Ceres High School staged its Red & White scrimmage Friday evening at its newly-renovated stadium, which has an artificial turf field, an all-weather track and a state-of-the-art scoreboard.
“The competitiveness between teammates is unmatched,” Red receiver Reis Smith said. “Being able to hit each other live is a good stepping stone. It gets you back into the groove.”
“It was fun being able to go on the new field, get a feel for it, and go full-speed,” White lineman Elias Carrera stated.
The Red and White teams battled to a 6-6 tie.
“Defensively, we flowed,” Bulldogs’ head coach Brett Johnson said. “The execution and communication and aggressiveness were there. That’s what you want to see. It’s where I hoped to be. We have our depth chart going into the scrimmage Friday (at Orestimba). It may change Saturday morning. Offense is still a work in progress.”
“I think our team did great,” Smith said. “Our defense did pretty well. We’re still learning. We need to get better in some areas.”
“Overall, I think both teams did good,” Carrera said. “We still have a lot of things to work on.”
Parker Borges and Nathaniel Macias both logged playing time at quarterback.
Borges, a junior, connected with Smith for a touchdown.
Borges started at the JV level as a sophomore.
“Parker’s a great kid,” Johnson said. “There’s a big, learning curve for him. He’s very, raw.”
“Parker and I have known each other for a while,” Smith added “I was his ride to the weight room during the summer. His confidence keeps building every day. He’s definitely stepped up. He’s still young. If he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’ll be a great leader.”
Macias took snaps in place of Kyle Phongsa, who was on vacation.
Macias, a junior, and senior receiver Tre Karriem combined for the White team’s lone touchdown.
Macias started at defensive back at the varsity level last fall.
“Nathaniel jumped in and took advantage of the opportunity,” Johnson said.
Down 6-0, Borges tossed a game-tying TD pass to Smith.
“The scrimmage is an exciting date for the team,” Smith said “It’s about having fun. It’s practice.”
Debin Cowell, Ceres High’s new offensive coordinator, talked about his expectations for the upcoming season.
“It’s going to be a learning process,” he said. “Hopefully, we get better and smarter from week to week. We’ll be shooting for some consistency.”
“Every day is an audition,” Johnson added.
Bulldog players practiced at their new-look stadium for the first time on Thursday.
“I’ve only played on FieldTurf a handful of times,” Carrera said. “Ours looks very nice. It’s a quality field.”
“Seeing it in person was awesome,” Smith said. “The colors pop. The field is amazing. We need to appreciate what we have.”
Ceres High held an overnight retreat on campus following last week’s scrimmage.
Bulldog players ate pizza and cookies after checking in at 8:30 p.m on Friday.
They went home at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday following a two-mile run.
“The purpose was team bonding,” Johnson said. “We played some games. We watched the scrimmage film. Every kid got to talk. We allow them to get to know each other deeper.”
The 2024 high school football season kicks off next week.
The Bulldogs will travel to Hughson to play the Huskies.
The non-league game will get underway at 7 p.m.
“Your challenge each year is to get the kids connected,” said Johnson. “Chemistry builds trust and understanding.”
