Dos Palos football aiming for Valley Championship; Chowchilla in rebuild mode
The Dos Palos High football team enters this season with high expectations — Valley Championship expectations.
The Broncos reached the title game in 2019, falling 27-22 to top-seeded Caruthers.
With six players returning with at least three years of varsity experience, including record-setting quarterback Trent Calvert, the Broncos hope to make another deep postseason run and possibly win Dos Palos’ first Valley Championship since 2006.
“We want a chance to get back to the Valley Championship game again,” Calvert said. “That’s the goal. We have a solid O-line, a good receiving core and a good running back. If we work together we can do that.”
Chowchilla enters this season with different expectations as the Tribe looks to rebuild the program.
Chowchilla is a team that will be short in numbers that faces a difficult schedule.
“We’re going to be out-athleted every week,” said Tribe coach Alex Pittz. “We have to go back to our mentality that has been proven successful for us in the past, which is pounding the ball and possessing the ball. Then we can pop it over the top after running the ball 10 times in a row.”
With the 2021 fall season fast approaching, let’s take a look at the two Central Section teams in the Merced Sun-Star coverage area.
Dos Palos
The Broncos are counting on their experience to help pave the way to a successful season.
It starts with Calvert.
The senior broke the all-time school records for passing yards and passing touchdowns this past spring. The fourth-year starter is ready to lead his team on another long postseason run.
“This is my last year to show Dos Palos what we’ve got,” Calvert said. “Dos Palos hasn’t won a Valley Championship in 15 years. We want to get Dos Palos back on top.”
Calvert grew up in film rooms as the son of a football coach. His father Rob Calvert was a longtime assistant coach at Dos Palos before taking over the program the past three seasons.
Trent Calvert has now thrown for 3,987 yards in his three-year high school career and 48 touchdowns.
The Broncos will also lean on third-year players Miguel Padeiro, Jason Guerra, J. Tapia, Brandon Flores, Abraham Ladino and Derek Von Allman.
Almost every game this spring was a shootout with the Broncos defense giving up almost 31 points per game. Dos Palos hopes to make improvements this fall on the defensive side of the ball.
“We don’t want to keep doing that,” Rob Calvert said. “There has been a big emphasis on defense this fall trying to break down our flaws. We should be better on defense.”
Chowchilla
The Tribe were only able to play two games this past spring after they had games canceled against Kerman and Yosemite due to positive COVID-19 tests.
“We treated it like a six-week spring practice,” Pittz said. “We were lucky enough to put the pads on. We were able to evaluate our younger guys.”
The Tribe enter this fall with an expected roster of 22 players. It’s a small number that brings up many challenges.
“We’ve been here before,” Pittz said. “It’s kind of becoming normal for us. Obviously there are a lot of challenges. If we don’t stay healthy we’ll really be in trouble. Not only is everyone going both ways, but they are also cross training at multiple positions on both sides of the ball.”
Pittz says one of the keys for his team will be the players working themselves into great shape. He was impressed with the improvements he saw from his guys in the weight room this summer.
It’s in the weight room where Chowchilla built the success it enjoyed with back-to-back Valley Championship game appearances in 2015 and 2016, including a trip to a state championship bowl in 2015.
The Tribe will be leaning on returners Waleed Escheik, Andrew Lopez, Jose Zarco-Sanchez, Mason Bell and Thomas Crawford on both sides of the ball.
When asked what the strength of this group will be, Pittz didn’t hesitate.
“It better be toughness or we’re going to be in a lot of trouble,” he said. “We have to be in great shape and we’re working on that. Nobody we play is going to feel sorry for us.”
Schedules
Dos Palos
Aug. 20 at Los Banos
Aug. 27 vs Kerman
Sept. 10 at Exeter
Sept. 17 vs Chowchilla
Sept. 24 vs McLane
Oct. 1 at Mendota
Oct. 8 at Tranquillity
Oct. 15 vs Firebaugh
Oct. 22 vs Coalinga
Oct. 29 at Avenal
Chowchilla
Aug. 20 vs Fresno
Sept. 3 at Golden Valley
Sept. 10 vs Central Valley Christian
Sept. 17 at Dos Palos
Sept. 24 vs Roosevelt
Oct. 1 at Kerman
Oct. 8 vs Washington Union
Oct. 15 at Yosemite
Oct. 29 at Liberty
