Drayage Brokersin Fresno, CA

Roosevelt High made a coaching change, naming Josh Kloster as the interim coach.

Dwayne Wright, the former Fresno State star running back from the early 2000s, was the previous Rough Riders coach but lasted just one season.

Roosevelt athletic director Larry Lopez said it was time to go “in a different direction.”

Kloster served as an assistant under Wright last season and said he’s relishing the opportunity to lead the Rough Riders this season.

He added that he didn’t envision himself being a head coach again, but was asked if he’d be interested.

“It’s so much work,” he said. “I didn’t think that was going to happen, but it’s kind of God’s calling to get me down here.”

He is no stranger to being a head coach. Kloster coached at Lemoore and Sierra Pacific.

He coached Sierra Pacific to the 2016 Central Section Division VI championship game against Avenal.

Kloster’s three-year coaching record at Sierra Pacific was 24-13, including three straight playoff appearances.

He resigned as the Golden Bears coach before joining Lemoore as its head coach in 2019. He stepped down after the season.

Kloster was the offensive coordinator last season at Roosevelt under Wright.

Kloster played for Fresno State and helped the Bulldogs to a Freedom Bowl win over USC in 1992.

The Rough Riders will open the season at Reedley on Friday.

“Leading these guys is important,” Kloster said. “If you have to leave, you start thinking what have I left behind? What’s the next guy going to be? This is probably my 17th year coaching varsity football in the Central Section and this is by far the toughest school I’ve coached at with kids, making them understand the education of football and staying disciplined and making sure you have perfect attendance and things you would need for them to have a career after football.``

High school volleyball in the Fresno area got underway on Monday with several matches taking place.

Liberty-Bakersfield is The Bee’s top-ranked team, followed by Clovis West and Clovis North.

The Golden Eagles open at home at 6 p.m. Friday against No. 9 San Luis Obispo.

Here are the rest of The Bee’s rankings

1. Liberty-Bakersfield

2. Clovis West

3. Clovis North

4. Clovis East

5. Clovis

6. Buchanan

7. Central Valley Christian

8. Redwood

9. San Luis Obispo

10. Sanger

The Chick-fil-A drive-thru at Blackstone and Nees avenues is often scoffed at as the worst in Fresno, with dozens of cars backing up and winding around the parking lot.

Two years ago, it was voted the worst drive-thru in Fresno in a poll of Fresno Bee readers.

And just last week, readers complained about it again when The Bee asked for opinions on area drive-thrus.

“There is never not a line,” one reader said. “It’s depressing.”

But is it getting better? Or will it be soon?

The restaurant has already added a second lane to a portion of its drive-thru in River Park Plaza.

Cars are still directed to start lining up behind Westwoods BBQ & Spice Co. and JoAnn Fabric. As they approach Chick-fil-A, they are split into two lanes.

On a recent weekday at lunchtime, both lanes were open and employees were outside, taking orders on tablets. Cars were moving through swiftly, with no line at all.

But on another a recent weekday afternoon, both lines were jammed with plenty of cars. An orange post blocked the second lane near the pickup window, as cars snaked one-by-one past the final stage of the process.

Saturday night, long lines of cars also stretched into the parking lot.

The Bee reached out to Chick-fil-A’s corporate office to ask why lines sometimes flowed smoothly and why cars sometimes stacked up. The company declined to comment. The franchisee could also not be reached.

It appears there is more work to be done on the site, judging by permit applications filed with the City of Fresno.

In February, Chick-fil-A filed an application for a conditional-use permit (required for drive-thrus) to make changes that would speed up the line. Plans called for adding a second lane. It also proposed a 319-square-foot addition to the building and a kitchen remodel that would allow the restaurant to serve more customers quicker.

A 1,500-square-foot shade canopy would also be added.

But that application was denied. City spokesperson Sontaya Rose told The Bee the application was not complete.

Then in April, Chick-fil-A submitted a development permit for the building addition and a new menu board. It was approved.

