For much of Monday night’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoff game, Denair looked less like a No. 1 seed and more like a squad that hadn’t been challenged in nearly two months.

Eighth-seeded Aspire Langston Hughes Academy of Stockton made the Coyotes work harder than they have since early January. Aspire’s stingy zone defense kept Denair’s outside shooters from their preferred spots, frustrating the Coyotes, who surprisingly found themselves trailing by five points late in the third quarter and still tied at 45-45 with 4½ minutes to play.

With the game on the line, Denair’s experience kicked in. Senior Connor Leonard scored six points and the Coyotes were clutch at the free throw line, propelling them to a hard-earned 57-49 victory over the Titans in the second round.

The victory sets up a semifinal rematch at home Wednesday at 7 p.m. with No. 4 Mariposa (22-5), who shared the Southern League title with the Coyotes (24-4) this season. Mariposa edged Bret Harte 50-47 on Monday night.

“I’m absolutely glad it’s over,” Denair coach R.J. Henderson said of Monday’s game. “It was our first close game in six weeks. There were some nerves out there from our guys. It was a combination of that and that they (Aspire) played well. We’re relieved to get through.”

Denair cruised through the Southern League season, losing only 55-52 at home to Mariposa on Jan. 3 and blowing out everyone else. The Coyotes avenged their one loss with a dominant 69-46 victory at Mariposa on Feb. 14, which earned them not only a No. 1 seed but a first-round bye.

Though Denair has won 20 of its last 22 games, Aspire was intimidated. The Titans relied on a ball-hawking 2-3 zone to slow Denair’s typically efficient offense while controlling the pace and keeping the score close throughout.

“We’ve faced zones before, but not many that were that active,” Henderson said. “Their guards at the top did a good job of firing at our shooters and their bigs at the bottom rebounded well.  They were very physical against us.”

Henderson credited senior reserve Joseph Gregg with helping to steady the Coyotes during some key minutes in both halves.

“He had his best game as a varsity player – three or four steals and a couple of points,” Henderson praised. “He’s a quick, disrupting player on defense. This was a perfect matchup for him. He kept our team where we needed to be.”

In the end, it was Denair’s “core four” – seniors Cooper Feldman (15 points), Jack Henderson (14 points), Mario Plasencia (12 points and 10 rebounds despite foul trouble) and Leonard – who came through again. Those four players – who all played as sophomores on Denair’s NorCal playoff team two years ago — raised their record to 61-9 over the past four seasons.

“We finally strung a few stops together on defense and then we made our free throws,” Henderson said.

Next up is a team Denair knows well – Mariposa.

“They kind of mirror us. They have a couple of dynamic players,” Henderson said. “There’s not a weak link on that team. … Both sides respect each, play very hard and like to compete against each other.”

The winner Wednesday night will move on to the Division V championship game Saturday at noon at Golden One Arena in Sacramento.

Wednesday’s other semifinal will be played in Ripon where No. 2 Ripon Christian (20-7) will host No. 11 Bradshaw Christian (11-18) of Sacramento.

Denair has beaten all three of the other semifinalists this season, underscoring why it earned the playoff top seed. Henderson also is proud of the fact that the Southern League – which doesn’t always get a lot of respect at the Section level – has two of the last four teams remaining.

“It’s nice seeing two Southern League teams not just seeded first and fourth, but to know that one of us is going to play in the finals in Sacramento,” he said.

Denair already is assured of a spot in the NorCal Tournament, which starts next week. Two years ago, the Coyotes lost on the road in the first round. With two more victories and a Section title this week, there is a good chance they could host a NorCal game next week.

“We’re confident, but we’ve still got a lot of work ahead to get to Golden One and validate our No. 1 seed,” Henderson said. “We’re looking forward to it.”

The Denair High boys soccer team lost its first game of the season … and hasn’t been beaten since. That undefeated streak culminated Saturday afternoon in the school’s first-ever Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship as the Coyotes shut out Southern League rival Gustine 3-0.

The magnitude of the achievement still hadn’t set in two days later for Denair coach Miguel Hernandez.

“I woke up yesterday and it was still surreal,” Hernandez admitted Monday morning. “I was texting with some of our juniors and seniors, and it was just amazing to know what we accomplished together.”

