![\"Bullard's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FRS_EPZ_PREP_CLOVIS_BULLARD_06.JPG\" "\\"Bullard's")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Bullard’s Chase Case passes under pressure from Clovis High’s Jack Jarl, far right, Friday night, Sept. 18, 2026 in Clovis.<\/p>\n
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA<\/p>\n
ezamora@fresnobee.com<\/p>\n
For the first time since 1997, high school football is returning to Valley Children\u2019s Stadium, giving four Fresno Unified schools a chance to play on the same field where Fresno State competes.<\/p>\n
The inaugural \u201cValley Showcase\u201d will feature a Friday doubleheader, with Hoover facing Roosevelt at 5 p.m. and Bullard taking on Sunnyside at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an opportunity for players to create lasting memories on a big stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be exciting,\u201d Fresno Unified executive officer of student engagement Armen Torigian said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a lot of work, a lot of moving parts. Every little thing that we\u2019re doing is well worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bullard High athletic director Brandon Gilbert proposed the idea of holding high school football games at Valley Children\u2019s Stadium.<\/p>\n
Torigian took over, hoping to finalize a deal with Fresno State. That deal was finalized earlier this year.<\/p>\n
One section of the stadium will be open for the games, with attendees seated on the east side.<\/p>\n
Tickets are $11, and students from the participating schools will get in free with proof of ID.<\/p>\n
Torigian said the hope is to continue holding Fresno Unified School District games at Fresno State. He hopes to give Edison and Fresno a chance to play at the stadium in 2027.<\/p>\n
What coaches are saying<\/p>\n
Hoover coach Joseph Pierro said he is excited for his players to have the opportunity to play at a Division I stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery excited for our kids to be able to play in their hometown school\u2019s stadium, a lifetime memory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Bullard coach Louis Franklin was equally excited.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great being part of a district that is willing to get creative to make lifetime memories for these kids,\u201d he said. \u201cThe kids grew up going to Fresno State games, and now they have an opportunity to play in the stadium they grew up attending on Saturdays every fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricky McCoy played at Valley Children\u2019s Stadium when it was known as Bulldog Stadium. He said he was surprised when he heard the teams would play there.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe it when they told me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing experience for the kids and a very unique one for me to coach in the stadium where I once played.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunnyside coach Gio Guzman said that despite a difficult season, his players are excited about the opportunity to play at Fresno State.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about it all offseason and in-season,\u201d he said. \u201cThe boys are not letting adversity get in their way. They are ready to compete on a big stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n
Anthony Galaviz<\/a><\/p>\n The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0
\n
\n <\/a><\/p>\n
\n Support my work with a digital subscription<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bullard’s Chase Case passes under pressure from Clovis High’s Jack Jarl, far right, Friday night, Sept. 18, 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":506474,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":["post-506473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fresno","tag-fresno","tag-fresno-headlines","tag-fresno-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=506473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/506473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/506474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=506473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=506473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=506473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}