Ceres High School shared a post on its Facebook page on Sept. 2 welcoming Bulldog alumni to attend this Friday’s football games.

CHS is looking forward to showing off its new-look stadium.

“I think it’s a cool idea,” said Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator/former Ceres High standout quarterback Debin Cowell. “It’s something that builds interest in the program.”

“It will be nice to have a big crowd,” Ceres High junior all-purpose player Nathaniel Macias stated. “It will fuel our team instead of putting pressure on us.”

Ceres Unified School District broke ground on the $7.8-million project this past spring.

Upgrades included installing an AstroTurf Field, a Beynon all-weather track, a Daktronics scoreboard and air conditioning in the snack bar and team rooms.

“We take pride in it,” Macias said. “It looks amazing. We’re not the only teams that get to play on it. It adds to the entire school.”

“It looks phenomenal,” Cowell stated. “It’s one of the nicest high-school fields I’ve seen around here. It’s a really beautiful stadium.”

“Lots of schools used to talk down to us because we had a bad field,” Macias added. “They didn’t like playing here. There were potholes. You don’t have to worry about rolling an ankle or slipping now. I’m really happy I’ll get to play on the field the next few years.”

“It’s a whole different vibe when you walk in,” said Brett Johnson, head coach of Ceres High’s football and track and field programs. “Everything pops. I love the red end zones. The Bulldog (logo) in the middle of the field looks amazing. Having a gray track makes the field stand out more. We have something nice that will last. It’s a new era.”

Cowell remembers competing on the stadium’s grass field when he was a student-athlete at Ceres High.

“A lot of players that came through the program didn’t get to play on a field like this,” he said. “It’s a nice field to practice and play on. On the old field, by the time you reached the midway part of the season, it was mud from hashmark to hashmark. It was like that forever.”

Bulldog players are making memories on Ceres High’s new, state-of-the-art field.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Bulldogs’ senior football/track and field standout Reis Smith said. “I never thought it would happen during my time at Ceres. We need to appreciate what we have.”

“Playing on turf feels good,” Macias added. “I can cut and plant better. I feel more comfortable. Having a quality field makes all the difference.”

Ceres High made history on Aug. 29 when it christened its new-field with a 16-0 win over Delhi.

“It was a great, new experience,” said Macias, who accounted for both of the Bulldogs’ touchdowns. “Leading up to the game, there was a lot of hype. The field is brand-new. We knew a lot of people were going to be there. There wasn’t any pressure. I knew we were going to perform and get the W. It felt amazing hearing the crowd being there to support us.”

“Our first varsity game on that field was a victory,” Johnson stated. “You always want to open a place with a win.”

“Getting the first win feels great,” Macias added. “We want to keep the streak going and not lose any home games.”

Ceres High will face Buhach Colony this Friday.

Junior-varsity and varsity games will get underway at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

Tickets can be purchased at gofan.co.

“We watched them play Bullard,” said Johnson. “If we execute our game plan, we should be good.”