Denair (16-1-5) isn’t done yet. The Coyotes, who were seeded first in the eight-team Section bracket, now will move on to the NorCal Tournament beginning March 1. Pairings will be announced Sunday and Hernandez expects Denair to earn at least one more home game.

Until then, the Coyotes can be satisfied knowing they earned the right to hang a blue Section championship banner in their gymnasium, something no other Denair soccer team has ever done.

The title game was the third meeting of the season between Denair and Gustine. They tied 1-1 on Jan. 29 in Gustine and Denair won 2-0 at home Feb. 4. This time, they played on a perfect day for soccer at American River College in Sacramento.

As it has done it all three of its playoff victories, Denair scored first. Sophomore forward Azael Gil found the net on a header about 15 minutes. Gil, who didn’t start at the beginning of the season, has made the most of his chances since being inserted into the lineup about a month ago.

“He’s really impressed me,” Hernandez said.

About 10 minutes later, Denair went ahead 2-0 when another sophomore, Justin Hernandez, dribbled past a defender and then beat Gustine’s goalie with a low, hard kick to the goalie’s right.

Even with a two-goal lead at halftime, Hernandez told his team it couldn’t relax.

“A 2-0 lead is the most false score in soccer, just because the momentum shifts if the other team scores,” Hernandez said. “And soccer is all about momentum.”

He warned his players that Gustine would start the second half aggressively.

“I told them at halftime, they were going to come out and try to get a goal to put them one goal away,” Hernandez said. “And they did. They were throwing punches, They had us pinned back in our territory.”

But Denair’s defense – the backbone of the team all season — weathered the storm while Coyotes goalie Sergio Torres made some nice saves. “He did an amazing job,” Hernandez praised.

Gustine did find the net once, but the goal was waved off because the Reds were ruled to be offside. That was a pivotal moment – depriving Gustine of the momentum Hernandez was worried about and seeming to inspire Denair once again.

The Coyotes put the game away about midway through the second half when Tim Hernandez scored on a header after a corner kick. That gave Denair an insurmountable 3-0 lead, which Gustine’s players appeared to know.

“They started fouling more,” Hernandez said. “They weren’t playing soccer. They were frustrated and pushed. They knew that scoring three goals in 20 minutes wasn’t going to happen.”

The shutout was the 10^th of the season for Denair, which allowed more than one goal only once this year – in a season-opening 2-0 loss to Hughson on Nov. 19. In fact, Denair’s defense has surrendered just 12 goals this season, not counting the three scored in a 5-3 shootout victory over Summerville in the Division VI semifinals (the teams were tied 1-1 after regulation and overtime).

Hernandez said the Coyotes began truly to believe in themselves after two 1-1 ties in SL play against Delhi – which won the Section Division V championship Saturday and could be a NorCal opponent – and a lopsided road win over Le Grand on Jan. 7.

“It was the Delhi games and Le Grand, which was a good team and we beat them 5-0,” he said. “I could see every single player who went in was locked into their role and duty. And when we beat Gustine in the second game — I told them, ‘If we play like this, nobody can beat us but ourselves.’ ”

As the victories stacked up, Hernandez said Denair’s team goals also evolved.

“We always talked about our main goal, which was to win our league,” he said. “About halfway through the season, that changed to winning a playoff game. Then we started talking about winning the Section.”

A blue banner may have seemed like a fantasy three years ago when Hernandez took over and Denair was coming off a winless season. That all changed Saturday afternoon.

“The guys were so happy,” said Hernandez, who plans to step down after this season ends so he can coach his 7-year-old daughter’s traveling team. “The emotions came out. Especially for the seniors, who never thought they’d get this far after not winning a game as freshmen.”

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Parents of all sixth- and seventh-graders at Denair Middle School are invited to an information meeting about the Foothill Horizons Outdoor Camp. The meeting will be held Wed., Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Coyote Center on the DMS campus.

All Denair sixth- and seventh-graders are eligible to attend the outdoor camp near Sonora for a three-day, two-night field trip on April 4-6. 

 Foothill Horizons is operated by the Stanislaus County Office of Education and certified by the State Department of Education. Set on 143 acres of forest, meadows and creeks, students learn about ecology, how to respect nature and how to cooperate with others.

