Imagine an entire football team walking into In-N-Out.
Not after a Friday night win, either.
Helmets on. Visors down. Full uniforms from head to toe.
Chavez players sat on tables and along the front counter. They ordered food. Some ate burgers with their helmets and visors still on.
It was all part of a team photo shoot, something the Titans believed no other team had done before.
Fitting.
Since coach Derek Graves took over his alma mater in 2024, Chavez has made a habit of firsts. The first league title came that season. The first undefeated regular season followed a year later.
Now, the Titans want the next one.
Their first playoff win.
“Last year was a really good year,” Graves said. “Now the goal is to be better than last year. We want to make a playoff run and get that first playoff win in school history.”
Because during the regular season, Chavez checked just about every box.
The Titans avenged one of their two losses from the previous year against Pacheco, followed a week later by what Graves called the “biggest win in Chavez history” against Escalon and then beat Franklin of Elk Grove by 13 — the same team that had beaten Edison.
League play only amplified the dominance.
Chavez outscored its first five SJAA opponents 295-47, setting up an undefeated showdown with Stagg in the finale.
They took it all.
The “Chavez vs. Stagg” rivalry trophy. The league title. A fifth straight shutout after a 42-0 victory.
Then, just as quickly, it ended.
Granite Bay handed Chavez a 49-7 loss in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II quarterfinals before eventually falling to St. Mary’s in the championship.
“One thing we’ve never had is size,” senior wide receiver Jackson Batch said. “That’s forced us to play every game with full heart. Last year’s playoffs were tough, but we’re never going to back down or lower our level for anyone. Better than us, worse than us, state champions — it doesn’t matter. We’re going to bring our game every single week.”
June 26 offered proof.
Chavez ran through a loaded bracket to win the UC Davis Shredville 7-on-7 Passing Camp and Tournament.
The Titans beat Twelve Bridges, an 11-0 team before its 61-55 loss to East Union in last year’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinals. Then they took down CIF Division 2-AA state champion St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals, Escalon in the semifinals and Grant, which finished last season No. 47 in California according to MaxPreps, for the title.
“Going into that tournament, we had the mindset that no one could stop us,” junior quarterback Elijah Walker said. “When everybody is healthy, we have that energy. We feel like a train that can’t be stopped, and we showed everyone that.”
That “train” will be tested early.
Chavez is favored to capture a third straight SJAA title. Before league play, though, Franklin and Escalon get their rematches in the Titans’ first two non-league games.
Manteca follows Oct. 11.
Last year’s No. 1 seed in Division II gives Chavez an early chance to find out whether it’s ready to compete in the division.
“We haven’t lost a regular-season game since Pacheco in August 2024,” Graves said. “Eighteen straight wins is pretty special, no matter how you do it. But now we’re ready to take that next step.”
Chavez has the quarterback to help take it.
Walker followed a 2,007-yard, 32-touchdown freshman season by leading the Sac-Joaquin Section with 2,738 passing yards and 36 total touchdowns last year. Even as his production climbed, his interceptions dropped from eight to five.
“He’s seeing the game even clearer now,” Graves said. “That’s pretty special because he already saw it pretty clearly. His understanding of our offense and what we’re trying to do has only gotten better.”
His favorite weapon returns with him.
Batch put up 704 receiving yards and nine touchdowns despite injuries limiting him to seven games last season. That followed a 733-yard, 13-touchdown season the year before.
The Oregon State commit is a three-star recruit who held seven other offers and ranks as the No. 141 athlete and No. 208 recruit in California according to 247Sports.
“Jackson is the same kid now as when he first got here,” Graves said. “He’s tenacious, hardworking, dedicated and always looking to improve. That work ethic and effort have been there since Day 1.”
Yet, those two aren’t alone.
Seniors Jimmy Ducksworth and Arthur Fernandez return at wide receiver and cornerback. Kahmar’e Narcisse is back on the offensive and defensive lines, along with athlete James Brown, linebacker Okustino Taufatofua and running back-linebacker Izzac Tapia.
Good thing, because there’s plenty to replace.
Chavez must replace the SJAA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Lineman of the Year, three first-team selections and four second-teamers.
“We lost a lot of guys, but that doesn’t change our goals,” Walker said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys and some new faces. You’ll be seeing them soon.”
Whether it’s enough will be decided in November.
Chavez wants the first playoff win.
And if it comes, maybe the Titans will have another reason to walk into In-N-Out in full uniform.
“Everybody has to do their 1-of-11,” Batch said. “There are 11 guys on the field, and everyone has a job. If all 11 do their part, that’s a perfect game. That’s what can get us to 10-0 and a playoff run.”
This article originally appeared on The Record: Chavez football seeks another first after historic undefeated season
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record | USA TODAY Network
