The 2025 fall sports season concluded this past month. Now’s the perfect time to recollect and celebrate individual and team accomplishments.
Athletes of the Year
Central Valley’s William Montez has been named the Ceres Courier’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Central Valley’s Aleena Higle and Harkiran Sandhu have been named co-Female Athletes of the Year.
Higle and Sandhu both shined in girls tennis.
Montez excelled in football.
Higle, a senior, made history by becoming Central Valley’s first outright league Most Valuable Player in girls tennis.
Emely Amaya was voted the Western Athletic Conference’s co-MVP in 2014.
Higle won all 14 of her matches while starring at No. 1 singles during the 2025 WAC regular season.
She bested three of four opponents en route to a second-place finish at the WAC Singles Tournament.
Higle posted a 7-5 record as the Hawks’ top player as a junior. She was selected to the WAC First Team.
Higle contributed at No. 3 singles as a sophomore and doubles as a freshman.
Sandhu also made program history during her final season with the Hawks.
She became the first player from Central Valley to place first at a league tournament. She won all four of her matches.
Sandhu earned first-team all-WAC honors. She amassed a near-perfect 17-1 record versus conference competition this year.
She started at No. 2 singles during the regular season.
A No. 1 doubles player as a sophomore, Sandhu won all 12 of her league matches while contributing at No. 6 singles as a junior.
Montez anchored Central Valley’s offensive line. The senior left tackle had 10 pancake blocks as the Hawks piled up 2,847 yards and 32 touchdowns on the season.
Central Valley relied heavily on its rushing attack, which totaled 1,864 yards and 21 TDs.
Montez was selected to the WAC First Team.
Newcomers of the Year
Central Valley’s Junior Gomez and Ceres High’s Jaxon Merrill have been named the Courier’s co-Male Newcomer Athletes of the year
Ceres High’s Presley Vierra and Central Valley’s Abigail Krauss have been named co-Female Newcomer Athletes of the Year.
Gomez and Merrill were key contributors in football and water polo, respectively.
Vierra and Krauss both filled major roles in girls flag football.
Vierra and Krauss earned second-team all-WAC honors for their outstanding play at quarterback.
Vierra, a senior, piled up 3,396 yards and 50 touchdowns.
Krauss completed 186 of 339 passes for 1,733 yards with 28 touchdowns and 16 interceptions during her final season with the Hawks.
She also rushed for 467 yards on 70 carries.
Merrill was named to the WAC Second Team.
The sophomore tallied a team-high 38 goals and six assists in 13 games.
Merrill developed into Ceres High’s top overall player this fall.
He had two goals and no assists freshman year.
Just a sophomore, Gomez earned the starting quarterback position prior to the start of the season.
Gomez completed 69 of 121 passes for 983 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games.
He also had one rushing TD.
Coach of the Year
Central Valley’s Tony Cordova (girls flag football) and Kelly Wheelock (girls golf) have been named the Courier’s co-Coaches of the Year.
Cordova and Wheelock both led their respective programs to new heights.
Central Valley’s girls flag football team posted a 14-10 overall record, placed third in the WAC standings with a 9-5 mark and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the first time.
The Hawks dropped out of the race for the conference title during the final week of the regular season.
Central Valley’s girls golf team finished third in the WAC’s overall standings and qualified for Divisionals for the first time.
Team performances during WAC Dual, Mid-Season Tournament and Year-End Championships determined overall placement in league.
Central Valley also bested conference-rival Lathrop for the first time.
Team of the Year
Central Valley’s girls tennis program has been named the Courier’s Team of the Year for the second straight season.
The Hawks enjoyed their best season to date under WAC Coach of the Year Nimrat Chahal’s guidance.
Central Valley compiled a 17-2 overall record, repeated as WAC champions with a perfect 14-0 mark and reached the quarterfinals of the section playoffs for the second year in a row.
The Hawks also had two singles players and a pair of doubles teams reach the finals of the 2025 WAC Championships.
Sandhu, Higle, Aaliyah Jauregui and Valerie Espinoza, and Emily Carranza and Serath Birring represented Central Valley at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II Individual Singles and Doubles Tournaments.
The Hawks have won their last 26 WAC matches dating back to last season.
