Photo from HSU Athletics Department’s Facebook page.

Thirty football players from Centro de Enseñanza Técnica y Superior (or CETYS University) will travel roughly 800 miles by bus from Baja California to compete with the Lumberjacks in a scrimmage this Saturday.

With numerous campuses in Tijuana, Ensenada and Mexicali, CETYS will be traveling with two versions of their team — the CETYS Zorros. These squads will alternate quarters against the Lumberjacks throughout the game, with one team playing the first and third quarters and the other playing the second and fourth.

HSU Athletics spokesperson Andrew Goetz told the Outpost that CETYS is actively competing with various U.S. college teams in hopes of becoming the first NCAA-accredited college in Mexico.

“They were interested in playing a West Coast DII conference school, and Humboldt State had an opening in its schedule,” Goetz said. “Very cool.”

The University’s struggle to become the first Mexican NCAA accredited school was profiled in a New York Times article in May, which also mentions Saturday’s matchup with the Lumberjacks.

While HSU football is no stranger to international games — the ‘Jacks play Canada’s Simon Fraser University annually — Goetz said this is likely the first time HSU has hosted any other international team.

The only other time the Lumberjacks have competed against a team from Mexico was when the HSU basketball team traveled to Chihuahua during the 1940-41 season, and lost.

HSU football will look to even the score with our friends south of the border on Saturday at 6 p.m. General admissions is $10.