Dinuba celebrates a 17-10 win over Kerman on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026.
Screenshot/NFHS
Dinuba High football coach CJ Lester grinned ear to ear after his Emperors upset The Bee’s No. 13 Kerman.
He was confident and believed they would pull off the win, even before kickoff started in Kerman.
“We kind of knew that we’re good,” he said. “This is a confident football team.”
Tony Ibarra made sure his coach left happy when he connected on a 40-yard pass to Josh Sanchez for a touchdown with 23 seconds remaining, securing a 17-10 win in a defensive battle on Friday night.
“We’re gonna come over here and we’re gonna compete,” Lester said. “We’re gonna allow ourselves to win the game.”
His defensive mindset was spot on, even with Josh Lopez looking over from the opposite side of the field, who has made the Lions one of the top defensive teams in the Central Section.
Dinuba can also brag about allowing only 10 points in the game and scoring the game’s first points via a safety in the second quarter.
Kerman led 7-2 after a 17-yard touchdown run by Justin Molina in the third quarter.
The Emperors regained the lead and converted a two-point conversion for a 10-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Lions tied the game at 10 after a 24-yard field goal by Dilan Serrano.
Kerman didn’t have enough time to tie the game before it ended.
“It was a great win,” Lester said. “I’m proud of our guys. Our guys really did that tonight. I’m so happy. We needed this one big time. We talked about it like if this was our elimination game. If you want to be a playoff contender, we’ve got to win this game. We don’t belong in Division II if we can’t beat them.”
No. 6 Tulare Western 49, Central Valley Christian 21
uJu Hernandez passed for six touchdowns — all in the first half — and 466 yards to lead the Mustangs over the Cavaliers and improve to 8-0, their best start since 2018.
Hernandez had completed 26 of 30 passes for 394 yards by halftime.
Amarion Taylor caught four of those touchdowns and had nine receptions for 163 yards. Domanik Martinez had 12 receptions for 204 yards and one TD. Landan Seechan had nine catches for 84 yards.
Ja’Khari Burrell rushed 24 times for 162 yards for CVC along with a 53-yard touchdown on the first play of the game. Shondel Hogan rushed for a 20-yard touchdown and returned an interception 52 yards for another score.
The Mustangs gained 604 yards and the Cavaliers 294.
No. 18 Hanford 42, No. 9 Redwood 29
Jerren Mao passed for three touchdowns in Thursday’s action.
Braylen Thomas had seven receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 14 Kingsburg 21, No. 12 Immanuel 7
It was a defensive battle in Reedley.
The Vikings proved superior, handing the Eagles their first loss; the Vikings are now 7-1.
Kingsburg improved to 6-2.
No. 17 Clovis West 35, Clovis North 20
The Golden Eagles scored two touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to extend their lead and secure the win.
Madera 62, No. 22 Bullard 28
The Coyotes’ offense came to life in a rout at McLane Stadium.
Madera had lost two straight games.
No. 25 Chowchilla 50, Dos Palos 12
After the Broncos trimmed the Tribe’s lead to 14-12, Chowchilla went on to control the game.
The Tribe remains undefeated at 8-0.
This story was originally published October 17, 2026 at 12:49 AM.
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Anthony Galaviz writes about breaking news/sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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