Manteca High’s football team eyes a section championship with their smashmouth play tradition.<\/p>\n
MANTECA, Calif. \u2014 There\u2019s a certain pride that comes with playing football for Manteca High School, where a tradition of physical, smashmouth play defines the culture\u2014and the expectations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe play Manteca hard-nose tough football,\u201d said head coach Mark Varnum. \u201cThey know when they walk on this campus, they’re going to be part of that, and they take that seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Buffaloes are no strangers to success. A perennial playoff powerhouse, Manteca has claimed nine section titles since the turn of the century\u2014and this year\u2019s team has its eyes locked on another.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want that section championship. We haven’t had it in a few years,\u201d said senior free safety Mateo Esparza. \u201cEveryone here is hungry, every single person. We’re the hungriest team out here. We really want that Section Champ.\u201d<\/p>\n
For senior defensive end Xyloh Kuresa, it\u2019s not just about playoffs\u2014it\u2019s about domination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re hungry, and we want to win something. We hungry for that,\u201d Kuresa said. \u201cI want to go to state. I want to win the chip. Let’s focus on going 10-0 first and making playoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hunger is fed by a program rooted in toughness and an unapologetically physical style of play.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur motto for a long, long time has been we will hit you. And that’s how we play football,\u201d Varnum said. \u201cThe rules keep changing, and they keep trying to take the physicality out of football, but we’re fighting that battle, and we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing until they tell us we can’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kuresa put it more bluntly: \u201cWe like to hit you in the mouth. Smashmouth football. That’s how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adding to the excitement this year is a newly renovated stadium, giving the Buffaloes an upgraded home field\u2014and an even bigger stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people put in a lot of work to get this place where it needs to be,\u201d Varnum said. \u201cReal excited about the big screen we got out there. The light show is second to none. Friday nights in Manteca\u2014there’s nothing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked on camera why other teams should fear the Buffaloes, Kuresa didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cCause we got something to play for. We all want to win around each other. We all got that grit,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s that smashmouth football. Be ready to get hit\u2014Manteca football.\u201d<\/p>\n