Right now, the drive-thru only has one ordering menu and kiosk. Meaning if employees aren’t taking orders on foot, all cars must go past one the big red ordering kiosk.

A conditional-use permit was refiled July 21, and included a 30-by-70-foot canopy to shield employees from the heat.

Other busy drive-thrus in Fresno are also making changes. The Chick-fil-A at Fashion Fair has already finished adding an “escape lane” to its drive-thru so cars can leave the line.

And the In-N-Out on West Shaw Avenue recently confirmed plans to lengthen its drive-thru to prevent the line from spilling out onto the street. Work will start sometime early next year, shutting down for several weeks during construction.

At one point, Chipotle had planned to add a drive-thru in River Park Plaza, the same center at Blackstone and Nees with Chick-fil-A and In-N-Out.

The restaurant filed a conditional-use permit application to revive the old drive-thru once used by the bank that previously occupied the building.

Called “Chipotlanes,” the restaurant’s drive-thrus are a little different in that customers don’t order there, but do all their customizing and paying ahead of time via an app or website.

But when contacted by The Bee, a spokesperson said the restaurant will not be adding a Chipotlane.

This story was originally published August 16, 2023, 11:45 AM.

The Fresno State Bulldogs’ 2023 home-opener will make FBS college football history as the first exclusively Spanish-language television broadcast, the school announced on Tuesday.

The game is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023 and will feature Fresno State of the Mountain West Conference hosting the Eastern Washington Eagles of the Big Sky Conference at Valley Children’s Stadium in Fresno, Calif. The historic contest will be televised by UniMás throughout the Central Valley and it will kickoff at 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT.

“This is a historic partnership for our university and our athletics department, as it aligns perfectly with our strategic priorities,” said Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “Univision’s reach and impact in our region is unparalleled and our collaboration enables us to build a solid pathway for our youth in our Valley to engage with Fresno State, now and in the future.”

The UniMás broadcast will feature play-by-play from six-time Emmy Award winning sportscaster Jessi Losada.

An English-language broadcast will be streamed live by the Mountain West Network (MWN). The MWN broadcast will incorporate the radio broadcast from the Bulldog Sports Network, featuring Paul Loeffler, Pat Hill, and Cam Worrell.

“We are proud to celebrate our partnership with Fresno State, and the start of Hispanic Heritage month, with this historic and first-of-its-kind broadcast,” said Jose Elgorriaga, Vice President and Director of Sales for Northern California. “The Hispanic market is vital to our Valley and so important for Fresno State now and in the future. We are proud to help facilitate even greater engagement between our audience and our Valley’s university, Fresno State.”

UniMás can be found in the Fresno-Visalia DMA on digital channel 23 and virtual channel 61, and in the Bakersfield DMA on digital channel 31. It is also available on YouTubeTV, fuboTV, DirecTV, and Dish Network on channel 271. UniMás can also be streamed at tv.univision.com or via the Univision Now app.

“As the lone FBS institution in California’s Central Valley, it is incredibly important to our efforts to continually engage with and grow the Red Wave from Sacramento to Bakersfield, and of course right here in Fresno County,” said Director of Athletics Terry Tumey. “With the majority of the demographic make up of the Central Valley population being proudly Hispanic, this is a partnership that aligns perfectly with our fan engagement priorities and we are grateful for the on-going support from the Univision network as we both create history in this space.”

Football Schedules

Kickoff time for the 2023 high school football season is almost here in the Fresno area.

The season begins Aug. 17, when Clovis host Garces at 7 p.m. at Lamonica Stadium.

There are plenty of talented players in the Fresno area likely to star throughout the year.

Many of the best were mentioned in The Bee’s previews of the Tri-River Athletic Conference, County Metro Athletic Conference and other leagues.

The Bee combined those into the 10 overall to watch in 2023. Cutting down to this elite group was no easy task.

WR Bryson Baker, Sanger

He is the Apaches’ big-time threat, and Sanger coach Matt Logue is happy to have him to lean on. He figures to play a huge role in the offense.

