Ceres Football Special Section
SOSA
FROM PAGE 6 “He’s been to every practice,” Chachere said. “He’s coachable. He’s very humble. He does the right things. He’ll have a lot more of a voice on the team. We want the younger players to follow his lead.” “It’s my last year,” Sosa said. “I’m very excited. My mindset is football. I’ve been working extremely hard to become better for my team so we can succeed.” Sosa will also contribute at cornerback on defense for the second year in a row. “It’s tiring to an extent,” Sosa said while talking about the amount of energy it takes to be a two-way starter. “But I don’t want to get off the field. It’s my last year.” Diminutive stature, Sosa has never shied away from competition. “A lot of people have told me I’m too skinny to play football,” Sosa said. “That motivates me a lot. I’ve proved them wrong. I
Wednesday, August 21, 2019 can take the hits.” It also helps being a speed demon. Would-be tacklers sometimes miss. “He’s the fastest kid on the team,” Chachere said. Sosa will try to help Ceres High end years of frustration on the gridiron. “We’re hungry,” Sosa said. The Bulldogs haven’t posted a winning record or participated in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs since 2004. “I really hope we can change that around,” said Sosa, whose team finished 1-9 and placed fifth in the revamped Western Athletic Conference (1-6) last season. “We want to win and make our coaches proud. We just have to keep working hard until we succeed.” Sosa is proud to be a Bulldog. “It’s really an honor being on this team,” he said. “I’m playing the game Iove. Football teaches you a lot of things. Discipline. Respect. It’s changed me a lot in how I view the world.”
Andrew Hernandez (8), Isaiah Hidalgo and the Hawks have high hopes for the 2019 campaign. The Hawks compiled a 2-8 overall record last year. DALE BUTLER/ The Courier
CV SCHEDULE Aug. 23 @ Ceres High, 7 p.m. Aug. 30 v. Sierra, 7 p.m. Sept. 6 v. Ripon, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 13 @ Enochs, 7 p.m. Sept. 20 @ Merced, 7 p.m. Sept. 27 v. Atwater, 7 p.m. Oct. 4 v. Golden Valley, 7 p.m. Oct. 11 @ Patterson, 7 p.m. Oct. 18 v. Buhach Colony, 7 p.m. Oct. 25 @ El Capitan, 7 p.m.
Fernando Sosa led the Bulldogs in receptions (19) and receiving yards (248) as a junior. DALE BUTLER/ The Courier
CHS SCHEDULE
MARTY
FROM PAGE 8
to average in the 90s. There are no bumpers either.” Lanser went skydiving for the first and last time while spending time in Oregon in 1986. “I wasn’t married back then,” he said. Lanser did play-by-play commentary for three games at the Modesto Christian Holiday Hoops Classic this
past winter. “I had my first experience doing basketball,” he said. “That was a lot different because it was so fast. I’ve done a little bit of baseball for Big Valley Christian.” Lanser has volunteered at Vine House, an outreach program, in Modesto for the past eight years. He teaches Bible study once a month and leads singing on Friday. He’s also a board member for Visually Impaired Persons Support (VIPS) in Modesto.
“I just want to stay active,” Lanser added. Marty and his wife Terry have been married for 30 years. He has three step-children and two granddaughters. “I feel pretty good about most of the things I’ve achieved,” Lanser said. “There are a lot of blind people that don’t work. It’s not because they’re lazy. They’re not matched up with the right opportunities.”
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Aug. 23 v. Central Valley, 7 p.m. Aug. 30 @ Lodi, 7 p.m. Sept. 13 v. West, 7 p.m. Sept. 20 v. Lathrop, 7 p.m. Sept. 27 @ Beyer, 7 p.m. Oct. 4 @ Johansen, 7 p.m. Oct. 11 v. Pacheco, 7 p.m. Oct. 18 @ Los Banos, 7 p.m. Oct. 25 v. Mountain House, 7 p.m. Nov. 1 v. Grace Davis, 7 p.m.