Ozzie Ramos and his Central Valley High School varsity boys soccer teammates enjoy competing on their home turf.
The host Hawks entertained their classmates, family members and friends with a 4-0 win over crosstown-rival Ceres High on Oct. 22.
"The crowd motivates us a lot," said Ramos, Central Valley's star junior midfielder. "It's an extra boost that they give us."
The Hawks (21-2-2, 10-1-1) won a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
Central Valley tied for first with Patterson.
The Bulldogs (7-4-1) placed third.
The Hawks compiled a 2-0 record versus Ceres High this year.
The two teams split last season.
Central Valley, Ceres High and Patterson qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Patterson was awarded the WAC's top seed thanks to its 1-0-1 head-to-head record versus Central Valley.
"We're focused on the next stage, which is sections," Ramos said. "Our school hasn't conquered that yet. I have faith this team can win it."
"I think Central Valley is better than Patterson," Ceres High junior goalkeeper Abel Reyes said. "They got a lot of speed and they communicate a lot."
Central Valley's Diego Duran scored a team-high two goals against Ceres High last week.
Omar Orozco collected one goal and two assists.
Ozzie Ramos chipped in with two assists.
Samuel Martinez had one goal.
Hawk goalie David Saucedo made four saves.
Abel Reyes had a busy day while playing goalkeeper for Ceres High. The junior totaled 13 saves, including five in a three-minute span during the second half.
Central Valley thoroughly dominated Ceres High last week.
The Hawks held a 19-6 shot advantage.
"The score reflects how the game went," Bulldogs head coach Javier Mercado said. "They have a more balanced team this year. They're very solid. They don't depend on just one player."
Duran scored from close-range off a pass from Orozco and finished from 15 yards out with the outside of his right foot in the 10th and 12th minutes, respectively, as Central Valley grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Ozzie assisted on Diego's second goal.
Orozco scored the Hawks' third goal in the 66th minute.
Ramos delivered the pass.
Orozco helped set up Martinez in the 79th minute.
"It's hard," Reyes said. "They have a lot of weapons. They all can shoot. Once they scored, we shut down."
"We didn't lose focus," Ramos said. "We controlled the ball and didn't let them get possession. They have a strong team, too."
The Hawks won their final regular-season home game.
Coach Omar Leon recognized seven senior players at halftime, including Duran, Martinez, Kevin Webb, Jairo Gaspar, Juan Hernandez, Andres Cazares and Emmanuel Morales.
Central Valley made history again by securing its fifth straight league title and sixth consecutive playoff berth. The Hawks succeeded without all-time leading scorer Daniel Ochoa and standout defender Hugo Contreras.
Ochoa and Contreras both graduated in June.
Daniel tallied 88 goals during his four-year career.
"We always stay confident," Ramos said. "We don't worry about the players we lost. Every year, we have strong replacements."
The host Hawks entertained their classmates, family members and friends with a 4-0 win over crosstown-rival Ceres High on Oct. 22.
"The crowd motivates us a lot," said Ramos, Central Valley's star junior midfielder. "It's an extra boost that they give us."
The Hawks (21-2-2, 10-1-1) won a share of the Western Athletic Conference title.
Central Valley tied for first with Patterson.
The Bulldogs (7-4-1) placed third.
The Hawks compiled a 2-0 record versus Ceres High this year.
The two teams split last season.
Central Valley, Ceres High and Patterson qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
Patterson was awarded the WAC's top seed thanks to its 1-0-1 head-to-head record versus Central Valley.
"We're focused on the next stage, which is sections," Ramos said. "Our school hasn't conquered that yet. I have faith this team can win it."
"I think Central Valley is better than Patterson," Ceres High junior goalkeeper Abel Reyes said. "They got a lot of speed and they communicate a lot."
Central Valley's Diego Duran scored a team-high two goals against Ceres High last week.
Omar Orozco collected one goal and two assists.
Ozzie Ramos chipped in with two assists.
Samuel Martinez had one goal.
Hawk goalie David Saucedo made four saves.
Abel Reyes had a busy day while playing goalkeeper for Ceres High. The junior totaled 13 saves, including five in a three-minute span during the second half.
Central Valley thoroughly dominated Ceres High last week.
The Hawks held a 19-6 shot advantage.
"The score reflects how the game went," Bulldogs head coach Javier Mercado said. "They have a more balanced team this year. They're very solid. They don't depend on just one player."
Duran scored from close-range off a pass from Orozco and finished from 15 yards out with the outside of his right foot in the 10th and 12th minutes, respectively, as Central Valley grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first half.
Ozzie assisted on Diego's second goal.
Orozco scored the Hawks' third goal in the 66th minute.
Ramos delivered the pass.
Orozco helped set up Martinez in the 79th minute.
"It's hard," Reyes said. "They have a lot of weapons. They all can shoot. Once they scored, we shut down."
"We didn't lose focus," Ramos said. "We controlled the ball and didn't let them get possession. They have a strong team, too."
The Hawks won their final regular-season home game.
Coach Omar Leon recognized seven senior players at halftime, including Duran, Martinez, Kevin Webb, Jairo Gaspar, Juan Hernandez, Andres Cazares and Emmanuel Morales.
Central Valley made history again by securing its fifth straight league title and sixth consecutive playoff berth. The Hawks succeeded without all-time leading scorer Daniel Ochoa and standout defender Hugo Contreras.
Ochoa and Contreras both graduated in June.
Daniel tallied 88 goals during his four-year career.
"We always stay confident," Ramos said. "We don't worry about the players we lost. Every year, we have strong replacements."
