Le Grand excited, prepared

LE GRAND -- The grass on the Le Grand High football field isn't as green as it was back in August at the start of the season.

There are patches of dirt in some spots where grass used to be.

"It looks a lot like my scalp," joked Le Grand offensive coordinator Raul Alvarez.

However, if you asked the 37 players on the field, there's no place they'd rather be.

The Bulldogs kept practicing long after the sun went down on Monday in preparation for Friday's CIF State Division 4 Championship Game against Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth.

Le Grand hasn't stopped practicing since winning a second straight Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 championship on Nov. 25.

The Bulldogs spent the past two weeks getting ready in case they were selected to play in a state bowl.

Now that they know they're in and who they're playing, it's time to get to work.

"It was hard putting yourself all-in the past couple weeks not knowing if we were going to get the reward of going to state," senior Julian Nava said. "Now we're ready to go. We're excited. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We're making history not only at school, but Merced County."

The Bulldogs' week of practice started off on a strange note.

There was a propane scare at school on Monday. The propane tanks were low and there were flammable fumes in the school.

"Around 2:10, we heard an announcement and we all had to go out to the football field," senior Diego Morales said.

The start of football practice was pushed back. Eventually the football team was allowed to change in the school cafeteria.

Head coach Rick Martinez missed most of the practice because he had to go on the road to meet with CIF officials and go through a walk through of the facilities at Carson's Home Depot Center.

So it was Alvarez and the other assistant coaches running practices.

If there weren't enough distractions, there were also television reporters at practice interviewing players in preparation for the TV broadcast of the game.

"Everyone is talking about the game," defensive back Aaron Salcido said. "We feel like we're celebrities."

All the attention is new for Le Grand, but its focus will be on Sierra Canyon and the game.

"All this is foreign to us, this kind of exposure," Alvarez said. "But the kids understand what's at stake. It's state. How can you not get ready to play for a state bowl game?"

Meanwhile, the communities of Le Grand, Planada and Plainsburg are getting ready for the game.

There will be no school in Le Grand, and not just the high school. Le Grand Elementary, Planada Elementary and Cesar Chavez Middle School will also be closed to allow people to travel to Carson to watch the game.

The school districts have decided to make Friday a district holiday.

"Seventy-five percent of the players on the team are Planada residents," Planada Elementary School District Superintendent Jose Gonzalez said. "We have about 20 or 30 staff members that are either parents or relatives.

"This is unchartered territory for us. We as administrators are putting ourselves out there, taking a day off to support athletics. But this is special. (Le Grand High) has been open for 102 years. This is the first time to be part of an opportunity like this."

The high school has reserved four buses for students and fans to make the trip. Two buses will be filled with students and two with fans from the community.

"This is a big deal for us," Nava said. "Last year it was a big deal to win section. Now we have back-to-back section titles and state. Planada, Le Grand and Plainsburg are going to be ghost towns on Friday."