Ceres High School's varsity football team averaged 23.5 points per game while compiling a 1-3 record during the preseason.
The Bulldogs dropped their Western Athletic Conference opener, 42-0, to defending-champion Los Banos Friday night on the road.
"Los Banos is the real deal," Ceres High head coach Bret Durossette said. "They have a lot of athletes. I still thought we'd score 30-40 points against them. Our kids didn't have the right mindset going into the game. I didn't do a good job managing the offense."
Ceres High fell to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in the WAC.
The Tigers improved to 4-1 and 1-0.
The Bulldogs were limited to 89 net yards of offense.
Junior quarterback Chris Lubinsky passed for 108 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Austin Stiles caught eight passes for 53 yards.
Aaron Black totaled 42 yards on two receptions.
Ceres High had minus-19 yards rushing.
Lubinsky got sacked four times.
Ceres High tailback Johnni Smith-Willis gained 14 yards on six carries.
The Bulldogs' first offensive play resulted in a 15-yard loss thanks to a bad center-quarterback exchange.
Ceres High will look to bounce back against visiting Livingston (1-4, 0-1) this Friday at 7 p.m.
The Wolves edged the Bulldogs 26-21 last season.
"I love the kids and coaches we have," Durossette said. "We're just not playing well. We have to find a way to get better."
CROSS COUNTRY
Freshman Josephina Trevino helped lead Ceres High's varsity girls cross country squad to a 21-35 win over host Patterson last Wednesday.
Trevino finished second overall with a time of 23 minutes, 57 seconds on the 3-mile course.
New to the sport, Josephina joined the team late.
"She missed some practices," Bulldogs head coach Katie Timmermans said. "She's been working very hard. She's actually really surprised me."
Second-place Ceres High improved to 2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference dual-meet standings.
The Bulldogs opened the WAC season with a forfeit loss at Los Banos.
"We have a full lineup now," Timmermans said.
Bulldog teammates Jennifer Cisneros (23:44), Karina Torrez (25:34), Cristina Arreola (25:34) and Peyton Jones (26:17) placed first, fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively, versus the Tigers.
Ana Martin (third place, 25:02) was Patterson's top finisher, followed by Jennifer Herrera (fourth, 25:09), Kelsie West (eighth, 26:28), Sarah Gonzalez (ninth, 26:34) and Crystal Wilson-Hernandez (11th, 27:31).
Tigers 18, Bulldogs 46
Ceres High's varsity boys cross country squad has yet to compete at full-strength during the WAC dual-meet season thanks in large part to illness and injury.
"We've had a bunch of strong individual performances," Timmermans said. "We just need that one day when they perform well together at the same time. We have not run to our full potential yet."
The Tigers topped the Bulldogs, 18-46, on Wednesday in Patterson.
"We should have put up a better fight," Timmermans said. "It should have been a lot closer."
Angel Macias (toe injury) and Roman Acosta (flu) did not compete against Patterson.
Joshua Madariaga didn't complete the race.
Madariaga needed medical assistance after collapsing to the ground during the latter part of the competition.
"Josh was just trying to finish but didn't make it," Timmermans said. "He had symptoms of heat exhaustion. He's doing better now. He took a few days off."
Ceres High's Christian Linarez (18:54), Jaime Mejia (21:05), Isaac Soto (2:07), Isai Soto (22:32) and Adalberto Rodriguez (22:35) placed third, eighth, 10th, 12th and 13th, respectively, in defeat.
Thomas Virgen (first, 18:03), Kosi Ogbuli (second, 18:51), Carlos Ponce (fourth, 19:10), Sean Hicks (fifth, 19:30) and Jamiel Garcia (sixth, 19:55) led the Tigers.
