Central Valley’s varsity girls soccer team faced Patterson during the opening week of Central California Conference play.
The Hawks overcame a slow start and rolled to a 6-2 victory over the Tigers on Jan. 3 at the Patterson Community Stadium.
Central Valley and Patterson are newcomers to the league.
The Hawks and Tigers moved from the Western Athletic Conference to the CCC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s realignment plan.
“We’re pretty familiar with each other because we played in the WAC before,” head coach Miguel Larranga said. “We still dominated but not at the same level as past games.”
Central Valley improved to 7-6-0 on the season and 1-0-0 in the conference standings.
Patterson improved to 5-7-0 and 0-1-0.
Jocelyn Lopez led the Hawks with two goals and one assist.
Malina Keomuangchanh and Anusha Kumar both scored twice.
Abigail Martinez and Jackie Sanchez had two assists apiece.
The Tigers challenged the Hawks in the opening 40 minutes. Central Valley held a slim 2-1 lead.
“It was very competitive in the first half,” Larranaga said.
BOYS SOCCER
Central Valley’s varsity boys soccer team had just 13 players in uniform, two of which were goalkeepers, during last week’s Central California Conference opener versus Patterson.
Seven members, including five starters, did not attend the game because they were vacationing out of town with their families.
The Hawks lost 2-1 to the Tigers on Thursday in Ceres.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” head coach Omar Leon said. “Not having a full team played a role into the overall performance of the team and the result.”
The Hawks dropped to 7-2-3 overall and 0-1-0 in the CCC.
The Tigers improved to 6-2-2 and 1-0-0.
Cesar Grajeda scored Central Valley’s only goal.
Hawk goalie Erick Martinez totaled four saves.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Ceres High’s varsity boys basketball team secured its first league win last week.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-7 on the year and 1-3 in the Western Athletic Conference standings following their 69-51 domination of host Pacheco on Friday in Los Banos.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” Ceres High head coach T.J. Walker said. “We’re starting to lock in defensively. We have to continue practicing hard and stay focused.”
Bulldog post player Elijah Hughes scored 34 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and tallied three steals against the Panthers.
Hughes made 15 of 19 shots from the field and all four of his free throws.
“It’s his first game back since he injured his left foot at practice on Dec. 10,” Walker said. “Luckily, it wasn’t a bad break.”
Christian Murry added 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Brock DeWitt buried three treys on his way to totaling nine points.
Ceres High committed just five turnovers during the game.
The Bulldogs built a 35-25 lead in the opening half.
Ceres High outscored Pacheco 15-6 in the first quarter.
“We jumped on them pretty quickly,” Walker said. “That was great to see.”
Bears 69, Hawks 52
A newcomer to the Central California Conference, Central Valley’s varsity boys basketball team lost its league opener 69-52 to host Merced last Friday.
“It’s a step up in competition,” head coach Mike Rodriguez said while comparing the CCC to the WAC. “The biggest difference is the physicality. The refs let the kids play. It’s a battle out there.”
The Hawks fell to 7-9 overall and 0-1 in the conference standings.
The Bears moved to 7-10 and 1-0.
Central Valley’s Kadin Manor totaled 16 points, two rebounds, two steals and one assist against Merced. He shot 40 percent (4 of 10) from 3-point range.
Daniel Villasenor chipped in with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Grant Neang had eight points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal.
Central Valley kept the game close in the opening half as it trailed by just two points (23-21).
The Bears outscored the Hawks 29-10 during the third-quarter.
“We had a lot of turnovers in the game,” Rodriguez said. “That didn’t help.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Central Valley’s varsity girls basketball team dropped its Central California Conference opener and compiled an 0-3 record at the Pitman Holiday Classic in recent weeks.
The Hawks suffered their 10th straight loss in falling 47-14 to the Bears in CCC play on Jan. 3.
Central Valley dropped to 1-11 on the year and 0-1 in the conference standings.
Merced improved to 7-5 and 1-0.
Maycie Guinn scored a team-high eight points in defeat.
Jennifer Novoa added four points.
The Hawks were beaten by Pitman (77-18), Oakdale (46-23) and Hughson (56-33) at the Dec. 27-29 Pitman tournament.
WRESTLING
Ceres High’s varsity boys wrestling team has notched two straight victories against Western Athletic Conference opponents since losing 50-27 to Beyer on Dec. 12.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the WAC standings with a 46-21 pasting of host Pacheco on Dec. 3 in Los Banos.
“It was a really fun night,” Ceres High head coach Steve Festa said. “We had young wrestlers step up into the varsity lineup and do very well.”
The Bulldogs won six of the 10 contested bouts.
Hurt by its lack of depth, Ceres High’s varsity girls wrestling team lost 42-12 to Pacheco last week.
The Bulldogs dropped to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the Western Athletic Conference dual-meet standings.
The Panthers improved to 4-0 in the WAC.
Ceres High’s lineup featured just five grapplers.
Pacheco totaled 24 points on four forfeits.
