The 19th installment of the Ceres Classic, which pits Ceres High against Central Valley in football, will be held at Ceres Unified School District Stadium this Friday.
The varsity and junior-varsity crosstown showdown games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
A sell-out crowd is expected to attend this year’s crosstown matchups.
Approximately 2,500 tickets will be available for purchase on GoFan beginning today. A maximum of four tickets will be imposed per purchase.
Paper tickets were made available for in-person purchase at the Doghouse and Hawk’s Nest on Monday. A maximum of 200 tickets will be available at each site.
“It’s always special to coach in games against people you know,” Hawks’ leader/former Ceres High quarterback Derrick Goblirsch stated. “It adds a little motivation. But we shouldn’t need any extra motivation. It’s our rivalry game.”
“We’re representing our town,” Bulldogs’ head coach Brett Johnson said. “Some wear green. Some wear red. When the game is over, we’re still Ceres people.”
“Rivalry games are the funnest games to play in,” Ceres High junior all-purpose player Nathaniel Macias said. “They’re unpredictable.”
The Bulldogs and Hawks will play for more than bragging rights this week.
Second-place Ceres High (6-3, 4-2 Western Athletic Conference) is vying for their fourth consecutive playoff berth.
Last-place Central Valley (1-8, 0-6) will try to play the role of spoiler.
“There’s a lot riding on this game,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot to play for. It’s life-long bragging rights. We have to take care of business to keep our postseason hopes alive. We just need to focus on what we can control, which is our effort at practice and play. That’s all we can do.”
“There’s a lot of excitement going into the game,” Central Valley quarterback/safety Edgar Peralta said. “Winning the trophy again would mean everything. It would be the highlight of our season.”
“This is a must-win game,” Macias said. “It’s not going to be handed to us. We have to have the right mindset. We got to take them seriously.”
“We’re the underdogs,” Hawks’ third-year lineman Aiden Prudhel said. “Everybody is counting us out. We have nothing to lose. We’re playing for pride. We’re playing to not be sad at the end of the season. Spoiling their playoff chances would be one of the highlights the past four years.”
Central Valley has an all-time record of 15-3 against Ceres High.
The Hawks won the 2023 showdown, 34-8. Five extra sets of bleachers were brought in to increase the stadium’s capacity. Fans were also allowed to watch the game from additional standing-room-only approved areas.
Central Valley defeated Ceres High 21-20 in 2022, 20-18 in 2021, 36-14 in 2020, 55-13 in 2019, 35-0 in 2018, 35-33 in 2017, 52-10 in 2016 and 48-14 in 2015.
The Bulldogs bested the Hawks 21-20 in 2022, 24-7 in 2014 and 20-7 in 2006.
