Hadon Lopez couldn't hide the disappointment. You could see it in his body and hear it in his voice as he sat on a bench in front of his locker and answered questions following the Ceres High varsity football team's 25-20 loss to crosstown rival Central Valley on Nov. 8 at Bulldog Stadium.
"This is going to make me work 10 times harder," said Lopez, a 5-foot-8-inch, 165-pound freshman middle linebacker and running back.
Lopez scored two touchdowns against the Hawks.
His 24-yard interception return evened the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
His 6-yard TD run brought the Hawks within five points midway through the fourth quarter. Hadon finished with 44 yards on seven carries.
He also made a season-high 17 tackles on defense.
"He's a difference maker," Bulldogs head coach Brett Johnson said. "Plain and simple."
Lopez made a name for himself this past season despite playing in just six of 10 games. He fractured his right pinkie during Ceres High's VOL opener against Manteca and didn't return to the lineup until Week 9. Hadon postponed surgery.
The defensive numbers Lopez compiled on the year bordered on the ridiculous. He tallied 81 tackles with one interception and a fumble recovery. Hadon averaged 15.3 tackles per game (46 total) in conference play.
"He's a fun kid to coach," Johnson said.
Asked how long it would take to shake off the hangover from the tough season-ending loss, Lopez said: "It's past already. I'm looking forward to the future."
Added Johnson: "He has a huge future ahead of him."
"This is going to make me work 10 times harder," said Lopez, a 5-foot-8-inch, 165-pound freshman middle linebacker and running back.
Lopez scored two touchdowns against the Hawks.
His 24-yard interception return evened the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
His 6-yard TD run brought the Hawks within five points midway through the fourth quarter. Hadon finished with 44 yards on seven carries.
He also made a season-high 17 tackles on defense.
"He's a difference maker," Bulldogs head coach Brett Johnson said. "Plain and simple."
Lopez made a name for himself this past season despite playing in just six of 10 games. He fractured his right pinkie during Ceres High's VOL opener against Manteca and didn't return to the lineup until Week 9. Hadon postponed surgery.
The defensive numbers Lopez compiled on the year bordered on the ridiculous. He tallied 81 tackles with one interception and a fumble recovery. Hadon averaged 15.3 tackles per game (46 total) in conference play.
"He's a fun kid to coach," Johnson said.
Asked how long it would take to shake off the hangover from the tough season-ending loss, Lopez said: "It's past already. I'm looking forward to the future."
Added Johnson: "He has a huge future ahead of him."
