Ceres High’s football team returned to the field last Friday following a two-week break from competition.

Looking to bounce back after opening the season with a 44-7 setback at Hughson, the Bulldogs suffered a similar fate in losing 47-14 to the McNair Eagles in Ceres.

“We had two weeks to prepare,” Ceres High head coach Debin Cowell said. “Wednesday was our best practice of the year. I thought we’d be ready to play. We laid an egg. I want to give credit to McNair. They were really talented. But the score shouldn’t have been 47-14. Had we made the plays we were supposed to make, it would have been closer.”

The Bulldogs dropped to 0-2 on the season.

The Eagles improved to 3-0.

McNair has outscored its first three opponents, 143-40.

“We got a lot of young guys that are learning,” Cowell said. “We got to get better in a lot of phases. We’re not going to give up. Eventually, it’s going to click. We want to improve every single game.”

Ceres High contributed to its own downfall versus McNair.

The Bulldogs committed three turnovers, including two on special teams.

Ceres High had potential scoring plays end with a dropped pass and an incomplete pass.

The Bulldogs also had three ineligible-man-downfield penalties.

“You can prepare,” Cowell said. “Ultimately, the kids got to execute. We didn’t do that.”

Despite its struggles, the Bulldogs still managed to generate 294 yard of total offense.

Ceres High did most of its damage on the ground with 220 yards on 30 carries.

Quarterback Anthony Santillan ran for 108 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.

Caelen Eskridge chipped in with 79 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.

Santillan completed 8 of 19 passes for 74 yards.

Eskridge caught two passes for 28 yards.

“We had no problems moving the ball,” Cowell said. “We were shooting ourselves in the foot before we got a chance to put it in the end zone.”

The Bulldogs fell behind 33-7 in the opening half.

“Every single thing that could go wrong went wrong,” Cowell said. “There’s no way to sugarcoat it. We’re not good enough to overcome all of those mistakes. There are no excuses. We have to play better.”

Prior to kickoff, Ceres High took time to remember those who lost their lives during the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Members of Ceres Police and Fire were introduced to the crowd.

A moment of silence was held.

Local VFW members carried flags during the pregame ceremony.

Bulldog players donned special helmets with red-white-and-blue block letter C decals, along with blue socks.

“We wanted to do something special to show some love,” Cowell said. “It’s something the kids will remember.”

Ceres High will play host to 0-3 Buhach Colony this Friday at 7 p.m.

“They’re better than their record,” Cowell said. “We have the talent to be good. We’re just not clicking yet. We have a lot of new faces on the team.”