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Bulldogs winless no more in football
CHS delights its homecoming fans with 47-36 win
CLubinsky.tiff
Chris Lubinsky completed 17 of 22 passes for 338 yards with five touchdowns and one interception during the Ceres High varsity football teams 47-36 win over Johansen on Friday at Bulldog Stadium. - photo by Photo courtesy of Tim Banks

Ceres High's and Johansen's varsity football teams entered Friday night's game with a combined 0-5 record.

The Bulldogs thrilled their homecoming crowd with a much-needed 47-36 victory over the Vikings following a 48-minute battle.

The two squads totaled 83 points on offense.

"We put on a good show for all of the people," Ceres High junior quarterback Chris Lubinsky said. "We played well from start to finish. Johansen didn't play like a team that's lost its last 23 games. They made it a challenge for us. They never stopped fighting."

The Bulldogs improved to 1-3 on the season.

The Vikings dropped to 0-3 overall.

Johansen and Ceres High last compiled winning records in 2008 and 2004, respectively.

"We respect everybody we play," Chris said. "Obviously, you don't want to be the team that Johansen ends its streak on. But that wasn't the focus. We knew what we had to do to get the job done. We just wanted to make sure we didn't beat ourselves."

Lubinsky carved up Johansen's secondary as he posted career highs in passing yards (338), touchdowns (5) and completion percentage (77).

Johnni Smith-Willis ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.

Austin Stiles caught seven passes for a career-high 170 yards and three touchdowns.

Seth Gibson finished with 86 yards and one TD on three receptions.

Austin Crain had a 23-yard TD catch.

Marcellus Boykins added 50 yards on five catches.

Johansen's defense forced Ceres High to punt just one time.

Aaron Black filled the defensive stat sheet with 17 tackles and one sack.

Nick Alcala added 10 tackles.

Armani Rivera tallied nine tackles.

Aiden Moore collected five tackles and one sack.

Gabriel Heredia registered three tackles and forced one fumble.

Crain had one interception and two tackles.

"My offensive line gave me a lot of time," Lubinsky said. "I don't think I got touched once throwing the ball. Our receivers made some nice catches. Johnni got a couple of nice runs. Our defense made some key plays in the second half to seal the victory. It was a great team win."

Ceres High led 21-20 at the break.

The Bulldogs outscored the Vikings 26-16 in the second half.

Johansen had trouble covering Stiles for most of the night.

"This is only his second year playing football," Lubinsky said. "It's remarkable to see how far he's come. He's had a phenomenal preseason. I'm not surprised. He's such a great athlete with a great work ethic. He sets high standards for himself."

Los Banos (3-1) will play host to Ceres High during the opening week of Western Athletic Conference play. Friday's game will get underway at 7 p.m.

The Tigers won the WAC title and advanced to the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV playoffs last season.