Bee Coach of the Year Don Arax stakes a claim for his championship Bullard team
Bullard High didn’t start the year like a championship contender, losing in August to Central and Buchanan by scores of 51-32 and 27-0.
But even as the Knights teetered to 1-3 with a 35-28 loss to Clovis West, coach Don Arax believed he had a good football team.
Bullard proved Arax right, eventually winning six straight capped by a Central Section Division II championship over Bakersfield.
Arax is The Bee’s Coach of the Year.
His Knights finished 9-5 with a 24-17 loss to County/Metro Athletic Conference champion San Joaquin Memorial and a 44-41 loss to Central Catholic in Modesto in the regional playoffs.
There were signature wins over St. Joseph (29-28) and Clovis West (70-42) in the section playoffs.
“These kids won the section and they did what they needed to do,” he said. “They beat a very good St. Joe’s team; they beat Bakersfield who almost beat (D-I champion) Liberty. They’ll go down as one of the best Bullard teams in history.”
Arax started coaching at Bullard in 2000 after stops at Kerman and Reedley. He led the Knights to six CMAC championships. It was his second section title.
In 21 seasons, Arax’s career record is 174-117-1, according to section historian Bob Barnett.
“What was satisfying about this, as coaches, you don’t make excuses,” Arax said. “We talk about the slow start. We play football very early nowadays and the games are in August. At Bullard, we get about 40 guys and we make those 40 guys tough,. and when you’re playing Central, Buchanan, and it’s hot in the Valley, that’s tough.
“At the end of the year, you can argue we were one of the top two teams in the Valley. Division I or II. We were pretty hard to stop at the end of the season.”
