The last time an Atwater High football team won a Central California Conference championship was in 1998. After coming within an overtime loss to Merced High last year of that elusive championship, this year’s Falcons team wants to end that title drought. “Really, our goal is to put a banner on the board, because we haven't really had a banner since 1998,” said senior running back Durrell Morrison. “So it's been a cool minute. It's been a while.”

 

Atwater head coach Seneca Ybarra has strived to elevate the program in a position where they are perennially finishing in the top half of the CCC and challenging for conference championships. He hopes to build the program to where the Falcons enjoy similar success that head coach Rob Scheidt has had at Merced or former Buhach Colony coach Kevin Swartwood had with the Thunder.

 

Ybarra felt the Falcons were on their way before the COVID pandemic hit and it forced the Falcons program to reset. “I feel like I've been the bridesmaid for a couple years, but we're going to keep working, and hopefully get over the mountain top,” said Ybarra, who begins his ninth year as head coach. “I know this gig isn't the type where you are an overnight success, especially when you take over a program that was struggling a little bit. It's just going to take some time to hopefully kind of get it rolling.”

 

The 27-24 overtime loss to Merced has served as extra motivation this offseason for the team, including key returning players like quarterback A.J. Banks, Morrison and receiver Sylas Austin.

“We have this different kind of hunger, all the guys who played in that game last year,” Banks said. Banks is a third-year varsity player who gives the Falcons a dual-threat quarterback, who threw for 1,176 yards and 11 touchdowns to go along with 585 rushing yards and five touchdowns last year while splitting time with senior James Bell. 

 

Banks is a veteran player who has taken on a leadership role on the team. Ybarra says the game has slowed down for Banks and the senior has even come up with ideas and concepts the Falcons could use in their offense this year. “His DNA is very much on the offense, and we're already counting on the fact that he's going to be real athletic back there. We're really working on him throwing on time and his pre-snap reads and things like that.”

 

Banks will have plenty of weapons to work with, including Morrison and his speed alongside him in the backfield and big targets to throw to in the 6-foot-5 Austin and 6-3 tight end Vinny Valladao. “I’ve been playing together with A.J. since freshman year,” Austin said. “He knows what I'm going to be doing out there. He knows when I'm breaking, he knows my speed and he knows when to give me the ball.”

 

The Falcons defense will have plenty of fresh faces with 10 new starters this year. Ybarra says it’s important they find a group of players that will swarm to the ball. Without the same kind of depth the team had last year, the coaching staff will be asking some players to play on both sides of the ball. “We're just going to ask a lot more from those guys,” Ybarra said. “They're going to have to empty their tank every Friday night. We are working to make sure our defensive guys are in the right position. We want guys to play with their hair on fire, trying to get to the football with reckless abandon.”

 

The Falcons hope to put themselves in the same position they were in last year with an opportunity to win a CCC championship and hopefully their experience will pay off. “We want the expectation of playing for a championship every year, or being competitive every year,” Ybarra said. “I think it becomes an important part of the DNA of your program. Hopefully that’s where our program is going, that’s where I want to go, and then everything else will kind of take care of itself.” 

 

2025 Schedule

Aug. 22 at Vacaville

Aug. 29 vs Hughson

Sept. 5 vs Gregori

Sept. 12 at Hilmar

Sept. 19 vs Pitman

Oct. 3 at Buhach Colony

Oct. 10 vs El Capitan

Oct. 17 vs Golden Valley

Oct. 24 at Merced

Oct. 31 at Los Banos

Shawn Jansen is the MUHSD Program Manager Digital Media. He can be reached at Sjansen@muhsd.org. The communications department will be publishing previews on each MUHSD football team as we close in on the start of the season.