Dixon High to resume football game Saturday after JV player’s death
The Dixon Rams will have a home varsity football game on Saturday afternoon, which will cap an emotional week as the Solano County high school grieves the loss of one of its junior varsity players.
A 16-year-old JV player died Friday, according to a post by the Dixon Police Department. The student-athlete was pronounced dead after being hospitalized.
Dixon varsity football coach Wes Besseghini and Casa Roble coach Chris Horner were informed early Thursday morning of the game-resumption update. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m., allowing both schools time to practice and prepare on Thursday and Friday for the Golden Empire League contest. Dixon is 2-5 overall and 1-2 in league play. Casa Roble is 6-1 and 3-0.
Football games or any gathering at football stadium have long helped schools and communities heal. Casa Roble honored one of its players last fall who was killed in a car accident with a vigil at its Orangevale campus.
“Our hearts go out to the entire Dixon High School community following the tragic loss of one of their students,” Casa Roble principal Tanya Baker said. “I spoke with Dixon’s principal (Angela Brown) and coach (Besseghini), and together we agreed that moving forward with Saturday’s game provides an opportunity for both teams and communities to come together in support and healing. We know how deeply moments like this impact students, families and staff, and we stand with Dixon as they grieve.”
“The Dixon Unified School District, in collaboration with both schools’ athletic directors and head coaches, has been working to create an opportunity for our student-athletes to compete while continuing to ensure they receive the support they need,” said Dixon Unified School District Public Information Officer Isabella Quiniola, in a statement to The Bee. “After careful consideration, the football game originally scheduled for Friday has been rescheduled to Saturday at 1:00 PM at Dixon High School. This adjustment provides our players with an additional day of rest and continued access to the support systems in place.”
The statement concluded, “We appreciate the community’s flexibility and understanding as we continue to prioritize student well-being.”
Brown in an email to families of students earlier this week wrote that nine Dixon Unified School District mental health staffers, would be at school this week to offer support to students.
Dixon forfeited its Oct. 10 JV game at Woodland, though the Dixon varsity team played the Wolves.
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM.