Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s football teams knew what was at stake when they played host to Los Banos and Patterson, respectively, last week.
The upset-minded Bulldogs and Hawks both needed to win to boost their playoff hopes.
Down by two scores, Ceres High’s comeback bid fell short as Los Banos escaped with a 35-28 win on Senior Night Friday evening at CSUD Stadium.
The loss delivered a blow to the Bulldogs’ postseason aspirations.
“It was definitely an important game for us,” Ceres High senior receiver Manny Mendoza said. “We really want to make playoffs. If we win out, hopefully we get a shot.”
Added Bulldogs’ senior quarterback Donovan Osuna: “We have to win out and hope for the best.”
Fifth-place Ceres High dropped to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in the Western Athletic Conference standings.
First-place Los Banos improved to 7-1 and 5-0.
The Bulldogs lost despite racking up a season-high 360 yards of total offense.
“Obviously, it’s not the outcome we wanted,” Mendoza said. “We played really well. Our team was capable of winning the game.”
“I was pretty impressed with our offense,” he added. “We watched a lot of film on their defense. We knew what we had to do.”
Osuna completed 15 of 20 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns, both career-high totals, with one interception.
“Before this season, we didn’t know he was going to be the starting quarterback,” Mendoza said. “He’s improved every week. He’s stepped up. I’ve seen him do things this year that really shocked me and didn’t know he was capable of.”
Backup QB Brayden Clark completed 3 of 6 passes for 44 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Mendoza caught seven passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Chris King caught four passes for 48 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 28 yards on one carry.
Daniel Davis caught two passes for 28 yards and one TD.
Isaac Vizcarra carried the ball seven times for 38 yards.
Gilbert Nuno made all four of his point-after kicks.
Nathaniel Macias and Michael Solis led Ceres High’s defense with eight tackles apiece.
Nikahli Garcia and Ernie Miranda each collected six tackles.
Reis Smith had five tackles and one pass deflection.
Tre Karriem had three tackles and one pass deflection.
Vincent Castrejon had one fumble recovery and one pass deflection.
Los Banos edged Ceres High for the second year in a row. The Tigers topped the Bulldogs 29-28 in overtime last fall.
“I was expecting a close game like that,” Osuna added. “It’s heartbreaking we lost. But I was happy with our performance. We’re a young team. It’s the best we’ve played on offense (this season). We executed plays like we were supposed to.”
The Bulldogs’ final two opponents are fourth-place Mountain House (4-4, 3-2) and sixth-place Grace Davis (2-6, 2-3). Mountain House will play host to Ceres High this Friday at 7 p.m.
Tigers 51, Hawks 6
Central Valley lost 51-6 to Patterson in Central California Conference play on Thursday at CUSD Stadium.
“Even though the score didn’t look great, we maintained our effort during the course of the game,” Hawks’ senior all-purpose player Josiah Sandoval said. “We play for each other. We don’t give up.”
The fifth-place Hawks dropped to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the CCC standings.
The second-place Tigers improved to 7-1 and 3-1.
For the second time this season, Sandoval returned a second-half kickoff for a touchdown.
Sandoval’s 92-yard TD cut the deficit to 37-6 with 10:18 remaining in the third quarter.
“I trust my teammates to make their blocks and I look for open lanes,” he said.
Sandoval’s timely defensive play ended a potential Patterson scoring drive in the second quarter. He intercepted a pass at Central Valley’s 4-yard line.
“I’ve been grinding since the offseason,” Sandoval said. “I work out every day.”
Patterson limited Central Valley to 96 yards of total offense.
The Hawks used three different players at quarterback, including Isaac Garcia, Amir Drakeford and Marcus Nichols. They filled in for Mario Gonzalez and Darrius Jackson. Gonzalez and Jackson were sidelined with injuries.
Garcia completed 2 of 5 passes for 31 yards.
Drakeford completed 2 of 2 passes for 23 yards.
Nichols completed 3 of 5 passes for 10 yards.
Anthony Ramirez caught four passes for 34 yards.
Joey Zuniga rushed for 24 yards on seven carries and hauled in one pass for 22 yards.
Pahulu Anitelea led Central Valley’s defense with seven tackles and one forced fumble.
Joshua Hale had three tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery.
Nichols and Nicholas Dominguez each had half a sack.
Central Valley allowed three touchdowns in the first quarter en route to falling behind 37-0 in the opening half.
The Hawks’ final two opponents are third-place Atwater (5-4, 3-2) and first-place Merced (5-3, 4-0).
Central Valley will face host Atwater this Friday at 7 p.m. The Hawks need to win out to boost their playoff chances.
“We’re excited for the rest of the season,” Sandoval said. “We’ll keep working hard.”
