Ceres High's varsity football team entered the game as the underdog despite having a slightly-better record than Patterson.

The Bulldogs proved a lot of people wrong in beating the 2015 Western Athletic Conference-champion Tigers 48-41 Friday night in Ceres.

Patterson won the previous six meetings by a combined score of 275-75.

"All of us were motivated going into this game," Ceres High quarterback Chris Lubinsky said. "Since we've been in the Western Athletic Conference, we've never beaten Patterson. None of the guys that cover high-school football gave us a chance to win. Even though we were the underdogs, we believed we could win."

Ceres High improved to 3-4 overall and 1-1 in the WAC standings.

The Tigers dropped to 1-6 and 0-2.

"Us beating Patterson opens everything up as far as possibly winning a league title and making the playoffs," Lubinsky said. "We want to be a part of the team that changes the tradition of Ceres High football. We're in a position to do that."

Lubinsky completed 28 of 39 passes for 368 yards with a career-high five touchdowns and one interception.

Ceres High third-year receiver Marcellus Boykins caught 11 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

Austin Crain grabbed four passes for 71 yards and two TDs.

He also made 7 of 8 point-after kicks.

Conner Johnson had 41 yards on six receptions.

Andrew Gibson gained a career-high 145 yards and scored one touchdown on 18 carries.

Gibson totaled 62 yards and one TD on five receptions.

"It's a result of everybody doing their job," Boykins said while talking about his career-best individual performance."

Ceres High's defense forced six turnovers.

Zach Baker registered a team-high 13 tackles and returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown.

Adrian Knights recorded 10 tackles and recovered one fumble.

Johnny Hutson filled the stat sheet with two tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one interception and one pass deflection.

Zyier Harrison (four tackles) and Nick Jones (two tackles) both recovered one fumble.

Isaac Santana (five tackles) forced one fumble.

Johnson totaled 10 tackles.

"Our defense made a lot of huge plays," Lubinsky said. "Having balance opened up everything on offense. We did enough to get the job done. I'm happy for all the guys. It (beating Patterson) does a lot for our confidence."

Ceres High trailed 20-14 at halftime.

The Bulldogs battled back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.

Ceres High outscored Patterson 21-14 during the fourth quarter.

Lubinsky's 58-yard TD strike to Boykins on a slant pattern gave the Bulldogs a 48-34 lead.

"Once we got the momentum, we carried it with us to the very end," Lubinsky said. "I'm happy we were able to win. We didn't hang our heads on what happened last week."

"I'm really proud of my team," Boykins added. "We were able to prove a lot of people wrong."

Ceres High saved it season.

The Bulldogs kept their playoff and conference title hopes alive.

"The results are showing," Boykins said. "We're making progress in the right direction. I wouldn't want to be at another school."

Ceres High will host Livingston this Friday at 7 p.m.

"We equaled our win total from last year," Lubinsky said. "We'll have a chance to improve on that."

Added Boykins: "We're not going to overlook Livingston."