DL Nick Ball, Edison

The Tigers’ defense begins and ends with Ball, who will be a force for coach Mike Stamps. Stamps spoke highly of Ball and is looking forward to him leading Edison’s defense.

WR Vincent Cordoba, Clovis North

Whether it’s on offense or defense, you can be sure Cordoba will be all over the field for the Broncos. On offense, Mario Cosma will be happy to have him alongside.

RB Bryson Donelson, Central Valley Christian

He starred at El Diamante two seasons ago before transferring to the Cavaliers last season. He had to sit because of transfer rules, but still put up a lot of yards and touchdowns.

WR Kobe Green, Lemoore

The Tigers are missing a lot of key pieces from last season’s championship team, but Green is back and will look to guide Lemoore back to the top.

WR CJ Jones, San Joaquin Memorial

He was big for Sunnyside QB Tanner Wilson. Now he’ll have transfer quarterback Jaylen Patterson as his signal caller.

QB Tyus Miller, Clovis East

Miller showed out last season. This season could be even better, with Miller having plenty of weapons on offense. Wide receiver Harold Duvall and transfer WR DJ Booker provide immediate threats for Miller to utilize.

DE Kai Preisendorf, Redwood

He’s always coming up big for the Rangers. Redwood coach Kevin Scharton can always rely on him to make big stops.

WR Marshel Sanders, Clovis West

There are plenty of threats on the Golden Eagles’ offense, including wide receivers Landon Wright and Jordan Pierro. Sanders’ presence will draw opponents’ focus and give other teammates opportunities, but when the future Fresno State WR’s number is called, watch out.

LB Logan Studt, Buchanan

The leader on the Bears’ defense and rightfully so. He’s a dominant force for Buchanan and he’ll be making stops all season long. He just committed to Fresno State on Thursday.

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Fresno State football will begin its 2023 home campaign with a difficult FCS challenger in Eastern Washington on Sept. 9. The Bulldogs will make history in the process!

For the first time in college football history, the game will only air on Spanish-language television. It will be the first exclusively Spanish-language broadcast, ever.

College football games have aired in Spanish before. Radio broadcasts have aired games in Spanish.

Never before has a game only aired on television in Spanish. Fresno State vs. Eastern Washington will not be available to watch on ESPN, CBS, the CW Network— nothing.

In partnership with Univision Fresno and Bakersfield, it will only be available to watch on UniMás throughout the Central Valley. It will be the first American college football game to air on a Univision channel!

Fresno is the ninth-most diverse city in the nation, so the partnership makes a lot of sense. Fresno State is designated by the U.S. Department of Education as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with an enrollment of 57% Hispanic students, and the city itself boasts a Hispanic population of nearly 60%.

The Bulldogs and UniMás are not going to let the broadcast flop. Rather than grabbing two random announcers for the game, they turned to six-time Emmy Award winning sportscaster Jessi Losada.

He’s a legend in the Spanish broadcasting world and his calls are always thrilling.

His calls, no matter the sport, get people going.

For those who are not in the Fresno-Visalia or Bakersfield DMAs, UniMás is available on YouTubeTV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Dish Network. So even those who don’t live near the Bulldogs can tune-in and watch history.

As the lone FBS institution in California’s Central Valley, it is incredibly important to our efforts to continually engage with and grow the Red Wave from Sacramento to Bakersfield, and of course right here in Fresno County.

With the majority of the demographic make up of the Central Valley population being proudly Hispanic, this is a partnership that aligns perfectly with our fan engagement priorities and we are grateful for the on-going support from the Univision network as we both create history in this space

— Fresno State Director of Athletics Terry Tumey

All of Fresno State’s 11 other games are slotted for national broadcasts.

Don’t worry, though. If you want to watch Fresno’s game against Eastern Washington in English, the Mountain West Network is going to dub the UniMás broadcast with the radio call from the Bulldog Sports Network. It’s something of a role reversal and it’s going to be awesome.