In what head coach Anthony Armas called Denair High’s sloppiest game of the season, the Coyotes made a critical miscue on the game’s final play that allowed Mariposa to escape with a 24-23 overtime victory in Friday night’s Southern League football showdown at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.

With the game knotted 17-17 at the end of regulation, thanks to a 35-yard field goal from DHS kicker Harlan Brown, Mariposa went up 24-17 in the overtime session. Denair countered with Bryson Salazar’s 9-yard touchdown run to make it 24-23, and Coyotes head coach Anthony Armas wasted no time in deciding to go for a two-point conversion – and the victory.

“We were on the road and had a chance to win,” said Armas. “If we kick and tie it up, we get the ball to start the second overtime, and then they could’ve been in a position to decide to go for a tie or the win. I figured, ‘Let’s try to win this thing right here and now.’”

Armas called for an option play around the left end, but the pitch fell to the ground and was recovered by Denair short of the goal line … setting off the Grizzlies’ celebration.

“Our defense played really well,” said Armas. “We only allowed three points in the second half. But we turned the ball over four times, and you just can’t do that and expect to win.”

Senior Degan Butler carried the ball 27 times for 203 yards and scored the third-quarter touchdown that cut Mariposa’s 17-6 advantage to just three points, 17-14. Salazar, who scored a pair of touchdowns, was limited to 48 yards on 14 attempts, while Connor Hart had 28 yards on four carries. 

Hart was injured toward the end of the first quarter and wasn’t able to continue playing on both sides of the ball. He played exclusively on defense for the final three quarters.

“It was a factor, but it’s not an excuse,” Armas said of Hart’s injury. “Mariposa was selling out against the run and was very aggressive. We just played really sloppy, with lots of penalties, and couldn’t get anything going.”

The Coyotes have a bye this Friday night, one that Armas said comes at just the right time.

“We’re starting to get a little dinged up, so this will give us a week to get healthy and get some things cleaned up,” said Armas. “This game exposed some things that we’ve been getting away with against other teams. We’ve got to clean them up and then get ready for Delhi.”

Denair falls to 6-2 for the season and 3-1 in the Southern League, while Mariposa remains perfect at 7-0 and 3-0. The Coyotes will need help to grab a piece of the league crown, and the schedule may provide that help.

Denair has games remaining against Delhi (1-6, 0-3) and Waterford (4-3, 1-2), while Mariposa, which had its bye six weeks ago, still faces tough games against Stone Ridge Christian (6-1, 3-1), Waterford, and Le Grand (4-3, 2-2).

If the Coyotes can run the table and have the Grizzlies drop one of their final three, the teams would share the Southern League title (though Mariposa would gain the higher playoff seed based on the teams’ head-to-head result).

It was a happy homecoming for Denair High School’s varsity football team, which came away with a convincing 49-21 victory over Le Grand on Friday to take sole possession of first place in the Southern League standings.

During halftime, Madison Gonsalves and Jason Araujo were named varsity Homecoming Queen and King, while Angelique Quijano and Seth Hall were selected JV queen and king.

Also, the winner of the parade float competition — featuring a fast-food theme — was announced. The senior class, which chose In-N-Out Burger as it’s fast-food chain, was declared the champion, while the junior class (McDonald’s) was the runner-up. The freshmen (Little Caesars) were third, and the sophomores (Taco Bell) took fourth.

Before a packed home grandstand at Jack Lytton Stadium, the Coyotes improved to 6-1 for the season and 3-0 in conference play, one-half game ahead of undefeated Mariposa (6-0, 2-0), which they’ll face this Friday night in a matchup that will go a long way in determining the league champ.

“Every week is a big game in the Southern League,” said Denair head coach Anthony Armas “This week is no different. Mariposa is playing really well right now. We’ll be playing in the (Mariposa County) fairgrounds, which is always a tough place to play. And, it will be their homecoming, so it’s going to be a tough one.”

Junior running back Bryson Salazar, who was one of the varsity Homecoming King candidates, was a royal pain for the Bulldogs. He ran for season-best 237 yards and four touchdowns on just nine carries — better than 26 yards per try. Salazar had scoring runs of 42, 47, 69, and 15 yards.

Not to be outdone, senior running back Degan Butler had 111 yards on 15 carries (7.4 per attempt) and a score, while junior Connor Hart tallied 59 yards and one TD on four carries (14.8).

Junior quarterback Derek Potter connected with classmate Harlan Brown for a 39-yard score.

The Coyotes appear to be in full stride as they ready for the 75-minute trip to Mariposa — the back half of a tough two-game league stretch that Armas believes will serve his team well.

“We’ve tried to create as many obstacles as possible this year for our players,” said Armas. “We had (state champion) Summerville on the schedule, booked McClatchy (Sacramento), which is a much larger school than we are, and had a long road trip to face Pajaro Valley (Watsonville). Combine that with our regular-season schedule, and I hope it better prepares us for a possible playoff run.”

Following the Mariposa contest, the Coyotes still have Delhi (1-6, 0-3) and Waterford (3-3, 0-2) remaining on the schedule. Postseason action gets underway Nov. 7.

Festivities for homecoming are underway in Denair and will culminate with the Coyotes’ varsity football showdown Friday night against Le Grand High School at Jack Lytton Stadium.

This year’s theme is “Let ’em cook,” and each class at Denair High chose a fast-food chain as inspiration for its parade float.

