Ceres High School's freshman football team defeated crosstown rival Central Valley in dramatic fashion on Thursday, Nov. 4
The Bulldogs prevailed by one point after the Hawks missed a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Ceres High, which squandered a two-touchdown lead, rallied for a 22-21 victory at Bulldog Stadium.
"It's very satisfying," Ceres High quarterback Angel Garcia said.
"It doesn't feel good," Central Valley quarterback Milton Uti said. "We wanted to beat them real bad. We wanted to be the ones celebrating."
Garcia completed 6 of 14 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
He also had a pair of rushing scores for the Bulldogs, who posted a 5-5 overall record and finished 3-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Ceres High all-purpose player Gabriel Solis caught three passes for 126 yards with one TD.
Uti passed for 118 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns for Central Valley, which finished 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the WAC.
Hawk tailback Samath Prak rushed for 130 yards and one score on 18 carries.
Prak put Central Valley in a position to win the game after hauling in a 50-yard pass from Uti with 13 seconds to play. Samath outjumped a Bulldog defender and held onto the ball while crashing to the ground.
Two plays later, Alvaro Rodriguez attempted a 33-yard field goal. His line-drive kick deflected off Garcia's leg as time expired.
Rodriguez made a 37-yarder against Livingston the previous week.
"I was very nervous," Angel said.
Ceres High appeared headed to a comfortable victory after tallying touchdowns on its first two possessions.
The Bulldogs marched 61 yards in 12 plays during their opening drive. Garcia scored on a 1-yard run as Ceres High took more than six minutes off the clock.
Solis caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Garcia on third down with 6:10 remaining in the second quarter. Angel and Dylan Canatsy combined for the two-point conversion.
Central Valley seized the momentum with three straight touchdowns.
Uti scored on a 1-yard QB sneak late in the second quarter. Alvaro Rodriguez added the extra point.
The Hawks got within one point when Milton scored from 3 yards out midway through the third quarter.
Prak's 15-yard TD scamper and Uti's 2-point conversion gave Central Valley a 21-14 lead three minutes later.
Ceres High responded with a six-play, 64-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Garcia completed passes to Solis (36 yards) and Luis Salazar (19 yards) before barreling his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Austin Sitton's 2-point conversion run put the Bulldogs ahead by one point.
Ceres High just refused to be denied.
"We tried our hardest," said Angel, who connected with Gabriel on fourth-and-2.
Central Valley showed a lot of heart in battling back from a 14-0 deficit.
"My team did great today," Uti said. "I'm not really disappointed."
The Bulldogs prevailed by one point after the Hawks missed a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Ceres High, which squandered a two-touchdown lead, rallied for a 22-21 victory at Bulldog Stadium.
"It's very satisfying," Ceres High quarterback Angel Garcia said.
"It doesn't feel good," Central Valley quarterback Milton Uti said. "We wanted to beat them real bad. We wanted to be the ones celebrating."
Garcia completed 6 of 14 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
He also had a pair of rushing scores for the Bulldogs, who posted a 5-5 overall record and finished 3-2 in the Western Athletic Conference.
Ceres High all-purpose player Gabriel Solis caught three passes for 126 yards with one TD.
Uti passed for 118 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns for Central Valley, which finished 3-6 overall and 2-3 in the WAC.
Hawk tailback Samath Prak rushed for 130 yards and one score on 18 carries.
Prak put Central Valley in a position to win the game after hauling in a 50-yard pass from Uti with 13 seconds to play. Samath outjumped a Bulldog defender and held onto the ball while crashing to the ground.
Two plays later, Alvaro Rodriguez attempted a 33-yard field goal. His line-drive kick deflected off Garcia's leg as time expired.
Rodriguez made a 37-yarder against Livingston the previous week.
"I was very nervous," Angel said.
Ceres High appeared headed to a comfortable victory after tallying touchdowns on its first two possessions.
The Bulldogs marched 61 yards in 12 plays during their opening drive. Garcia scored on a 1-yard run as Ceres High took more than six minutes off the clock.
Solis caught a 68-yard touchdown pass from Garcia on third down with 6:10 remaining in the second quarter. Angel and Dylan Canatsy combined for the two-point conversion.
Central Valley seized the momentum with three straight touchdowns.
Uti scored on a 1-yard QB sneak late in the second quarter. Alvaro Rodriguez added the extra point.
The Hawks got within one point when Milton scored from 3 yards out midway through the third quarter.
Prak's 15-yard TD scamper and Uti's 2-point conversion gave Central Valley a 21-14 lead three minutes later.
Ceres High responded with a six-play, 64-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Garcia completed passes to Solis (36 yards) and Luis Salazar (19 yards) before barreling his way into the end zone from the 1-yard line. Austin Sitton's 2-point conversion run put the Bulldogs ahead by one point.
Ceres High just refused to be denied.
"We tried our hardest," said Angel, who connected with Gabriel on fourth-and-2.
Central Valley showed a lot of heart in battling back from a 14-0 deficit.
"My team did great today," Uti said. "I'm not really disappointed."
