Unbeaten Orestimba Too Much for Gritty Coyotes

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Submitted by Denair High School

Bigger, stronger, faster. It’s a theme consistently repeated for most of the past month as a young Denair High football team tries to compete against larger, more experienced rosters in the Southern League.

Friday night’s 58-20 home loss to unbeaten Orestimba was more of the same. The Coyotes showed flashes of potential and crisp execution, only to be undone by a blown assignment or other costly mistake.

“Our effort is not the problem,” said Coach Anthony Armas. “Our defense will shut someone down for two of three plays, then give up a big play. We’re just not consistent.”

Orestimba is the defending Southern League champion. Its senior-laden roster is full of players who have the confidence that comes with that success. Still, scrappy Denair went toe-to-toe with the Warriors in the first quarter Friday, which ended in a scoreless tie and included a blocked punt by the Coyotes’ Scott Badal.

But Orestimba (7-0 overall, 4-0 in league) quickly took control in the second period, scoring three touchdowns while controlling Denair’s offense.

“They really took the run away, which is what we want to do,” Armas said. “They were bringing a lot of heat. They had a big linebacker and some long guys on the edge who gave us some issues. They basically dared us to pass and that’s not our offense.”

That defensive pressure led to an Orestimba safety late in the quarter, giving the Warriors a 23-0 lead. But Orestimba muffed the ensuing Denair punt and Blake Davis recovered for the Coyotes (2-5, 1-3). A few plays later, quarterback Drew Pritchard escaped the rush and found Davis with a pretty 26-yard touchdown pass.

But Orestimba scored three more times in the third quarter and twice in the fourth to blow the game open and force a running clock.

The lone second-half highlights for Denair were two long kickoff returns for touchdowns by Hunter Musgrave – one for 88 yards and the other for 80 on the final play of the game

Junior varsity game: Orestimba shut out Denair 12-0. The Coyotes fell to 1-2 in league play and 2-3 overall.

This week: The Coyotes take to the road Friday to square off with rival Delhi (2-5, 0-4). “This is always a knockdown, drag-out fight,” Armas said. “They’ll stick a bunch of people in the box and dare us to throw it, just like everyone else. … They’re in about the same situation as us when it comes to numbers, but they’re our biggest rival so that doesn’t really mean much.”

Denair Trustees Vote to Move Elections to Even Years

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The two people elected next month to the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees will serve an extra year, thanks to a decision by current board members Thursday night.

Trustees voted 4-0, with Sandi Dirkse absent, to move the election of trustees from November of odd years to November of even years. The move is consistent with the state’s preference to consolidate local elections with statewide voting already scheduled for even years. There is ample data that shows voter turnout is much higher in even year, when people have more issues and candidates to consider.

Packaging elections also is more cost effective, Superintendent Aaron Rosander told trustees.

“There’s been work to align elections to even years to save money, that’s the impetus,” he said. “I think as time goes, you’ll see any election in an odd year go away. It’s very expensive.”

The upshot of Thursday’s decision means that voters in the Denair district will select two candidates from a field of four on Nov. 7 and then wait until 2020 to vote again. The terms of those elected next month will run until 2022.

On the ballot are Crystal Sousa, Charlie Asbill, Tina Gresio and Regina “Reggie” Gomes. They are competing to replace Trustees Robert Hodges and Sandi Dirkse, who chose not to seek re-election.

Also affected are the three trustees whose terms would have ended in 2019 – Kathi Filson, Ray Prock Jr. and John Plett. They now will serve until 2020.

Board members and the audience also watched a presentation Thursday night from two members of Stanislaus County law enforcement. Probation officer Maribel Garcia and criminal investigator Louis Balentine shared information about the FOCUS (Focusing on Children Under Stress) program. Continue reading “Denair Trustees Vote to Move Elections to Even Years” »

Underdog Denair Faces Mighty Orestimba in Football

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Submitted by Denair High School

Even in the best of conditions, it’s tough enough trying to prepare for the best football team in the Southern League. Wednesday was not the best of conditions for the Denair Coyotes, who host unbeaten Orestimba on Friday night.

Strong north winds pushed a thick layer of smoke from the Napa and Sonora wildfires into the valley and sent air-quality readings into the unhealthy range. Taking no precautions, school officials in Denair and across the region appropriately cancelled outdoor events. Including football practice.

It clearly was the right decision. Everyone’s health is more important than any one workout. But it added another hurdle into what already looms as one of Denair’s biggest challenges – how to keep up with mighty Orestimba (6-0 overall, 3-0 in the SL).

Typically, Wednesday is the day Denair practices at night at Jack Lytton Stadium. That didn’t happen.

“Usually, Wednesday is our best day of practice,” said Coach Anthony Armas. “We’re in the stadium, under the lights, in full pads. The guys like it.”

Denair (2-4, 1-2) is coming off a 36-14 loss last week at Ripon Christian, another game that Armas feels like the Coyotes were physically overmatched.

“We get matchups with certain teams that just aren’t good for us,” he said. “RC is very big. That was kind of rough. Le Grand is more like us (referring to Denair’s 63-20 victory two weeks ago).”

Orestimba will present more of the same size challenges. The Warriors also are skilled at many positions, plus they have nearly twice as many players on their roster as Denair. The Coyotes’ 23-man roster is light on seniors (5) and relies heavily on sophomores (7) pulled up from the JV team.

“They’re the best team in our league and have been the past couple of years,” Armas said. “We’re not going to do anything different. We’ll prepare like every other team. We’ll focus on us and how to get our offense better, and our defense and special teams.”

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Jack Lytton Stadium.

Denair Schools Take Precautions Because of Smoky Air

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Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Officials in the Denair Unified School District moved quickly Wednesday to cancel athletic events and practices, modify recesses and move other activities indoors because of unhealthy levels of smoke in the air from the devastating fires in Sonoma and Napa counties.

At the high school, football practice was cancelled. At the middle school, a soccer tournament was postponed. And at all campuses, students were required to spend lunch breaks and recesses inside.

A strong north wind blew smoke from  more than 120 miles away into the valley, blanketing the sky with a layer of brown haze.

At 1 p.m., the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District website warned that fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the Turlock area was 113 pg/m3. Air is considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups” (young children, seniors and those with asthma) when readings are between 36 and 55 pg/m3. All groups are at risk of breathing problems when readings exceed 75 pg/m3.

Schools officials decided by midmorning to keep students indoors for their safety. Children and staff were alerted via internal announcements; social media was used to communicate with parents and others in the community.

Denair Sports Boosters Host First Annual Bratoberfest

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Submitted by Denair Sports Boosters

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, Denair Sports Boosters will be hosting it’s First Annual Bratoberfest & Gun Raffle from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm, at the Denair Community Center. They will be serving a variety of Bratwurst, along with sauerkraut, potato salad and a selection of beer for a traditional Octoberfest style celebration. Big screen TV’s will be broadcasting college football throughout the evening, as well as a variety of gun raffles. Tickets are $35 for all you can eat and drink. Proceeds from the event will benefit Denair Football.  Tickets are available by calling (209) 380-8180, or at the door the day of the event.