Andrew Chapman and his Ceres Saints teammates were greeted with a loud ovation following Saturday's season-opening 6-0 loss to the Delta Valley Wolfpack.

The two varsity youth football teams battled for 40 minutes at Central Valley High School.

Abiel Taito's 12-yard rushing touchdown broke a scoreless tie with less than 30 seconds left in regulation.

Ceres lost 57-0 to Delta Valley last season.

"We accomplished a lot today," Saints head coach Robert Castillo said. "We're going in the right direction. I couldn't be more prouder."

Ceres suited up just 14 players for the game, including 10 newcomers and four veterans. The Saints compiled an 0-9 record last year.

"I think this team is capable of winning," Castillo said. "We're small in numbers but big in heart."

Chapman contributed at quarterback and outside linebacker versus the Wolfpack. He was promoted from JV.

"I thought we were going to win," Andrew said. "I'm still happy. We worked together as a team. I'm ready for the next game."

Ceres appeared to grab a 6-0 lead in the second quarter when Jose Reyna rumbled 40 yards for a touchdown. The play was negated because of a holding penalty.

Chapman tried to engineer a winning drive following Delta Valley's late TD.

Time ran out as Andrew was tackled inbounds at Ceres' 31-yard line on third down.