Ceres High's and Central Valley's varsity football programs will be co-hosting a full-contact scrimmage this Saturday at Bulldog Stadium.
The six-team jamboree will feature the Bulldogs, Hawks, Hughson Huskies, Enochs Eagles, West Wolfpack and Sonora Wildcats.
"It's a great thing for our community," Bulldogs head coach Bret Durossette said. "It's a win-win for everybody."
Central Valley will play Hughson at 9 a.m. and Sonora at 10 a.m.
Ceres High will face Enochs at 9:30 a.m. and West at 10 a.m.
Central Valley and Ceres High will battle at 11 a.m.
Safety/running back Estevan Barragan, inside linebacker/running back Nasson Sanchez and lineman David Serrano will lead the Hawks.
A standout at safety the last two seasons, Barragan will be utilized more on offense this year as Hawk standout running backs Jonathan Barragan and Gerardo Solorzano were both lost to graduation. Estevan averaged 6.2 yards per carry this past fall. He rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. He'll continue to be a force on defense. The two-time first-team all-WAC honoree led Central Valley with 91 tackles as a junior. He also had one sack, six pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
Sanchez starred at inside linebacker during his junior year. Sanchez was selected to the WAC First Team. Nasson filled the stat sheet with 63 tackles, one sack, one interception, five pass deflections, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. He also contributed at running back, totaling 170 yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries. Sanchez averaged 6.3 yards per attempt.
A starter since his sophomore year, 6-foot-3 285-pound Serrano will be in the running for one of the WAC's major individual awards. He will play nose tackle on defense and left tackle on offense. Serrano earned first-team all-WAC honors for his dominance on both sides of the ball last season. David collected 43 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection. David tallied 69 tackles, four sacks, two pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery while garnering second-team all-league recognition in 2015.
"There's a lot of excitement," Barragan said. "We've been waiting to play again since last season ended. I don't have any predictions. We'll just let our pads do the talking."
Quarterback Dalton Durossette, running back/linebacker Andrew Gibson, all-purpose player David Nichols and lineman Fernando Salgado will lead Ceres High.
Durossette will make his varsity debut at quarterback.
Dalton threw for 1,390 yards with 16 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while lifting the Bulldogs' junior-varsity football team to a 7-3 overall record last fall.
A WAC honorable-mention selection in 2016, Gibson amassed 576 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He grabbed 30 passes for 241 yards and two scores. Andrew collected 29 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery on defense.
Nichols transferred back to Ceres High after spending his junior year at Waterford. Nichols racked up 717 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns during his lone season with the Wildcats. He passed for 611 yards and four TDs with seven interceptions. He rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns on 87 carries. He caught 13 passes for 406 yards and two scores. David tallied 49 tackles, one sack, one interception and two pass deflections at defensive back.
A two-way starter, Salgado collected four tackles his junior year.
"Our kids are fired up," coach Durossette said. "We're going to showcase our talent to our community."
Central Valley made history by finishing the 2016 season with a program-best 9-2 record and capturing its first-ever conference title.
The Hawks won all five of their WAC games.
Central Valley also secured its third Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth in the past four seasons.
Ceres High fell two victories shy of qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.
The Bulldogs went 4-6 and finished fourth in the WAC (2-3).
Central Valley and Ceres High will both compete with revamped rosters as a wealth of talent was lost to graduation.
The Hawks must replace linemen Erik Mejia, Oso Fregoso and Gabriel Quezada, running backs Jonathan Barragan and Gerardo Solorzano, and kicker Angel Lopez.
The Bulldogs are moving forward without quarterback Chris Lubinsky, receiver Marcellus Boykins, tight end Conner Johnson, safety Zyier Harrison, offensive lineman Aiden Moore and defensive end/linebacker Wyatt Ogden.
"We don't care what other people say," Estevan Barragan stated. "We can't wait to prove them wrong again. We'll keep winning."
"We enjoy being the underdog," Gibson added. "It definitely pushes us to work harder. I do believe this year's team can have a winning record."