The seniors selected In-N-Out Burger as their fast-food chain, the juniors picked McDonald’s, the sophomores went with Taco Bell, and the freshmen opted for Little Caesars.

The winning float will be announced during halftime of Friday night’s football game. Of course, the big announcement Friday will come when the homecoming king and queen are crowned.

Good luck to this year’s royal nominees: seniors Madison Gonsalves, Dakota Shaw, Daisy Rosas, Jason Araujo, Ernesto Silva, and Darren Coleman, juniors Brianna Thomas, Alizey Gonzalez, Jazmin Padilla, Bryson Salazar, Cruz Stallings, and Elias Alvarez, sophomores Emery Miranda, Angelique Quijano, Alexa Camacho, Seth Hall, Philip Brigham, and Isaac Maldonado, freshmen Abigail Brasher, Brynna Butler, Avery Andrion, Jose Avila, Nolan Peardon, and Trystyn Runnels.

To get the students revved up for the big game, a rally will be held on campus Friday at 11 a.m. in the high school gym, followed by the downtown parade, which starts at the high school at 12:15 p.m., progresses along Main Street until making a U-turn in front of the Denair Fire Department on Gratton Road, and then returns to campus.

Spectators are encouraged to view the parade from the Denair Food Center parking lot, 4330 Main St., as there will be a public address booth set up there.

The football action — always the highlight of homecoming — kicks off at 5 p.m. with the junior varsity contest. The main event — the varsity showdown for first place in the Southern League — is slated to get underway at 7:15.

The Coyotes defeated Mariposa 21-7 in their homecoming game last season.

Like DHS, each house at Denair Middle School adopted a different chain restaurant: House Amethyst was Chick-fil-A, House Diamond was Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, House Onyx was Starbucks, and House Titanium was Burger King. 

In keeping with the food theme, Denair Middle School chose “Feast of Champions” as its theme for homecoming week.

Spirit was raised on both campuses with special dress-up days throughout the week. On Friday, high school students will dress head to toe in their class color — seniors in red, juniors in yellow, sophomores in purple, freshman in orange — while junior high students will go all out to represent their house. 

In the run-up to homecoming, students have already enjoyed dress-up days, such as PJ Day (wear pajamas to school), Combo-Meal Day (duo/twin), Just Keep Snacking Day (Disney), and more. 

The homecoming dance will be held Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. and features a 1950s diner theme.

With a convincing 42-14 victory over Gustine, Denair High School’s football team is now 5-1 for the season and 2-0 in Southern League play, and will host Le Grand (4-1, 2-0) in key SL matchup this Friday in its annual homecoming game at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Kickoff is slated for 7:15 p.m.

This week’s matchup with Le Grand – a 21-14 winner over Waterford on Friday – marks the start of a tough two-week stretch for the Coyotes, who will follow up their homecoming game with a lengthy trip to Mariposa.

A win for Denair over Le Grand and win by Mariposa against 1-5 Delhi would mean their Oct. 10 encounter would be for first place in the conference.

“I think we’re continuing to improve each week,” said head coach Anthony Armas. “We continue to limit our mistakes and take care of the football.”

Limiting miscues and hanging onto the ball are key ingredients to success in any league, at any level. So is being able to run the ball, something Denair does as well as anybody in the Sac-Joaquin Section. 

Against Gustine, Bryson Salazar carried the ball five times for 131 yards and three touchdowns – he also returned a kickoff for his fourth TD of the night – while teammate Degan Butler had eight rushing attempts for 89 yards and score. Connor Hart, the third member of the Coyotes’ vaunted rushing attack, chipped in with 16 yards on two tries. All told, they combined for 236 yards on 15 carries – an average of nearly 16 yards per tote.

Quarterback Derek Potter completed just one pass Friday, but he made it count, connecting with Harlan Brown on a 42-yard score with seconds left in the first half. 

Salazar’s 68-yard burst in the third quarter made it 35-0, triggering the running clock.

Following a 36-21 victory over Stone Ridge Christian (Merced) on Friday night at Jack Lytton Stadium, Denair High School’s football team is off to a 4-1 start for just the second time in the past two decades.

The last time the Coyotes won four of their first five came seven years ago when they captured the CIF Division 7-AA state championship. And while it’s too early to compare this year’s squad to its 2018 counterpart, it’s clear that the 2025 campaign is shaping up to be something special for the Purple and White.

“We definitely think this can be a special team,” said Anthony Armas, now in his 11th season as Denair’s head coach. “We’re just not sure yet how special we can be.”

Once again, the Coyotes’ running attack led the way, picking up 8.4 yards per carry.

Junior running back Connor Hart produced 164 yards on eight carries (20.5 per attempt) — with nearly half of that coming on a 73-yard scamper that gave Denair a 15-7 first-quarter lead — and Degan Butler amassed 117 yards and three touchdowns on 20 totes (5.9 per attempt). Bryson Salazar, meanwhile, chipped in with 63 yards on 13 tries (4.9). For the season, the Coyotes are averaging 9 yards every time they rush the football.

“Having options as to what we can do and who we can give the ball to, not to mention the confidence that the play will be successful, makes play-calling so much easier,” said Armas.

Through the air, Derek Potter connected on three of six attempts for 41 yards and a 24-yard scoring strike to Harlan Brown, who was good on all four of his PAT attempts and had an interception on defense.

Up next for the Coyotes is a Southern League matchup at Gustine (2-3), which is coming off a 22-16 loss to Mariposa.