For the better part of three quarters, Ceres High’s varsity football team put a major scare into heavily-favored Mountain House.
Ahead by three points, the Bulldogs surrendered five straight touchdowns on their way to losing 49-17 to the Mustangs Friday night on the road.
“They thought it was going to be an easy win. We gave them a battle.”Senior running back/linebacker Felipe Martinez
“They scheduled us for their Homecoming game,” Ceres High senior running back/linebacker Felipe Martinez said. “They thought it was going to be an easy win. We gave them a battle.”
The sixth-place Bulldogs dropped to 1-8 overall and 1-5 in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
The second-place Mustangs improved to 8-1 and 5-1.
“Every team we’ve played has been beatable except for Pacheco,” Martinez said.
Ceres High quarterback Isaac Vizcaino completed 9 of 21 passes for 124 yards with no touchdowns and one interception against Mountain House.
Josh Gonzalez had a 4-yard rushing TD.
Martinez totaled 29 yards on 19 carries.
Andrew Alcala gained 26 yards and scored one touchdown on nine carries. He caught one pass for 14 yards. Alcala also had one interception on defense.
Ivan Arita hauled in five passes for 86 yards.
Angel Padilla totaled 13 yards on two receptions.
Fernando Sosa added 11 yards on two catches.
Gustavo Hernandez booted a 27-yard field goal.
Ceres High trailed 14-10 at halftime.
Hernandez made a field goal and Alcala had a rushing TD (1 yard).
Gonzalez’s TD run and Hernandez’s point-after kick gave Ceres High a 17-14 lead with eight minutes to play in the third quarter.
Mountain House outscored Ceres High 35-0 the rest of the game.
The Bulldogs faced a 28-17 deficit heading into the final period.
“Losing by such a wide span like that was irritating,” Martinez said. “We played good for three quarters. We showed the type of team that we could be. It’s a game we could have won. That’s what’s disappointing.”
Ceres High will close out the season on the road tomorrow.
The Bulldogs will battle the fourth-place Grace Davis Spartans (4-5, 3-3) at Modesto Junior College.
Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
Grace Davis has won its last three games.
“We faced them in the jamboree,” Martinez said. “There was high tension between the two teams. Our coach (Matt Chachere) used to coach there. Obviously, that’s in the back of our heads. We want to win for him and our school. We’re going to play 100 times better than we have been playing. We’re hungry. It’s our last game, our last opportunity to play high-school football under the lights.”
