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CHS, CV hosting scrimmage
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Central Valleys Willie Soriano (pictured) and Miguel Jimenez will both contribute at quarterback during Saturdays six-team scrimmage at Ceres High. - photo by DALE BUTLER/The Courier

Ceres High's and Central Valley's varsity football programs will co-host a six-team scrimmage at Bulldog Stadium this Saturday.

The Ceres-Central Valley Jamboree will get underway at 9 a.m.

"We're pretty excited," Hawks junior strong safety/running back Estevan Barragan said. "We can't wait to go against different teams. We've been going against each other. It's very important to have a good showing. We're going to try our best."

Said Ceres High head coach Bret Durossette: "We want to see how we compare to the other schools. Obviously, we want to have some success and make sure we stay healthy."

Second-year quarterback Chris Lubinsky will direct Ceres High's offense, which averaged 30.1 points per game last fall.

Lubinsky totaled 2,677 yards and 26 touchdowns with just eight interceptions while completing 65 percent of his pass attempts his junior year. He ranked first in the Western Athletic Conference in yards (1,537), yards per game (256.2) and completions (116), and second in TDs (14) and attempts (178). Chris was an honorable-mention WAC selection.

"It will be our first chance to compete against other schools," he said. "We've all been getting ready for this ever since last season ended. I expect us to do well. It will be a good confidence booster going into Week One."

Lubinsky will target Conner Johnson, Marcellus Boykins, Austin Crain, Nick Jones and Zyier Harrison.

Johnson will contribute at tight end for the third year in a row.

He was selected to the WAC Second Team as a junior.

Conner caught 30 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown.

Boykins will be Ceres High's go-to receiver this season. The third-year varsity player totaled 535 yards and one touchdown on 44 receptions his junior year. Boykins was named to the WAC First Team as a sophomore. He hauled in 29 passes for 464 yards and three TDs.

Crain caught 19 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Jones totaled 48 yards and two TDs on three receptions.

Zyier enrolled at Ceres High after moving to California from Washington.

Harrison's father, Faimous, was appointed dean of the Stanislaus State Stockton Center in January.

Bulldog junior Andrew Gibson will also contribute.

Gibson was the JV Bulldogs' leading rusher and receiver a year ago. He gained 667 yards and scored nine touchdowns on 80 carries. He caught 18 passes for 322 yards and five TDs. Andrew also totaled 416 yards on 16 kickoff returns.

"Offensively, we're pretty explosive," Durossette said.

Ceres High will face Enochs (9 a.m.), West (10 a.m.) and Central Valley (11 a.m.).

Central Valley will unveil its new-look offense against Ceres High, Hughson (9:30 a.m.) and Modesto High (10 a.m.).

The Hawks lost nine of 11 starters to graduation, including the dynamic rushing duo of Moses Ghiorso and Jamarea Lumpkin.

Ghiorso and Lumpkin combined for 2,516 yards and 35 touchdowns on the ground in 2015.

Estevan, older brother Jonathan Barragan and Carlos Rodriguez will split time at running back this weekend.

"We know we're going to have some ups and downs," Estevan Barragan said. "It's a scrimmage. We just have to execute. I'm very excited about the opportunity because I didn't play a lot of offense last year. I'm going to go out there and run the ball hard like I always do."

The Hawks have an experienced defense as eight of 11 starters return from a season ago, including Estevan Barragan, Erik Mejia and David Serrano.

Estevan earned WAC first-team honors for his outstanding play in 2015. Just a sophomore, Barragan racked up 103 tackles, two interceptions, five pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He tied for first place in conference play in tackles (59).

Erik will be a two-way lineman for the Hawks. Mejia earned first-team all-WAC honors as a junior. He registered 66 tackles, collected five sacks and forced one fumble. Mejia ranked second in league play in sacks (3) and sixth in tackles (38).

David received second-team all-WAC honors at the varsity level as a sophomore. The defensive lineman ranked second in the WAC in sacks (3) and seventh in tackles (36). Serrano had 69 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection on the year.

"Our offense is going to be different," Estevan Barragan said. "We lost a lot of players. We're working to get better. We're going to be a hard team to stop if our offense and defense are clicking."