LE GRAND — Alex Bucio has resisted the urge.
Teammates have begun scouring the Internet for any information they can find on Ferndale — Le Grand's biggest remaining hurdle for a CIF Division 4 State Bowl bid — and the south's two frontrunners, Sierra Canyon and Santa Fe Christian.
But the Le Grand senior has kept his distance.
For now.
The Bulldogs quarterback can still feel the sting of missing out on last year's state bowl, and isn't ready to get his hopes up just yet.
Cautiously optimistic probably best describes the mood at Le Grand's practice on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have presented as strong a case for a bowl berth, with a 12-0 record and the school's second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 title.
Now all they can do is wait for the final two weeks of the state's remaining playoffs to play out and the CIF commissioners' Dec. 11 decision.
"The waiting is the toughest part," Bucio said. "It's like watching Giants baseball, it's tough to bear.
"All we can do now is go out and try to stay ready for when we get the call."
It is a tricky situation for head coach Rick Martinez and his staff. Not only does his team not have an opponent it can focus on, the Bulldogs don't have a guaranteed game.
Le Grand's coaches have altered the practice regiment this week in an effort to keep their squad conditioned and sharp, but not risk any injuries.
"One of the things I've learned with kids over the years is it's all about how you word things," Martinez said. "We're not asking for three weeks, all we're asking for is 15 more days of commitment and effort.
"We've shortened up the practices and are just breaking down specific things everyday that we want to work on.
"We told them we can come out and go through the motions and then get in the game and not be ready, or they can punch the clock everyday and give us their all for a couple hours.
"So far, it's been pretty good."
The seniors have helped see to that.
"For us it's all about the football," middle linebacker Julian Nava said. "Some of the younger guys thought they'd be done by now or starting basketball, so it's important we come out and set the example.
"A lot of this team has never gone beyond the outskirts of Merced, so right now we're just trying to make the most of this opportunity and enjoy ourselves."
The Le Grand faithful are trying to do the same.
A call went out on the Le Grand Bulldog Athletics Facebook page and the fans have been peppering the CIF Facebook page with reasons Le Grand should represent the north.
"If I remember correctly, the three criteria are section title, overall record and fan base," Martinez said. "Our fans are just showing how much they care."
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