turlock will look for its first win Thursday, Sept. 28, against Gregori after a bye.

Tracy 49, Downey 13: After two straight wins over Tracy in 2007 and 2022, Downey struggled against the Bulldogs of the Tri-City Athletic League. The Knights scored 10 points in the second quarter and connected on a field goal in the fourth as they suffered their first loss this season. They have a bye this week before visiting Pitman to open CCAL play.

Orestimba 49, Le Grand 36: Juan Esquivez opened the scoring for Orestimba with a 20-yard run for one of his four rushing touchdowns. The Warriors led 27-21 at halftime then ran away with the game in the second half to advance to 1-0 in Southern League play.

Waterford 19, Delhi 6: Sixteen first-quarter points powered Waterford to its second win this season. The Wildcats started league play 1-0 and will face Le Grand at home, then defending section champion Ripon Christian, on Sept. 22 and 29, respectively.

Ripon Christian 49, Denair 0: The Knights kicked off Southern Athletic League play with a dominant win over Denair. After scoring 21 points in each of the first and second quarters to lead 42-0 at halftime, Ripon Christian scored a touchdown in the third quarter. The defense earned its third straight shutout.