Ceres High grad/P.E. teacher Brandon Moring will coach his alma mater’s varsity girls tennis team this fall.
Moring guided the Bulldogs’ boys tennis program to the Western Athletic Conference championship and a top-four finish in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III playoff bracket during the 2015-16 school year.
“I’ve never coached girls tennis,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. I don’t approach this job any differently. I have the same standards because the expectations are the same. The goal is to win league championships.
Ceres High has a total of 30 players on its 2018 roster.
The Bulldogs return 11 contributors from a year ago, including Shania Evans (Sr.), Vivian Moreno (Sr.), Camille Vega (Sr.), Tania Garfias (Jr.), Morgan Bejaran (Sr.), Gurmanjit Bahia (Jr.), Jillian Jimenez (Jr.), Christel Ontiveros (Jr.), Jasmine Bahia (So.), Monica Esparza (Jr.) and Elena Ochoa (Sr.).
Daniela Nunez (Jr.) is the Bulldogs’ top newcomer.
Moreno and Vega both earned second-team, all-Western Athletic Conference honors in 2017.
Vivian and Camille compiled identical 4-6 records.
Moreno and Vega started at No. 1 singles and No. 3 singles, respectively.
"They’re supportive of each other. That makes for a good team.”Brandon Moring
“This group makes coaching enjoyable and easy,” Moring said. “They show up on time and work hard. They’re competitive. They’re supportive of each other. That makes for a good team.”
The Bulldogs will compete in the new-look Western Athletic Conference this fall.
The league features eight teams: Ceres High, Los Banos, Pacheco, Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop and Mountain House.
Los Banos (10-0), Ceres High (3-7) and Pacheco (1-9) placed first, fourth and last, respectively, in the 2017 WAC standings.
Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Lathrop and Mountain House moved to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s league realignment plan.
Beyer, Grace Davis and Johansen left the Modesto Metro Conference.
Lathrop and Mountain House were previous members of the Valley Oak League and Trans Valley League.
Ceres High has qualified for the playoffs eight times in the past 11 years.
“Los Banos is always tough,” Moring said. “Mountain House has a solid program. We’re no walk in the park. We have a lot of experience. The expectation is to win league. We’re going to prepare and work hard to do that.”