Traditionally, many sixth-graders from across the region attend the camp for a week in the spring. Because of COVID, that has not happened the past two years.

This year’s Denair eighth-graders – who were in the sixth grade in 2020 – took a one-day field trip to Foothill Horizons in October. 

This year’s 140 sixth- and seventh-graders will get a shortened version of the camp experience in April. Outdoor and environmental curriculum related to the camp will be presented in their science classes in the weeks leading up to the camp.

At Wednesday night’s meeting, parents can ask questions as well as sign their children up to attend. Permission forms and health information are required to attend. Deadline to register is March 7.

Unlike previous years, there is no cost to attend the camp. The Denair Unified School District is covering the cost by using money it received from the state.

“We feel this opportunity will be good for our students’ social and emotional health,” said DMS Principal Gabriela Sarmiento. “Especially considering the past couple of years, where a lot of opportunities have been taken away from them.”

For high school soccer players and fans, a penalty kick shootout is one of the sport’s most exciting and dramatic moments. It occurs when two playoff teams are still tied after 80 minutes of regulation play and a pair of 10-minute overtimes. Unlike the regular season, a tie is not an option.

A shootout is the ultimate do-or-die moment. One player at a time lines up to go against a goalie and try to score. Teams alternate for five kicks from about 8 yards away. The teams with the most goals wins.

That’s exactly the situation the Denair boys found themselves in on a cool, breezy Tuesday night at Jack Lytton Stadium against Summerville. Still tied 1-1 after 100 minutes, it was down to a shootout to decide who would advance in the playoffs and who would go home.

A coin flip decides who goes first. Denair won the toss. Coyotes coach Miguel Hernandez sent out his top scorer, Angel Sanchez, to start. Sanchez, who earlier had turned his ankle and left the game temporarily, came through with a goal.

Summerville matched that score. Emanuel Renteria was next for Denair. He rose to the moment and made his kick. Again, Summerville scored and, again, Denair took the lead, with Timothy Hernandez scoring a third goal.

Once more, Summerville tied it up, only to see Diego Padilla put Denair back in front with his goal.

Then, on Summerville’s fourth kick, Denair goalie Sergio Torres guessed right, diving in the same direction as the Summerville player’s shot. That decision caused the shot to go wide.

Denair was ahead 4-3, with one kick left. If Justin Hernandez – who scored Denair’s only goal in regulation way back in the first 10 minutes of the game – could come through, Denair would have five goals and win. There would be no way for Summerville to catch up.

With a partisan crowd cheering him on, Hernandez calmly kicked the ball into the back of the net. Let the celebration begin.

“We were lucky to survive,” said a relieved and exhausted Miguel Hernandez, Denair’s coach. “We lost Angel, who rolled his ankle. I put him back in with a minute to go. Emanuel also rolled an ankle. Our strategy was to go to penalties because our guys were just drained. These guys have never played that long. I just told them to hang on.”

The victory vaulted top-seeded Denair (15-1-5) into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game on Saturday against a familiar opponent, Southern League rival and No. 5 seed Gustine (11-6-4), which knocked off Esparto 1-0 in the other semifinal. The title game will be played at 2 p.m. at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.

The Coyotes and Reds faced off twice in the league season. They tied 1-1 on Jan. 29 in Gustine and Denair won 2-0 at home Feb. 4. 

“I didn’t want to face them,” Hernandez admitted. “They kind of know our strategy and our system. I kind of wanted a team that didn’t know us as well.”

Regardless of the opponent, Denair is trying to do something no other boys soccer team has accomplished – win a Section championship.

“The guys were very happy after Tuesday’s game was over,” Hernandez acknowledged. “They know what it meant for the school. This group is proud to be first team to go this far.”

Hernandez appreciates the effort it took to reach the title game. He credited his defense for hanging tough on a night when whichever team had the wind at its back had an advantage. He also applauded Torres’ effort in goal.

“Sergio really stepped up huge. He made three or four critical saves,” Hernandez said. “It wasn’t our night, to be honest. We were making mistakes. Maybe the wind was a factor. We’re happy we got out of there with a win. It was tough. Summerville did not get up.”

