Central East coach Kyle Biggs talks to his team at practice.
ANTHONY GALAVIZ
agalaviz@fresnobee.com
Central East football coach Kyle Biggs has always set high expectations for his teams.
That hasn’t changed after the Bengals captured the CIF Division I-A state championship last season, defeating Pacifica-Oxnard 42-28 for the program’s latest title.
Instead, Biggs believes the challenge has grown.
“We’ve got a bigger bull’s-eye on our back,” Biggs said. “We’ve got to make sure we’re getting better and being at our best.”
Central East enters the 2026 season with one of the Central Section’s most experienced rosters, returning 15 starters from last year’s championship team despite the graduation of Fresno Bee Player of the Year Brandon Smith, who will play at Oregon this fall.
Senior quarterback Jelani Dippel leads an offense that returns eight starters, including three offensive linemen.
Among the Bengals’ top returning playmakers are Fresno State commit Bayon Harris at wide receiver, San Diego State commit Xavior Jones as athlete, New Mexico commit Jontae Della in the secondary and three-year starting linebacker Lonzo Jenkins.
The Bengals also bolstered their roster via transfers.
Junior running back Ehis Idoni arrives from Roosevelt after rushing for 1,732 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Central East also added Fresno State commit Relando Jefferson, a wide receiver from Clovis West, and defensive back Cameron Smith from San Joaquin Memorial.
Defensively, the Bengals return eight starters as they look to make another deep postseason run.
Central East opens the season Aug. 14 against Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon in Henderson, Nevada. The Bengals’ nonleague schedule also includes Grant-Sacramento, Oak Ridge, Turlock and Liberty-Bakersfield.
“We’re getting everyone’s best shot,” Biggs said. “We’ve got to be prepared. They want to be at their best when they play us, and we want to be at our best.”
Central East 2026 schedule
Aug.. 14 at Pinecrest Academy Sloan Canyon-Henderson, Nev., 6 p.m.
Aug. 21 bye
Aug. 28 vs. Grant-Sacramento, 7 p.m.
Sept. 4 at Oak Ridge, 7 p.m.
Sept. 11 at Turlock, 7 p.m.
Sept. 17 vs. Liberty-Bakersfield, 7 p.m.
Sept. 24 Bye
Oct. 1 at Clovis North, 7 p.m. (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
Oct. 9 vs. Clovis, 7 p.m.
Oct. 16 vs. Buchanan, 7 p.m.
Oct. 23 vs. Clovis West, 7 p.m.
Oct. 29 at Clovis East, 7 p.m. (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
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Anthony Galaviz writes about 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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