Central Valley’s girls water polo team notched its second straight win against crosstown-rival Ceres High last week.
The Hawks spoiled the Bulldogs’ Senior Day with a 12-11 victory on Oct. 14.
“It gets very competitive and emotional when we play because we know each other,” Central Valley sophomore Isabella Madrigal said.
“This one is more personal,” Ceres High sophomore Alana Festa said. “The adrenaline runs through your body. It’s fun because more people come out from the community to watch.”
The Hawks improved to 3-9 overall and climbed to fifth place in the Western Athletic Conference with a 2-8 mark.
“They’ve had their program forever,” Madrigal said. “We’re building our program. It’s getting better each year. We’re making a lot of progress.”
“CV is a great competitor,” Festa added.
The Bulldogs dropped to 2-9 overall and into sixth place in the WAC standings (2-8).
“The program is taking a turn for the better,” Ceres High head coach Emiliano Ortega said. “We recruited lots of players this season. And I imagine we will continue to grow as time goes on.”
Lilyana Madrigal scored a team-high seven goals for the Hawks.
Younger sibling Isabella Madrigal added four goals.
Joellene Roton had one goal.
“Me and my sister work really well together,” Isabella Madrigal said.
Festa scored a team-high seven goals for the Bulldogs.
Angel Sasser chipped in with two goals.
Rhylie Houtchens and Heaven Vasquez both tallied one goal.
Central Valley led 7-6 heading into the second half.
Both teams scored five goals during the final 14 minutes.
The Hawks won despite competing without Roton for half of the game.
Roton was assessed a third kickout late in the second period and was relegated to the bench for the remainder of the contest.
“It was hard not having her (Roton) in the game,” Isabella Madrigal said. “Me and all the other girls learned to work together. We understood the assignment. We believed in each other.”
The Bulldogs closed the competitive gap versus the Hawks.
“It was an amazing performance,” Ortega said. “They played with so much passion and effort that I can’t be upset with the outcome.”
Central Valley has an all-time head-to-head record of 2-4 versus Ceres High.
The Hawks dropped four straight matches to the Bulldogs dating back to 2024 prior to earning a sweep this fall.
Ceres High lost 18-10 at Central Valley on Sept. 29.
“It was a lot closer this game,” Festa said. “We tried our hardest. We worked together as a team.”
Ortega honored three Bulldog senior players before their final home match, including Sasser, Vasquez and Jaelyn Silva.
“All of them have been a part of the Ceres water polo culture for years,” Ortega said. “And losing them hurts because of their influence on the young members of the team.”
“We wanted to win for our seniors because this was their last time playing Ceres High,” Isabella Madrigal said.
