Ceres High School’s varsity boys tennis program has a new head coach, its third in the last three seasons.

Alexis Hernandez coached the Bulldogs’ junior-varsity soccer team during the wintertime.

Hernandez replaced Davis Ortiz, Aubrey Ford’s successor.

“I’m nervous taking the position because I don’t have any experience coaching tennis,” said Hernandez, a 2015 CHS grad. “But I’m willing to learn for the kids and grow with them. I didn’t want them to not have a team.”

Ceres High’s starting lineup features Hassan Imran (Sr.), Eduardo Ramirez (So.), Noah Zamora (So.), Andy Tan (So.), Manuel Pimentel (Sr.), Manuel Calderon (So.), Christopher Sanchez (So.), Oscar Aguayo (So.), Isaiah Gudino (So.), Ali Ikram (So.), Ian Saldana (So.) and Daniel Gonzalez (So.).

Imran, Ramirez, Zamora, Tan, Pimentel, Saldana and Gonzalez are returners.

Calderon, Sanchez, Aguayo, Gudino and Ikram are newcomers.

Imran, Ramirez, Zamora, Tan, Pimentel and Calderon will play singles.

Sanchez, Aguayo, Gudino, Ikram, Saldana and Gonzalez will contribute at doubles.

Imran earned first-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors as a junior. He compiled a 5-10 record while splitting playing time at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles. Imran won one of two matches en route to a top-eight finish at the WAC Singles Tournament.

“They’re all hard workers,” Hernandez said. “They’re all willing to learn.”

Ceres High (7-7) tied for fourth place in the WAC with Beyer in 2019.

Mountain House (14-0), Los Banos (12-2), Grace Davis (10-4) advanced to the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs thanks to their 1-2-3 finish in the league standings.

Johansen (3-10-1), Pacheco (2-11-1) and Lathrop (0-14) took fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

“A successful season would be making it to playoffs,” Hernandez said. “It all depends on how quick these guys can learn. I want to help them out the best I can.”

The Bulldogs last participated in the playoffs in 2017.

Ceres High had its streak of consecutive postseason appearances snapped at eight years in 2018.