09/02/2026
šCoyotes thump Bears in 2026 season opener at San Franciscoās historic Kezar Stadiumš¾
SAN FRANCISCO ā Denair High School kicked off its 2026 football season with a dominating 57-12 victory Saturday afternoon over host Mission at historic Kezar Stadium.
āIt was a nice opening week,ā said head coach Anthony Armas. āI was happy with the performance, but thereās always room for improvement. It was certainly an improvement from the scrimmage a week earlierā against Riverbank, Rio Vista, Galt, and Modesto Christian.
Located on the extreme southeastern tip of the Golden Gate Park panhandle, Kezar Stadium was once home to the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, and the University of San Francisco Dons, as well as the site of numerous concerts and movies.
Kezar, which seated nearly 60,000 when the 49ers left for Candlestick Park in 1970, was reconstructed in 1990 as a scaled-down, 10,000-seat version more suitable for high school use.
Now, the Coyotes can add their name to the roster of teams connected to the historic venue.
āIt was an awesome experience,ā said Armas, who guided the Coyotes to a 9-3 record last year and a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 semifinals. āThe weather was beautiful, the field was perfect, and I think most of the players and their parents were well aware of the stadiumās history.ā
Those 49ers teams of the Kezar era featured the legendary āMillion-Dollar Backfieldā of quarterback Y.A. Tittle and running backs Joe Perry, Hugh McElhenny, and John Henry Johnson. Denair has its own version of a million-dollar backfield ā minus the seven-figure paycheck, of course ā with quarterback Derek Potter and running backs Bryce Salazar, Connor Hart, and John Wilmoth.
Hart carried the ball 11 times for 135 yards (12.3 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns, while Salazar gained 46 yards on three totes (15.3 per carry). Potter threw the ball just four times, but completed two passes, including a 40-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Harlan Brown.
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