Category Archives: News

Magical Regular Season Ends With Unexpected Loss, But Denair Still Rewarded With Football Playoff Berth

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair High School

So much has gone right this year for the Denair High football team that a victory Friday over Waterford – on Senior Night, in the final regular-season game of the year, with a playoff berth likely riding on the outcome – seemed preordained.

The scrappy Coyotes have been the feel-good story of the fall, winning games despite a 15-man roster and earning regional and media attention in the process. Surely the Hollywood script writers knew the proper ending.

Uh, apparently not.

Waterford’s 20-12 victory not only threw cold water over a rabid fan base primed to let loose with a raucous celebration at Jack Lytton Stadium, it threatened to be the final act of an otherwise magical season. A playoff spot that seemed so certain suddenly was at risk.

“I think everybody was disappointed because we felt we had to win to get in,” said Coach Anthony Armas on Sunday. “We had a really good crowd. A lot of alumni showed up.”

He said the players and coaches all realized what a loss might mean. “We felt very bad. … It all kind of hit home after the game.”

Still, as had already been planned, the entire Denair team and coaching staff gathered Saturday afternoon in Athletic Director Darrin Allen’s classroom to watch a live feed of the playoff announcements. They had to wait more than an hour before the Division VI pairings were revealed.

And then they heard their names called right away.

Despite Friday’s upset, Denair was rewarded with the No. 8 seed. The Coyotes (6-4) will play top-seeded Amador (10-1) on Friday at 7 p.m. in Sutter Creek.

“We got a little reprieve,” said Armas, admitting, “I was pretty nervous.”

Making the playoffs provided a much-needed balm to the self-inflicted injuries Denair suffered through Friday against Waterford. Continue reading “Magical Regular Season Ends With Unexpected Loss, But Denair Still Rewarded With Football Playoff Berth” »

Start Your Engines! Tractor Pull Coming to Denair on November 12

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Denair FFA Poster

Submitted by Denair High School

It’s loud. It’s fun. And, for the first time, tractor pulling is coming to Denair.

The Denair High FFA Booster Club is organizing the event, which will start at 6 p.m. Nov. 12 at Jack Lytton Stadium. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door, and can be purchased from any FFA student.

As of Friday, more than 500 tickets already had been sold. Given the long-range weather forecast for a pleasant fall night, odds are good that well more than 1,000 people will be there.

The crowd will be treated to a fun event put on by the Valley Tractor Pullers Association, which has more than 150 members. Some of them are from the Denair area and have never had a chance before to compete on their “home turf.” The VTPA stages events across the region, including at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock.

Tractor pulls involve multiple classes of vehicles – from antique tractors to modified, high-horsepower versions to souped up 4×4 pickups. Each tractor or truck is hooked up to a weighted sled. The farther the sled is pulled, the more the weight moves toward the front – making it more difficult to pull.

Competitors are scored on how far they can pull the sled.

In the Denair event, the pulling will be done on the south side of the track at the stadium. An announcer will rev up the crowd and introduce each participant. The show is expected to last up to three hours.

“It’s very family oriented,” said Ray Prock Jr., an FFA Booster Club member and also a trustee on the Denair Unified School Board.

Organizers hope to raise as much as $20,000. That money will go to support FFA programs at Denair High and pay for things like entrance fees for students at the county fair or to attend conferences.

For more on the Denair event, go to http://www.vtpapullers.org/Denair%20FFA.htm

Four Denair Cross Country Runners in Sub-Section Meet

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Denair High School Logo

Submitted by Denair High School

The inaugural cross country season for Denair High began with 15 runners. After three months of competition, four qualified for spots in Saturday’s Sac-Joaquin Sub-Section Meet at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp.

The Coyotes still competing are:

  • Alex Flores (varsity boys)
  • Seth Martinez (sophomore boys)
  • Danielle Tigner (frosh/soph girls)
  • Johnny Ibarra (freshman boys)

Coach Matthew Groom said he is proud of his small team, which has shown “great improvement” in the course of the season.

“Ibarra was one of the last people to finish the JV race in the first league meet, but through hard work, he improved so much that I moved him up to varsity on the league meets as a freshman,” Groom said. “Tigner improved her time by 3 minutes since her last meet.

“Martinez has finished in the top 15 for the JV boys during the last two league meets (including 9th in the last meet). Not only has Flores improved his times, but he continues to show the leadership qualities that are needed for our team.  The other runners follow his lead and he has represented the school well.”

Saturday, Flores will run the 5-kilometer grass, dirt and cement course known as Frogtown. The fairgrounds are the site of the famous Jumping Frog competition each spring, inspired by the famous Mark Twain short story. Martinez, Tigner and Ibarra will compete on the slightly shorter two-mile layout in the foothills.

Denair runs in Division V, which includes all high schools with enrollment of 600 or less.

For varsity, the top 10 teams and the top 10 individuals not on those teams will qualify for the Sac-Joaquin Section race in Folsom next week.  For all other levels, the top six teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will qualify.

Denair’s March Toward Playoffs Continues With Hard-Fought 26-12 Victory at Mariposa

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair High School

As frustrated as Denair coach Anthony Armas was with his offense after six first-half turnovers Friday night, he was equally delighted with his defense. He had a choice to make during the break: Criticize the offense or heap praise on the defense? Because, as everyone is well aware by now, those are the same players thanks to the Coyotes’ small but tenacious roster.

“It is weird sometimes,” Armas admitted. “I want to say something to one group, but then I realize they’re the same kids playing both ways.”

Armas settled for a reminder about ball security when Denair was on offense and told the Coyotes to keep doing what they had been doing on defense. The result? Denair rallied from a 6-0 halftime deficit against Mariposa, using three touchdowns by Justin Steeley to outlast the Grizzlies 26-12.

The hard-earned victory – which came on the road on a field Denair has had little success on – moved the Coyotes one step closer to an improbable spot in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs. Denair is 4-2 in the Southern League (tied with Delhi and Gustine for second place) and 6-3 overall.

A victory at home this week in the regular-season finale against Waterford almost assuredly would clinch a playoff spot for Denair, despite playing with 12 to 16 players most of the season.

“We told the kids a few weeks ago that our playoffs had already started,” said Armas, a Denair graduate in his second year as head coach. “We figured we had to run the table in order to have a chance.”

Orestimba (8-1 overall, 6-0 in the SL) already has clinched the league championship and one of the SL’s two automatic berths. The other spot comes down to Denair, Delhi and Gustine – and Denair appears to have the edge there. Continue reading “Denair’s March Toward Playoffs Continues With Hard-Fought 26-12 Victory at Mariposa” »