Tag Archives: Denair High School

Denair High Rolls to First Football Victory, 41-12

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

The first victory came easily for the Denair High football team.

In front of a supportive home crowd, the Coyotes raced to a 27-point lead in the first quarter and never let up in a lopsided 41-12 win over Brookside Christian of Stockton.

It not only evened Denair’s record at 1-1 this season, it also was the first-ever victory for new head coach Anthony Armas. He must have done something to celebrate, right?

“Not really. I went home and uploaded game film,” Armas said. “It’s just one game.”

Denair’s linemen – many of whom play offense and defense – dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage, Armas said. Offensively, they opened big holes for the Coyotes’ backs. Defensively, they effectively bottled up Brookside Christian (0-3), allowing touchdowns only in the second and fourth quarters.

Denair started quickly. On its first play, running back Juan Berrera took a handoff, followed some good blocks on a trap play and raced about 60 yards for a touchdown. Berrera later scored from 5 yards out.

“He hit the hole pretty fast and once he got past the front line, he was free,” Armas said of Berrera’s first TD.

Other highlights in the first-quarter blitz included a punt return for a touchdown by Chase Pritt and an interception by outside linebacker Justin Steely that he returned to the Brookside 10-yard line. A couple of plays later, Steely took a pitch and scored another Denair touchdown.

“It’s a process,” Armas said of his young team and their progress. “They’re getting better every week. We’re just working to fix some little things on both sides of the ball.” Continue reading “Denair High Rolls to First Football Victory, 41-12” »

Denair Students Collecting Donations to Benefit Sierra Fire Victims

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FEMA News Photo / Andrea Booher

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

Students and staff at two campuses in the Denair Unified School District are leading a community relief effort to help people affected by the Butte fire in Calaveras and Amador counties.

Donations of clothing, toiletries, water, non-perishable food, blankets and other basic necessities will be accepted at the main offices at Denair High School and Denair Middle School between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Both campuses are located on Lester Road.

The Butte fire has burned more than 71,000 acres since it began last week. An estimated 135 homes and more than 80 other buildings have been destroyed, and thousands of people were told to leave their houses over the weekend.

The impetus to help fire victims began Monday among students and staff at both campuses. At the high school, student Destiny Silva organized the effort. At the middle school, campus supervisor Melissa Oei – who used to live in Valley Springs, not far from the fire — has friends who have lost their homes. Students in the leadership club found out and decided they wanted to pitch in.

Donations will be accepted through lunch time Friday.

High school Principal Alecia Myers said Silva and her family intend to take what is collected to one of the relief stations in Calaveras County. Middle school Principal Travis Manley said he will drive the goods from his campus to a friend from Calaveras County and she’ll take it to the Red Cross or Resource Connection in San Andreas.

Anyone with questions should call the high school office at (209) 632-9911 or middle school office at (209) 632-2510.

Coach of DHS Soccer Team Satisfied to be ‘Under the Radar’

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Brallan Hernandez

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

First-year Denair High School soccer coach Greg Gaudio quietly hopes his Southern League opponents take his young team lightly. And though the Coyotes have struggled the past few seasons, they appear primed to make some noise this fall.

They’re off to a 3-0 start behind the powerful offensive duo of seniors Francisco Licea and Isaac Starks.

The Coyotes opened with a dominating 8-3 victory at Hughson behind Licea’s four goals and three more from Starks. The defense limited the Huskies to five shots.

Then, the Coyotes took care of a strong Rio Vista team 3-1 at home, with Licea scoring twice and Starks adding the third goal. Freshman goalie Uriel Gonzalez made eight saves.

Starks nailed four goals and Licea had three assists in a 6-2 home victory over Big Valley Christian. Freshman Seth Martinez and sophomore Oscar Garcia also scored.

It all adds up to an impressive start for a Denair team that won just two out of 14 Southern League games last season. Part of the credit goes to Gaudio, a longtime youth and travel soccer coach in the region who played collegiately at CSU Stanislaus. He admittedly didn’t know much about his team as practice began last month, but says the early results are encouraging.

“I’ve changed the positions of a lot of players to get them in a position to where they can naturally excel,” Gaudio explained. “You can tell it’s really helping the team. It’s allowing them to be a team. Everybody is playing together. It seems to be working.” Continue reading “Coach of DHS Soccer Team Satisfied to be ‘Under the Radar’” »

School Spirit on the Loose, Stirred up by Dr. Seuss!

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IMG_0032

Submitted by Denair High School

School has started and Denair High School’s student body has got big plans this year. Last year we stepped up our game when it came to float building, and we’d like to continue to improve this year after year. Last year, TJ McDonald took our float trailers and added some solid skirting around them which made decorating them much easier and allowed for a much more professional looking product. This was no small task and it was greatly appreciated. This year Richard Bettencourt and Mr. Stavrianoudakis are constructing permanent solid backboards to add stability and safety for when the floats travel down the road. If time permits, they are also planning to add an electrical outlet to each corner of the trailers to make for easy plugging in of Christmas lights, fog machines, stereos, etc. Future goals include the addition of moving parts. It’s a lofty goal, but one that leadership believes is possible.

As the title should have clued you in, this year’s theme will be “Dr. Seuss” and the students have begun planning and are very excited. Just as last year, the Leadership class and Art department will be coordinating the construction of the floats. The backboards will be drawn and painted in the leadership room and outside lawn area, while the float figures will built in the Art room. Continue reading “School Spirit on the Loose, Stirred up by Dr. Seuss!” »

DHS Learns Important Lessons in Opening Night Loss

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DHS Coyotes Football

Submitted by Denair Unified School District

It was a learning opportunity. Sure, Anthony Armas and his Denair High football players had every expectation of playing to win Friday night on the road against Summerville. But a ragged first half full of opening-night nerves and a few key mistakes torpedoed the less experienced Coyotes early as the Bears raced to a 28-0 advantage.

Denair regrouped at halftime and settled down to play a cleaner game in the final two quarters, scoring twice while holding the Bears to a single touchdown. The final score was 34-13, a margin Armas said didn’t fully reflect how competitive his side was.

“I think we’re still young and we’re still learning,” the first-year coach said. “Defensively, we made some alignment mistakes in the first half and they cost us. Offensively, we’re getting better, but we had some guys who were a little unsure early on.”

Those breakdowns were reflected in each team’s first possession, Armas said.

Denair got the kickoff and had driven to midfield when it had a pass intercepted. On Summerville’s first offensive play, the Bears ran a halfback option on which the running back faked a sweep. Instead, with Denair’s defenders closing fast to stop the run, the back lobbed a pass to a wide open receiver behind the Denair secondary. Just like that, it was 7-0 Summerville.

Summerville controlled the line of scrimmage the rest of the first half, scoring three more times on a night in which the scoreboard and clock never worked. It went out during the junior varsity game, Armas said, forcing the officials to keep the time on the field and constantly update both teams.

It was an odd start to Armas’ head coaching career. Friday was the Denair graduate’s first time in charge after many years as an assistant at Denair and Pitman High in Turlock. Continue reading “DHS Learns Important Lessons in Opening Night Loss” »