Ceres High’s inaugural girls flag football team accomplished a lot under head coach Curtis Hulstine’s guidance this year.
The Bulldogs have been named the Ceres Courier’s Team of the Year for the 2023 fall sports season.
Hulstine earned Coach of the Year.
“It’s been a season full of firsts,” Hulstine said. “Truly blessed to have the coaching staff and athletes I have. We’re all proud of what we’ve done as a unit.”
“We’re leaving a legacy at our school,” Bulldogs’ senior quarterback/safety Marissa Renteria stated. “I’m not surprised. We have a lot of talent on our team.”
The Bulldogs amassed an 18-3 overall record, claimed the Western Athletic Conference title with a perfect 7-0 mark and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-I playoffs.
“We had a great season,” Hulstine said. “The girls blew all of my expectations out of the water. I can’t believe the success this team had. It’s truly amazing. They embedded themselves into CHS history.”
“The key to our success was our team bonding, our connections,” Renteria added. “Lot of memories. Lot of new friendships. I’m proud of how far we went throughout the season.”
Ceres High fell one win shy of advancing to the section championship game.
The sixth-seeded Bulldogs had their 14-game unbeaten streak snapped by the second-seeded/eventual champion Del Oro Golden Eagles in the semifinals. Ceres High suffered a 20-14 loss.
The Bulldogs shut out the third-seeded Atwater Falcons 34-0 in the quarterfinals and topped 11th-seeded Lodi 30-6 in the opening round.
“It’s a step forward in the right direction for Ceres High sports,” said Renteria. “We made history. Nobody expected us to be in the semifinals. We made a statement.”
Eight members of Ceres High’s girls flag football team received WAC honors.
Renteria was voted Most Valuable Player.
Maddie Schultz, Maria Bravo, Nehemiah Valenzuela and Emily Esparza were selected to the WAC First Team.
Hailey Tsurui and Joselin Ruiz both earned second-team all-league honors.
“It shows what kind of team we had,” Hulstine said. “We had great players on both sides of the ball. They shined every game.”
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,” Hulstine said in 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.”
