Ceres High School’s football team will face a familiar opponent during the opening week of the 2026 season.
The Bulldogs will make the short trip to Hughson to face the Huskies this Friday at 7 p.m.
Ceres High has compiled an 0-3 record versus Hughson since 2023.
The Huskies won the 2025 meeting, 37-7.
“Hughson is going to be a big test for us,” Bulldogs’ first-year head coach Debin Cowell said. “We have to play our best to have a chance. If we can come out of the game with some positives, that’s a step in the right direction.”
“That’s one of the best teams in the area,” Ceres High senior lineman Gelo Estrada stated. “We need to play as a team and capitalize on everything little thing we can.”
The 2026 Bulldogs have a roster size of 36 players.
Ceres High’s top returners are Estrada (Sr., OL/DL), Leonardo Ayala (Sr., WR/DB/K), Julian Barrera (Sr., WR/DB), Aiden Bowen (Sr., TE/LB), Caelen Eskridge (Sr., RB/LB), Isaiah German (Sr., OL/DL), Malachi German (Sr., TE/LB), Aashish Julka (Sr., WR/LB), Dakota Pickett (Sr., TE/LB) and Malachi Johnson (Jr., OL/DL).
The Bulldogs’ top newcomers are Angel Bravo (Sr., WR/LB), Jayden Carrillo (Sr., RB/LB), Anthony Santillan (Sr., WR/QB/DB), Anthony Aldana (Jr., QB/DB), Jonathan Marquez (Jr., WR/DB), Alex Ramirez (Jr., RB/LB) and Tyler Phongsa Chhoeum (So., QB/DB).
Pickett and Estrada were both Western Athletic Conference honorable-mention selections as juniors.
Pickett tallied 69 tackles, three sacks and one pass deflection.
He also blocked one field goal.
Pickett ranked first on the team in sacks and second in tackles.
Estrada contributed at tackle on the Bulldogs’ offensive and defensive lines.
He had 15 tackles and one pass deflection.
All-WAC performers Eric De Lozada (First Team), Abijah Bratton (Second Team), Nathaniel St. Macias (Honorable Mention) and Elijah Herrera (Honorable Mention).
“It’s a different group of kids,” Cowell said. “There’s no question we have talent. If we work hard, push ourselves, gel together and play for each other, it can be a really good year. I know we’re going to get better.”
“The expectations are high,” Estrada said. “We’re pretty senior-heavy. The new players bring some talent we needed and didn’t have last year.”
“We’re going to be young at the skill spots,” Cowell said. “Our offensive line is going to be one of our strengths. They communicate well.”
Cowell evaluated returning and new talent during last Friday’s scrimmage at Orestimba High School.
The Bulldogs competed against Modesto High, Sierra and Atwater in their final dress rehearsal before the start of the season.
“Our game plan was very vanilla,” Cowell said. “We ran five plays (on offense) over and over again. We didn’t want to show a lot of things we’ll be running this week against Hughson.”
“We could have done better,” Estrada said. “We didn’t show everybody else how good of a team we can be. We have a lot to work on. We’ll fix everything before we go to Hughson.”
A year removed from struggling to a 3-8 overall record and placing sixth in conference play (2-5), Ceres High could enjoy a bounce-back season this fall.
Lathrop (10-2, 7-0), Johansen (8-3, 6-1), Grace Davis (7-4, 5-2), Central Valley (4-6, 3-4), Livingston (3-8, 3-4), Beyer (4-7, 1-6) and Pacheco (2-9, 1-6) finished first, second, third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the 2025 WAC standings.
The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 4-16 against the crosstown-rival Hawks.
Ceres High lost 38-21 to Central Valley last year.
The Bulldogs enjoyed one of their most productive seasons to date in 2024 by compiling a 7-3 overall record and placing second in the WAC (5-2).
Just two football teams from Ceres High have won at least seven games during a season since 2004.
“We want to be a team that gets better every week,” Cowell stated.
The Bulldogs will compete under the direction of a new head coach this fall.
Cowell, a 1999 Ceres High grad and 2018 Bulldog Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, replaced longtime leader Brett Johnson.
Johnson led Ceres High for nine seasons (2006-10, 2022-25). The Bulldogs amassed a 21-22 overall record and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs twice during Johnson’s second stint as head coach.
Cowell was Johnson’s offensive coordinator the past two seasons. He was also a student of Johnson’s at Mae Hensley Jr. High in the 1990s.
Cowell will continue to call plays on offense.
“It’s definitely going to be hard not having him (Johnson) around on campus,” Cowell said. “He’s such a good role model. He’s a fantastic person. Very high character. He’s willing to go the extra mile to help people out.”
“The culture is being rebuilt,” Estrada added. “There’s more bonding within the team. Coach Cowell is hard working. He keeps everyone disciplined. He pays attention to the little details. He likes to compete. When things need to be corrected, he’ll be straightforward.”
