The 2021 high school football season kicked off last week.
Ceres High and Central Valley both enjoyed memorable starts to the new year.
Ceres High rolled to a 49-0 win over host West of Tracy Friday evening.
“We’re excited with the way we played,” Bulldogs’ head coach Clinton Goblirsch said. “That’s the way we wanted to start the season. We were very effective running the ball and our defense put us in good field position.”
Ceres High limited West to minus-23 yards of total offense.
Mikey Rivera had five tackles and one fumble recovery.
Austin Munguia had four tackles, one pass deflection and one forced fumble.
Tavion Travis had six tackles and one sack.
Lebron Stallworth had two tackles and one sack.
Ricky Stanley had one tackle, one sack and one forced fumble.
Josh Prestridge had one tackle and one fumble recovery.
Donivan Turley had one tackle and one pass deflection.
“They flew around and made plays,” Goblirsch said.
The Bulldogs relied heavily on their rushing attack, piling up 176 yards on 22 attempts.
Junior Tarrell Lee-Gill totaled 148 yards and three touchdowns, both career highs, on just 10 carries.
“That’s something he’s capable of,” Goblirsch said. “He’s got a great burst.”
Kahmi Smith gained 12 yards and scored one TD on two carries.
Prestridge added 18 yards on seven attempts.
Ceres High’s offensive line consisted of Faiva Tuakalau, Daniel Baker, Emmanuel Quijano, Mikey Rivera and Manuel Gonzalez.
“Our line did a great job opening holes up front,” Goblirsch said.
Bulldog quarterback Landyn Hudson completed 1 of 5 passes for 11 yards and one touchdown.
He also had a rushing TD.
Verlis Smith’s lone catch resulted in a touchdown.
Ceres High grabbed a 6-0 lead early in the game when Eli Beltran returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown.
The Bulldogs outscored the Wolf Pack 22-0 in the first quarter.
“We executed well, offensively and defensively,” Goblirsch said.
Central Valley pulled away for a 33-14 victory against host Pitman on Friday at Turlock High School.
“This is what we practice for,” Hawk linebacker Alexis Becerra said. “It feels great.”
Beccera’s 25-yard interception-return touchdown swung the momentum in Central Valley’s favor. His pick-6 gave the Hawks a two-score lead with 5:08 left to play.
“As soon as I saw the running back leak out and the quarterback laid eyes on him, I knew where the ball was going to land,” Becerra said. “I stepped up and made the play.”
Led by linemen Osvaldo Pelayo, Giancarlo Pena, Elijah Jackson, David Flores and Josh Ludwig, Central Valley’s new-look offense piled up 224 rushing yards on 50 carries.
“Isaiah (Hidalgo) was such a big part of our offense last season,” Hawks’ quarterback/cornerback Roberto Tiscareno said. “With him being gone, some people thought we wouldn’t have success moving the ball.
Felix Arellano ran for a team-high 61 yards and one TD on 17 carries.
Elijah DeLeon carried the ball 10 times for 59 yards and one score.
Omar Mendoza rushed for 49 yards on seven carries.
He also had a 20-yard TD catch.
Tiscareno completed 4 of 8 passes for 40 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He gained 23 yards on seven carries.
Diego Delahoya caught two passes for 12 yards.
“Our running game was working,” Tiscareno said. “There was no reason to switch it up. The line did a great job blocking and giving me time to deliver the ball. It’s a great start to the season. We’re excited to go out there next week. Hopefully, we get another win.”
Edgar Garcia made all three of his point-after kicks and booted two field goals.
He also made four tackles on defense.
Adrian Perez had seven tackles and one pass deflection.
Alejandro Hernandez had six tackles and one fumble recovery.
Luis Munoz had six tackles and one pass deflection.
Ruben Valenzuela had six tackles.
Becerra had five tackles and one interception.
Arellano had three tackles and one pass deflection.
Darrius Jackson had one tackle and one interception.
“Overall, we played great,” Becerra said. “We brought the intensity we needed.”
Central Valley will play at Pacheco and Ceres High will host Amador this Friday.
Both games will begin at 7 p.m.
