Former Patterson High football coach Rob Cozart, after coaching in the junior college ranks the past four years, will return to coach the Tigers. Nick Marchy stepped down after the 2014 season and will relocate his family to Tennessee.

Sonora High setter Bailey Henington has been named the Division IV state volleyball Player of the Year by MaxPreps. Henington was one of five volleyball players honored by the high school sports website, which also honored nine Stanislaus District football players and coach Roger Canepa of Central Catholic.

The final Player of the Years awards were revealed Wednesday, putting a bow on the fall high school season. Not everybody will agree with the selections, but hopefully everybody understands that it’s a difficult task.

Here is The Modesto Bee’s 2014 All-District Football Team. The Players were elected to the team by our high school football writers – Joe Cortez, Brian VanderBeek, Ron Agostini and Joe Cortez.

Justin Rice is a junior tailback at Central Catholic High School, coming off a 2,000-yard season that helped the Raiders win a third consecutive CIF Division IV state football championship.

Central Catholic football coach Roger Canepa has been named the state’s small schools Coach of the Year by Cal-Hi Sports after leading the Raiders to a third consecutive state championship.

Modesto’s Central Catholic High School won its third straight CIF Division IV state football championship Friday, Dec. 19, 2014, at the StubHub Center in Carson with a 31-19 victory over St. Margaret’s (San Juan Capistrano). Senior tight end/safety Jared Rice delivered a final all-around performance with a sack, two interceptions and six receptions for 73 yards and two scores.

Justin Rice, the 2,000-yard rusher for Modesto’s Central Catholic High School football team, sat out the second half of Friday’s CIF Division IV state championship game with an injured right knee. His teammates more than picked up the slack as the Raiders defeated St. Margaret’s (San Juan Capistrano) 31-19.

The Central Catholic Raiders will play for their third straight straight state football title when they face St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. today.

There’s good news for fans of the Central Catholic High School football team: Starting tailback Justin Rice, who has rushed for 2,096 yards and 30 touchdowns this season, will start in today’s CIF Division IV state championship game against St. Margaret’s of San Juan Capistrano at the StubHub Center.

A hardy and enthusiastic crowd braved the pre-dawn chill Thursday to send the Central Catholic High School football team off to Southern California.

Last season, as the Central Catholic Raiders were preparing for the CIF Division IV football championship, they did so without running back Matt Ringer.

Clayton Valley Charter (15-0), which entered Saturday’s contest averaging a national-best 449 yards per game on the ground, rolled up 407 – getting 235 from tailback Miles Harrison – and ended Oakdale’s season with a 28-7 victory.

Modesto’s Central Catholic High School, behind a school record 307 yards from Justin Rice – the Stanislaus District’s newest 2,000-yard rusher – defeated previously unbeaten Capital Christian 35-14 to win a third consecutive Northern California regional football championship.