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CV boys claim third straight league soccer title
JV Hawks continue winning ways
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Central Valleys junior-varsity boys soccer team won its third consecutive Western Athletic Conference championships this winter. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Head coach Horacio Garcia has built a dynasty in junior-varsity boys soccer at Central Valley High School.

The Hawks claimed their third straight Western Athletic Conference championship this winter.

"It makes it really easy to coach when you have players who know the game," Garcia said. "They're very talented. They're very competitive. They don't ever want to lose."

Central Valley amassed a 15-3-2 overall record and placed first in the WAC standings (9-1-0) in 2018.

The Hawks' roster featured 22 players, including Luis Alberto, Marco Covarrubias, Pedro Erape, Alexys Jimenez, Oscar Jimenez, Luis Martinez, Jesus Murrillo, Christian Palomares, Francisco Vasquez, Javier Villanueva, Ivan Diaz, Alonzo Fernandez, Alex Garcia, Alejandro Gonzalez, Erick Gudino, Marcos Hernandez, Jorge Iniguez, Agustin Piza, Allen Rodriguez, Miguel Sanches, Jesus Torres and Hector Uribe.

"We have a good mixture of players, including eight returners," Garcia said. "We had experience under our belts. That helped with the competitive and difficult games we had."
Central Valley outscored its WAC opponents, 29-7.

"We focused on keeping possession of the ball just like the varsity team," Garcia said.

The Hawks posted six shutouts.

Central Valley beat Patterson, Pacheco, Livingston and Los Banos twice.

The Hawks split with the crosstown-rival Bulldogs.

Ceres High won the first meeting, 3-1.

Central Valley exacted revenge with a 4-0 victory.

"Ceres High always has a very good team," Garcia said.

A total of 60 Central Valley students attended soccer tryouts.

"This was the first time I had trouble selecting my team," Garcia said. "There was a lot of talent. It's a problem every coach likes to have."

The Hawks had a combined record of 43-12-14 under Garcia's guidance over the past three seasons.

Central Valley collected 26 wins, five losses and five ties in WAC play during that span.

"The expectation is to go undefeated every year," Garcia said. "Every year, we're getting closer to the goal."