The Goblirsch brothers, Clinton and Derrick, aren’t worrying about what they can’t control leading up to the start of the 2019-20 football campaign.

The California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school athletics in the state, delayed the start of the season for four-plus months on July 20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’d love to get back on the field and get to work,” Ceres High first-year leader Clinton Goblirsch stated. “We were prepared to start today. We don’t make the decisions. All we can do is what we’re capable of doing and follow whatever guidelines were given.”

Clinton and Derrick will make their head coaching debuts with the Bulldogs and Hawks, respectively, on Jan. 8.

“It’s going to be different playing in January,” Clinton Goblirsch said. “We’re excited to have a season. We’re working toward that first contact. If something changes, we’ll adjust.”

“Usually, we have three months to get ready,” Derrick Goblirsch added.

Summer conditioning workouts for all fall prep sports in Stanislaus County were suspended on July 20 until further notice. 

Returning and prospective players from Ceres High and Central Valley will continue to train on their own until first official practices are staged on Dec. 7.

“I post a workout Monday through Friday,” Derrick Goblirsch said. “We communicate through our InstaTeam App. A lot of kids ask questions. We don’t have a way to track them. It’s basically on the honor system.”

Ceres High’s workout routines are shared on Google Classroom. 

“Prior to summer conditioning, we had been doing Zoom meetings twice a week,” Clinton Goblirsch said. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to the kids since the decision was made. I’m going to have a Zoom meeting with them on Wednesday and explain what the new season and calendar looks like.”

Ceres High will play host to West of Tracy on Jan. 8.

Central Valley will travel to Turlock to face Pitman.

“We changed our schedule because we pushed the Ceres High game back to Week 3,” Derrick Goblirsch said.