Gridley senior goalie Adrian Santillan blocks a penalty kick against Denair in the Bulldogs penalty kick victory on March 2 in the CIF State NorCal Division V semifinals.

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The Gridley Bulldogs boys’ soccer team made it to the last day of high school soccer last season, and they are looking to run it back and end on the same day again this season.

Gridley head coach Jesse Barajas told the Herald that the only way to replicate making it to the final day is that his team this year will need to mirror the execution and encourage his team every step of the way.

The Bulldogs lost 2-0 to Leadership of Hayward in the California Interscholastic Federation NorCal Boys Soccer Division V championships.

Although Barajas lost key pieces from last year’s roster, he also returns a heavy amount to continue the strength of the program that it has been for years.

Key returners for Gridley include sophomore defenseman and captain Omar Palafox and senior forward Gregorio Ramirez. Barajas added that junior defenseman Eddie Rodriguez and senior goalie Adrian Santillan would also be key returners for the Bulldogs this season.

Some of the new faces that Barajas expressed to the Herald of what we can expect to see on the field are freshman Santiago Gonzales, who is generally a center back on the defensive line.

Barajas added that prior to the interview, he tried Gonzales out on the front line as a forward in their scrimmage against Sutter and he played impressively.

Barajas told the Herald the biggest addition to the team is going to be junior Nolan Weagant who has never played high school soccer due to his time competing highly in the Sacramento ranks of Sac United and the Sacramento Republic.

Barajas told the Herald he is going to see where Weagant best fits in the formation and the Gridley system to make the best impact for the team this season.

The Bulldogs look to continue to .500 or better success rate they have had with Barajas yearly since 2012 and Barajas told the Herald their goal every year is a section final, especially with a state tournament bid up for grabs.

Gridley is eyeing its first section title win since the 2015-16 season and looking to wipe the taste of losing last year in the NS DIVISION III final to cross-town rival Live Oak.

There is no game scheduled this season between the two squads currently according to their rosters on MaxPreps, but that could change at any time.