Submitted by Denair High School:

A lot has gone right for the Denair High boys basketball team so far this season.

The Coyotes are off to a 10-1 start that includes three victories over the weekend that earned them the championship of their own 21^st annual Denair Holiday Classic Tournament for the first time in at least a decade.

They are getting balanced scoring, rebounding and aggressive defense from a deep and talented roster that will add another big man just in time for the Southern League season to begin in two weeks.

They’ve not only survived a grueling early season schedule that required them to play 11 games in 18 days, they’ve thrived.

“We’re playing terrific,” said Coach R.J. Henderson. “There’s trust on the court. … Guys were passing up contested shots for open looks for their teammates. I’m extremely pleased.”

Denair’s depth and willingness to share the ball were apparent in its three tournament victories. There was a different leading score every game and contributions from players up and down the bench.

In Thursday’s 66-61 win over Big Valley Christian, Hayden Feldman led the way with 23 points. Jordan Smith-Sires added 15 points and Jack Henderson chipped in 11. Mario Plasencia led the defense with 12 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Friday, Denair’s balanced attack was too much for Turlock Christian as the Coyotes won 69-52. Elvis Silva and Cooper Feldman led the way with 10 points each. Four other players scored nine points and Plasencia grabbed 10 rebounds.

There were plenty of moments of celebration at Thursday’s Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting, which ended on a somber note with the announcement of the death of a Denair High student earlier this week.

Merrick McIntire, 17, died Monday night from a brain seizure. He, his father and two of his six siblings were seriously injured in June 2016 when their minivan was rear-ended in a multiple-car collision on Highway 165 near Hilmar.

Merrick suffered a serious brain injury in the wreck. He was sitting in the back of the van when it was struck from behind by a speeding Ford pickup driven by Hilmar woman.

At Thursday’s meeting, Denair High Principal Kara Backman paid tribute to Merrick, a junior who was a popular member of the school’s Project Life program for disabled students. Already, signs of tribute have popped up on the campus, including special T-shirts designed by players on the girls soccer team.

“He was an amazing young man,” said Denair Superintendent Terry Metzger. “Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time.”

Merrick’s funeral is being planned for Friday, Dec. 20.

Earlier, trustees recognized a number of teachers and staff members who have made significant contributions to the district.

• High school ag teachers Holli Neilson, Taylor Doo and John Hultgren were honored for their efforts to build up the FFA program, which recently received an Outstanding Medium Program award.
• High school art teacher John Stavrianoudakis, Hultgren and others were acknowledged for their contributions to Denair’s float in the Turlock Christmas Parade on Dec. 6. The theme was “Christmas at the Arcade.” Denair’s float – which depicted a coyote playing a video game — won the award for Best Themed entry.
• Retiring employee Cindy Citti also was thanked for her service over many years.

In other action, the board:

• Received a positive financial report from Chief Business Official Linda Covello, who shared that although enrollment continues to increase expenses continue to increase as well resulting in deficit spending over the next two years. While the District is not currently expecting deficit spending in 2021-22, Covello cautioned that the newest economic reports show signs of downturn that same year. Metzger said district officials look forward to attending the governor’s budget workshop in January with DUTA President Lori Cole and CSEA President Gayle Schell, and then returning to negotiations on new contracts with the two unions.
• Heard a report from Metzger about the district’s continued improvement on the most recent California School Dashboard State Indicators, which monitor student performance in key areas.
• Adopted Pearson MyWorld as the new history/social studies curriculum at Denair Middle School.
• Discussed and adopted a new board policy that outlines appropriate adult-student interactions, including electronic interactions.
• Heard a report and watched a video from FFA students who attended the national convention last month in Indianapolis.
• Listened to a report from teachers Melissa Perez and Vickie MacFarland about the K-8 home-school program at Denair Charter Academy.

Thanked Trustee Regina Gomes for serving as board president in 2019. Trustee Crystal Sousa was elected to be the 2020 president while Trustee Kathi Dunham-Filson will be the clerk .

Submitted by Denair High School:

It’s a busy time for the Denair High boys basketball team. The Coyotes are in the midst of playing 11 games in 18 days – including hosting their own tournament later this week. By the time Christmas arrives, they’ll only have one non-league game remaining. By then, the players and Coach R.J. Henderson should have a pretty good idea of what is working and what the team identity will be.

If the first six games are any indication, Denair (5-1) will be an athletic, determined and tough opponent, with more depth than any of Henderson’s previous seven teams.

A case in point was Saturday’s game against Ripon Christian for third place in the Riverbank Tournament.

The Coyotes spotted the always powerful Knights a nine-point lead at the half, then fell behind by 19 points with about two and a half minutes left in the third quarter. But just when it looked like they might get blown out, the Coyotes ratcheted up their defense, created some turnovers and rode the hot shooting of Jack Henderson and Austin Upfold to score 12 straight points.

Henderson and Upfold both hit 3-pointers, and Mario Plasencia and Elvis Silva sparked Denair’s defense, which clamped down on the taller Knights and stifled their offense. The run that began late in the third quarter continued through the fourth, when Denair outscored Ripon Christian 25-6 en route to an impressive 68-58 victory.

“Did we celebrate? Yes,” said Henderson, who believes it might be Denair’s first victory over R.C. in 15 years. “The kids were feeling pretty good about what they did.”

Submitted by Denair Unified School District:

It’s not easy to be a pre-teen or teen-age girl, especially today. Unique pressures and expectations are felt from many directions – family, friends, classmates and, especially, social media. Many girls struggle with their confidence and self-esteem, finding their authentic voice, girl bullying, unhealthy dating relationships and sexual violence, and lack of strong friendships and support systems.

It’s because of these distinct circumstances facing only girls that ROX – Ruling Our eXperiences – was created.

“ROX is not just a curriculum, it’s a movement,” according to an introductory video on the ROX website.

ROX began in Ohio about a decade ago and has since spread to 400 schools across the country. The Denair Unified School District became just the second district in California to introduce ROX in the spring semester of 2019.

“ROX is a powerful program, not only because of the comprehensive curriculum, but because it provides our girls with excellent mentors who really invest time, energy and care in developing healthy relationships with them,” said Denair Superintendent Terry Metzger.

The program is specially tailored for girls in fifth through 12^th grades. It is intended to empower them by teaching them how to handle conflict, create and manage better relationships, and think positively and differently about their futures.

Submitted by Denair High School:

Three days after Denair’s wrenching 17-14 overtime loss to Mariposa for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI football championship, Anthony Armas was not in a reflective mood. The emotions were still too raw. The disappointment was still too real.

The Coyotes were just a few plays from their second consecutive Section title. Instead, they suffered what might have been their most painful loss in recent memory.

“I think it’s a good thing we don’t have school this week,” Armas admitted Monday morning. “I think we all need a little time to decompress. Football people know how good Mariposa is and how hard it is to win a Section title, but it would be hard to have all the kids coming up and asking, ‘What happened?’ ”

The two Southern League rivals – meeting for the second time in a month – played a physical and defense-dominated first half in which neither team scored.

“Both teams have good defenses. It was a typically tight, tough playoff game,” Armas said.

But the momentum swung quickly after Denair (9-3) received the second-half kickoff. Senior running back Jorge Yanez, playing with a sore shoulder that Armas though might force him to miss the game, ripped off a 56-yard run on the first play. Then on the next snap, Dylan De Silva sprinted 21 yards to the end zone to give Denair a 7-0 lead.

The drive took all of 23 seconds.