Vying for its first conference win of the 2014 season, Ceres High School's varsity football team fell victim to heavily-favored Patterson last week.
The Tigers spoiled the Bulldogs' homecoming with a 42-20 victory Friday night in Ceres.
"They really have a lot of talent and their coaches know how to utilize it," Ceres High senior lineman Ramon Coral said.
The Bulldogs dropped to 1-6 on the year and 0-3 in the WAC standings.
The Tigers improved to 5-1 and 2-0.
Ceres High clinched its 10th straight losing season. The Bulldogs have a combined record of 17-80 since 2005.
"It's frustrating," Ceres High head coach Bret Durossette said. "I thought I could create change. I haven't been able to. It would be nice to get out of the valley we're in. We have great kids. They're trying really hard."
Patterson limited Ceres High to 209 yards of total offense.
Bulldog quarterback Brad Bussard totaled 126 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions while completing just 11 of 24 pass attempts.
Twin brother Brent Bussard caught five passes for 59 yards and one TD.
Johnni Smith-Willis ran for 47 yards and one touchdown on eight carries.
Aaron Black rushed for 45 yards on nine attempts.
Seth Gibson had an 84-yard kickoff return touchdown.
Caleb McDade registered a team-high 15 tackles.
Coral collected eight tackles and one sack.
Black and Ricky Valenzuela both made eight tackles.
Tristan Dray added three tackles, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery.
"We should be doing better," Coral said. "Our defense keeps us in games. We got to score more points on offense. We need to protect Brad better. Our wide receivers need to run routes right. Everybody needs to work harder. It starts with practice."
Ceres High trailed 28-12 at intermission.
Gibson's kickoff-return TD cut the deficit to 21-6 late in the first quarter.
Smith-Willis raced 37 yards for a score during the second period.
Brad tossed a 15-yard TD pass to Brent after the break.
"One mistake led to another, and we fell apart really quick," Coral said.
"We haven't beat Patterson in a long time," Durossette said. "They have a ton of athletes."
Ceres High will face Pacheco (5-2, 3-0) this Friday in Los Banos at 7 p.m.
"They're very talented," Coral said.
The Hawks' final two opponents are El Capitan and Central Valley.
"If all of us play with the same intensity, we should be able to win games," Coral said. "It kills me that we're an under .500 team. We're in games. That's the frustrating part. It feels like a curse. We just need to finish."
