Marissa Renteria, Maddie Schultz, Maria Bravo, Nehemiah Valenzuela, Emily Esparza, Hailey Tsurui and Joselin Ruiz all filled key roles while leading Ceres High’s inaugural girls flag football team to the Western Athletic Conference championship this fall.

Renteria, Schultz, Bravo, Valenzuela, Esparza, Tsurui and Ruiz were rewarded for their outstanding play during the league’s year-end head coaches’ meeting on Oct. 23 in Lathrop.

Curtis Hulstine, head coach of the Bulldogs, also garnered special recognition.

“It shows what kind of team we had,” Hulstine said. “We had great players on both sides of the ball. They shined every game.”

Renteria, a senior quarterback who also starred at safety, was named the WAC’s Most Valuable Player.

The vote was unanimous.

“I feel very blessed and grateful for the coaches to choose me as the MVP,” Renteria said. “It’s exciting. They saw the talent I have. I give a lot of credit to my coaches. They let me play my game. My teammates were so supportive.”

“She set a really high standard,” Hulstine said. “It’s going to be hard to find someone to replace her. We were very lucky to have her. She has a really bright future in the sport at the next level.”

A dual-threat QB, Renteria totaled 2,161 yards and 34 touchdowns.

She passed for 1,323 yards and 27 TDs.

She rushed for 838 yards and seven scores.

Renteria also starred on defense.

She totaled 16 interceptions, including five versus Mariposa.

She returned two of her three picks for touchdowns against Lathrop.

“Marissa’s everything you want in an athlete,” Hulstine said. “She’s coachable. She takes criticism very well. She knows the game. Athletically, she’s fast, quick and agile. I felt comfortable putting her anywhere on the field. I took her feedback and applied it to the game plan. She was like a second coach.”

Hulstine was named WAC "Coach of the Year."

He praised all of his players and assistant coaches Nikole Ferrel, Shania Johnson and Gaby Carrasco.

“I was surprised,” said Hulstine talking about the recognition. “I didn’t know it was a thing. I give more credit to my players than myself. We wouldn’t be where we’re at without the other coaches. I look at the award as coaching staff of the year.”

Schultz, Bravo, Valenzuela and Esparza were selected to the WAC First Team.

Schultz, a junior, logged playing time at center, receiver and quarterback.

“She was a big part of our success. She was the vocal leader.”

Schultz caught six touchdown passes.

“She’s a really good route runner and has really good hands."

Bravo, a freshman receiver, hauled in three touchdown passes.

She had 85 receiving yards, 25 rushing yards and two TDs versus Mountain House.

“We put her on varsity because we knew she’d be one of our top receivers. She was a key part of our offense.”

Valenzuela, a junior defensive back, led the Bulldogs in sacks.

“She was our rusher. She made our defensive backs’ jobs easier by putting pressure on the quarterbacks.”

Valenzuela also had four touchdown catches.

Esparza, a junior defensive back, led Ceres High in tackles.

“She locked down every receiver that she covered. She laid out multiple times a game to pull flags.”

Tsurui and Ruiz were named to the WAC Second Team.

Tsurui, a junior, contributed at receiver and defensive back.

She totaled 142 yards and four touchdowns on offense.

“She was reliable all season."

Ruiz, a junior, contributed at defensive back.

She had a game-sealing sack in Ceres High’s 14-12 win against WAC runner-up Escalon.

“She was probably our most improved player on defense. She became a key component.”