It’s hard to dismiss Hilmar High’s 30-27 loss to Beyer High last Friday night as just another game, mostly because of the finish. Beyer, which was down 27-14 entering the fourth quarter, made a furious 16-0 rally that was capped off by Patriots kicker Zachary Bradley, who nailed a 25-yard field goal as time expired.

The Yellowjackets are moving on and forgetting about that heartbreaker.

Hilmar, a small school with an enrollment of 677 students, will continue its tough preseason schedule — Beyer was a Division I program — this Friday night with another upper-division team in Ceres High, which has more than 1,400 students. Last season, the Yellowjackets edged Ceres 21-20.

Last Friday against Beyer, Hilmar jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead before allowing the late-game rally. Senior quarterback Andrew Olson, who missed most of last season because of a broken arm, had an outstanding game. He completed 10-of-21 passes for 205 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan White led the receiving corps with three catches for 111 yards, and Zack Giuliano captained the defense and finished with 15 tackles — nine of them unassisted.

Giuliano, Victor Teixeira and Kyle Silva also caught touchdowns.

Against Ceres, the Yellowjackets will face a team that lost 28-7 to Ripon High in the season opener. In that game, Ceres fumbled four times.

Pitman coming off big win

Pitman High football was looking to be tested on opening night. That was what the Pride got against Modesto High. The Pride had to come back and win 33-20 last Friday night at Downey High.

Early on, Pitman was down 20-6, but its Wing-T offense supplied enough scoring opportunities and the defense held the Panthers scoreless the rest of the way.

Pitman is now focused on the Chavez High Titans, who will make a visit this Friday at Debely Stadium at 7:30 p.m. Chavez is coming off a 20-14 loss to Stagg High last week.

Bulldogs to face big test

Last week’s win for Turlock High wasn’t all great. The coaches and players weren’t afraid to admit that after they survived Downey High’s aerial attack in a 12-7 triumph.

What were the Bulldogs lacking? Aggressiveness, they said.

They will look to turn that around this Friday against an intimidating small-school program in Oakdale High.

The win against Downey came with a major loss: Brandon Jurevich, who is a part of a veteran offensive line, hurt his ankle during a first-half play. Coach James Peterson said his “ankle had ligament damage and there was a facture in the upper leg,” which will result in Jurevich being “done for a while.”

Nonetheless, the Bulldogs are looking forward to the Mustangs.

“Obviously, we have not seen a physical team like Oakdale,” Peterson said. “And we’re going to see them real soon. We’re going to find out what we can do.”

Eagles stumble in opener

Despite a standout performance by junior quarterback Chase Gonzalez, the Turlock Christian Eagles did not prevail in their season opener against Millennium High at Kimball High in Tracy.

After leading after the first quarter, the Eagles succumbed to a 28-13 loss. Millennium outscored the Eagles 14-6 in the fourth quarter as Falcons running back AJ Takata contributed with three rushing touchdowns.

Gonzales, the TC quarterback, was equally productive. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 176 yards and TDs to receivers Micah Larsson and Martin Moreda, with Larsson finishing with three catches for 97 yards.

The Eagles return to action on Friday night, when they will play at Big Valley Christian High in Modesto.

Returning to action for the first time this season is Denair High, which hosts Riverbank High on Friday night.

To contact Chhun Sun, e-mail csun@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2041.