Central Valley’s football program collected its second straight win last week.

Ceres High earned its first victory under new head coach Debin Cowell’s guidance.

“It’s feels good to get a win,” Cowell said. “I’m happy. We played much better this week in a lot of phases. We limited our mistakes. We took a step forward in the right direction.”

“It sucked losing (29-14) to Pitman,” Hawks’ lineman Santiago Garcia said. “Getting these two wins shows what we can do as a team.”

Ahead 14-7, Central Valley exploded for 29 points while elevating its level of play during the second half of Thursday’s 43-14 non-conference victory versus Modesto High at Johansen High School.

“We were expecting to dominate,” Garcia said. “We let them hang around for far too long. Our competitive spark finally ignited (in the second half). We played with higher energy all the way around.”

The Hawks improved to 2-1 overall.

Panthers dropped to 0-4 on the year.

Central Valley has won its last two games by a combined score of 84-34.

“Our future looks bright,” Garcia said. “We have a chance to make playoffs. If we play our best, we can accomplish it.”

Central Valley relied heavily on its ground game versus Modesto High.

The Hawks totaled 199 yards and four touchdowns.

Central Valley’s starting offensive line featured Garcia (right tackle), James Hartley (left guard), Abel Huerta (center), Edhen Alvarez (left guard) and Adrian Vega (left tackle).

“It’s ground-and-pound football,” Garcia said. “That’s part of our identity.”

Jeremiah Moreno carried the ball eight times for 34 yards and two touchdowns.

Ivan Quezada rumbled for 102 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries.

Elizjha Casteel added 20 yards and one touchdown on four carries.

“When we’re able to execute at that level, it’s exciting,” Garcia said.

Hawk quarterback Junior Gomez completed 6 of 13 passes for 37 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Adrian De La Hoya had a 2-yard touchdown reception.

Central Valley’s defense allowed just 14 points.

Julian Zavala returned a blocked punt for a touchdown.

Kaleb Mendoza had four tackles and one sack.

Victor Altamirano had three tackles and one sack.

Terrance Wethington had three tackles and one interception.

James Hartley had two tackles and one sack.

Alijah Jackson had six tackles.

“Our defense was amazing,” Garcia said.

Central Valley outscored Modesto High 29-7 during the second half.

“That’s the level we should have played at in the first half,” Garcia said.

Central Valley will play host to Beyer (1-2) this Friday at 7 p.m.

Ceres High outlasted Buhach Colony 18-8 Friday evening at Bulldog Stadium.

“It was definitely a must-win game for our confidence,” quarterback/safety Anthony Santillan said. “The main key was playing together as a team. We were all locked in. We had a great week of practice.”

Ceres High improved to 1-2 overall.

Buhach Colony dropped to 0-4 on the season.

“It was a lot of building during the preseason,” Santillan said. “Getting our first win before league pumps up the whole team. It puts us in the right frame of mind. There’s a lot more growth that we can have.”

Buhach Colony had trouble slowing down Ceres High’s rushing attack, which totaled 263 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries.

Santillan gained 143 yards and scored two touchdowns on 11 carries.

Caelen Eskridge had 111 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

Bulldog linemen Alex Ortega (left guard), Malachi Johnson (left tackle), Malachi German (center), Isaiah German (right guard) and Gelo Estrada (right tackle) garnered praise from Cowell.

“It’s exciting,” Cowell stated. “It’s how we want to play. We want to be able to impose our will on other teams. We’re doing that.”

Santillan racked up 243 yards of total offense against the Thunder, including 100 through the air.

Ceres High’s defense forced four turnovers.

“We did a really nice job creating chaos,” Cowell said.

Leonardo Ayala collected a team-high 11 tackles.

Eskridge had 10 tackles and two forced fumbles.

Angel Bravo had eight tackles, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Julian Barrera had five tackles, two fumble recoveries and one pass deflection.”

Edward McMurray had five tackles and one sack.

Santillan intercepted a pass while contributing at safety late in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs snapped a two-game losing streak.

“It feels great to finally win,” Santillan said.

Ceres High will travel to Gregori High this Friday to face host Grace Davis (1-2).

Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.