Key high school football openers

Key high school football openers

The high school football season kicks off for some teams on Sept. 3-4. Matchups to watch:

Edison at Clovis, Sept. 3: First assignment a difficult one for new Clovis coach Rich Hammond against the perennial power.

Liberty-Bakersfield at Clovis West, Sept. 4: The Golden Eagles twice escaped with victories (22-19, 14-6) against the Patriots en route to the 2008 Central Section Division I title.

Clovis North at Central, Sept. 4: Varsity debut for Broncos, without seniors, a formidable task on road against quick Grizzlies.

•Milestones: Week of Sept. 27
Milestones: Week of Sept. 27
Jose Mendez of Fowler scored five touchdowns against Lindsay, tying him with two others for second in school history.

Andre Smith of East Bakersfield scored three touchdowns against Golden Valley. That gave him 55 career touchdowns, which tied him with Jeff Beck of Delano (1970-73) for 18th in section history.

Eric Flores of Sanger returned an interception 96 yards for a touchdown against Clovis, tying Derek Stephens for third longest in school history.

•Coach of the Year: Kari Genco
Coach of the Year: Kari Genco
School: Buchanan

She’s qualified because: Genco helped Buchanan bounce back from two Tri-River Athletic Conference losses against Clovis West by winning the Division I title. Genco’s second-seeded Bears beat No. 7 Edison and No. 3 Clovis East to earn a rematch with the No. 1 Golden Eagles. In the final, Buchanan scored five goals in the second period en route to a 7-4 victory to finish the season 27-6.

Defining moment: The Bears came to believe a section title run was possible with their third-place showing at the NorCal Championships in Palo Alto, an invitation-only tournament Sept. 28-29 that featured 16 of the top programs in Northern California. Buchanan earned the top finish by a Central Section school in the tournament with a 4-1 victory over nemesis Clovis West. “That was a time in the season where we all knew we were a good team, our leadership was working and our plays were working,” Genco said.

•Clovis Unified considers backing boundary shift
Clovis Unified considers backing boundary shift
The Clovis Unified School District will consider shedding its neutrality and backing Clovis parents who want to change boundary lines and move into the district from Fresno Unified.

In 2007, Fresno Unified opposed the change, as did a county school organizing committee.

A change in Clovis Unified’s position would support parents who want the switch and would come in advance of a state Board of Education hearing to appeal the county committee’s ruling. The state will discuss the issue at its Sept. 16-17 meeting.

•Milestones: Week of Sept. 13
Milestones: Week of Sept. 13
Clifton Rogers of Bullard set a new school single-game record when he ran for 327 yards against Clovis in a nonleague game, surpassing Cory Jackson’s mark of 274 yards in 2001.

Andre Smith of East Bakersfield ran for 340 yards, third best in school history, against North in a nonleague game. Smith also scored six touchdowns, matching his personal best from last season.

Nick Rolph of Clovis West tied a school record with three other players by kicking three field goals, two of 24 yards and one from 38, in a nonleague game against El Diamante. Rolph tied three others with 10 kicking points in a game, also third in school history.
Opening gems