By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Fall sports rewind
Placeholder Image
The 2008 fall high school sports season ended last month. Now is a good time to highlight the accomplishments of top individuals and teams.

Male athlete: Trevor Mew put up some staggering numbers in his final season with Central Valley High School's varsity football team. The Sac-Joaquin Section's top-rated quarterback completed 73 percent of his passes for 2,957 yards with 29 touchdowns and just eight interceptions en route to leading the Hawks to a program-best 5-5 overall record. He concluded his career with a 269-yard, five-touchdown performance in a 40-7 blowout of crosstown rival Ceres High.

Female athlete: Ceres High varsity girls tennis player McKenzy Harden made the extraordinary look ordinary by successfully defending her Valley Oak League singles title. For the second consecutive year, she won all 32 of her matches and was voted conference MVP.

Male newcomer: Ceres High junior Alejandro Garcia qualified for the CIF State Cross Country Championships. The last Bulldog runner to accomplish that feat was Casey Rhea 10 years ago. Garcia placed 77th at state, fifth at sections, third at sub-sections and second at league finals. During the regular season, Alejandro captured the Stanislaus County Invitational title, and finished first at a pair of VOL cluster meets.

Female newcomer: Venus Lopez played sparingly for Ceres High's varsity girls tennis team as a freshman in 2007. This year, she brought home a third-place medal from the Valley Oak League singles tournament. Lopez amassed a 28-4 record on her way to being named to the VOL first team.

Coach: Koeurn Phe, Omar Leon and Bryan Harden are all deserving. In just his first year as head coach, Phe led Ceres High's varsity boys soccer team to its first Sac-Joaquin Section finals appearance. The Valley Oak League runner-up Bulldogs (15-4-3 overall, 10-1-3 conference) made an improbable run to the Division IV title game, where they lost 5-4 on penalty kicks to top-seeded River City ... Leon was voted VOL Coach of the Year. He guided Central Valley High School's new-look varsity boys soccer team to a conference title (11-2-1), Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal playoff game berth and 17-3-2 overall record. The Hawks managed to shine despite returning just several starters from a 2007 team that qualified for the postseason and finished in second place in conference play ... Ceres High's varsity girls tennis team excelled under Harden's guidance. The Bulldogs won a share of the VOL title, qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs for the second straight season and finished 13-3. Ceres had a banner year even though its seven-player lineup featured four new starters.

Individual performance: Four days after his father's death, Deangelo Williams had a career night for Central Valley High School's varsity football team. The junior receiver had 221 yards and three touchdowns on eight receptions, and a one-handed interception in the Hawks' 31-28 homecoming loss to VOL runner-up and Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff participant Sierra.

Game: The season was filled with a host of highly-competitive games. Four contests warrant recognition. Playing on the road in front of more than 375 fans, the Hawks claimed the Valley Oak League title in varsity boys soccer with a 1-0 win against the city-rival Bulldogs. Antonio Cabrera scored what proved to be the winning goal in the fifth minute. Gerardo Cazares assisted. Central Valley players ambushed head coach Omar Leon from behind with a bucket of ice water, then hoisted him in the air following the historical victory ... Ceres High had reason to celebrate after posting a 21-6 victory over host Weston Ranch in varsity football. First-year quarterback Josh Edwards totaled 247 yards and one touchdown, Justin Canatsy grabbed six passes for 146 yards and a score, and Rajdeep Singh and Martino Bertolotti both added a rushing TD in helping the Bulldogs end a 15-game losing streak. Ceres dropped its first five contests this year and finished 0-10 in 2007 ... Central Valley appeared on its way to victory against Sac-Joaquin Section Division V champion Hilmar in varsity football after quarterback Trevor Mew completed a 3-yard touchdown strike to Rick Rogers and two-point conversion pass to Stephen Fonsworth with 5:52 to play. The Yellowjackets responded with a 14-play, 61-yard drive. Donovan Smith's 21-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired and Hilmar escaped with a 10-8 victory during the final tune-up before league play at Bulldog Stadium ... Several weeks removed from suffering an embarrassing loss at Oakdale in varsity boys water polo, the Bulldogs challenged the Mustangs during the rematch. Goalkeeper Kenny Carroll made 19 saves and Shane Nunes scored three times as Ceres High fell 9-8 in sudden-death overtime to undefeated Modesto Metro Conference champion Oakdale.

Contributors: Ceres High varsity boys soccer standout David Estrada won the Valley Oak League MVP award. The junior striker tallied 20 goals and five assists in 14 conference games for the second-place Bulldogs ... Antonio Cabrera, a junior forward on Central Valley High School's VOL championship varsity boys soccer squad, collected 13 goals and five assists ... Hadon Lopez starred on Ceres High's varsity football team. The sophomore middle linebacker accumulated 87 tackles, five-and-a-half sacks and two fumble recoveries. He totaled 370 yards and three touchdowns while playing running back. Lopez averaged 4.87 yards per carry ... Junior Josh Edwards threw for 1,732 yards and 14 touchdowns during his first year as starting quarterback for the Bulldogs ... Deangelo Williams had a monster year for Central Valley High School's varsity football team. The junior led the VOL in receiving with 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns ... Alyssa Long had a productive first season of varsity volleyball at Central Valley. The sophomore middle blocker totaled 42 kills, 16 aces and 14 blocks in the Hawks' four league victories. She made the VOL second team ... Jamie Beck, a member of Ceres High's varsity volleyball program, ranked third in blocks (26) and sixth in kills (68) in the VOL. The 6-foot-1 sophomore also had 12 aces and eight digs. Beck's stellar play helped her earn second-team, all-conference honors ... Ceres High varsity girls water polo goalkeeper Kelly Yoder was selected to the Modesto Metro Conference second team ... Bulldog varsity boys water polo scoring leader Shane Nunes received honorable-mention accolades.