R.J. Henderson has coached Denair’s boys basketball team for a decade. The Coyotes have won or shared the past three Southern League championships, something that hasn’t happened in 30 years. They’ve qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Tournament and made it as far as the NorCal Tournament two years ago. Their four senior starters – the group Henderson calls “the core four” – have racked 60 victories against just four losses the past four years.

With all that success and accomplishment for context, Henderson believes Monday night’s dominating 69-46 road victory over Mariposa was extra special.

“I think it was the best game that I’ve been a part of in 10 years, given all that was at stake,” Henderson praised. “It was the best atmosphere we’ve played in all year. The intensity that was inside that building and the way we played — I’m confident we’re ready for what’s next.”

The win not only clinched an SL co-title between the Coyotes and Grizzlies, it clearly impressed the people who were seeding the Section Division V bracket. Denair (23-4) vaulted to the No. 1 seed – meaning it not only earned a first-round bye, but it also will play at home in round two and, if it wins next Monday, again in round three on Feb. 23.

The Division V championship game will be played Feb. 26 at Golden One Arena in Sacramento, home of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings.

Senior Mario Plasencia – a four-year starter – led the way against Mariposa, scoring a game-high 23 points and grabbing 22 rebounds. The other members of “the core four” — Cooper Feldman, Jack Henderson and Connor Leonard – also all scored in double figures. They have been playing together since junior high school.

Denair only led by seven points at halftime, but turned up the pressure on defense and found another gear on offense in the second half. The result was another runaway league victory for the Coyotes, who crushed many SL opponents by margins of 50 points or more this year.

Monday’s win also avenged a 55-52 home loss to Mariposa on Jan. 4. Denair has won 19 of its past 21 games.

“We’re the first Denair team to win three titles in a row. Ever. That’s going to be our legacy,” said Henderson.

Earning the No. 1 seed in the 14-team Division V bracket is another impressive accomplishment for the Coyotes. There were no playoffs last year because of COVID, but in the three seasons before that, Denair was seeded 11^th twice and third once. In 2020, Denair advanced as far as the first round of the NorCal Tournament, where the Coyotes were beaten 47-44 by Pacific Bay Christian of Pacifica.

Ripon Christian (19-7) earned the No. 2 seed in Division V and the other first-round bye. Denair defeated RC 62-49 in the Riverbank Tournament in December. The third seed is Fortune Early College Prep (12-10) of Sacramento. Mariposa (20-5) is seeded fourth, setting up a potential Mariposa at Denair semifinal on Feb. 23.

Henderson is not concerned that Denair hasn’t played a close game since its loss to Mariposa in January. He thinks it’s more important that the Coyotes are playing their best basketball as the playoffs begin

“The league was very top heavy this year,” he said. “It’s going to cycle from time to time. Some of those scores got out of hand, but we weren’t trying to run it up on anyone.”

Next Monday, Denair will host the winner of Friday’s game between No. 8 seed Aspire Langston Hughes Academy (16-0) of Stockton and No. 9 Golden Sierra (17-8) of Garden Valley. Henderson said his coaching staff and most of the team will be in Stockton on Friday night to scout the two teams in person.

Despite the top seed, Henderson senses that some potential opponents still don’t give Denair the respect he thinks it’s earned. That’s fine with him.

“I still think there’s some overlooking of our team. Which is fine,” he said. “We want to operate with a chip on our shoulders. I’ve been doing that for 10 years as a coach. I try to keep our kids edgy and they’ve responded to it.”

Two more home victories not only would give the Coyotes a chance to play in an NBA arena, it also likely would cement another spot in the NorCal Tournament – achieving one of the team’s primary goals.

“Getting to March means the State Tournament,” Henderson said. “In the last three weeks, especially in the last 48 hours, it’s been, ‘Let’s really try to maximize this run in Sections.’ But we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. I would love for us to play a game in Golden One. The kids would, too. They don’t want this thing to end. Yet our primary focus right now is getting ready for the winner of that Friday night game.”

Anyone planning to attend Denair’s home playoff games should be aware that the ticket policy has changed this year. They will not be sold at the door and must be ordered online (here is the link). Tickets for Monday’s 7 p.m. game will not go on sale until Saturday.