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CV, CHS golfers move on
Courier Sports Roundup
Jadon Rafatti
Jadon Rafatti and Central Valley’s boys golf team competed at the CCC Championships on May 2 in Modesto. - photo by DALE BUTLER/ Courier file photo

Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s boys golf programs completed the conference portion of their schedules earlier this month.

The Bulldogs and Hawks placed third and sixth, respectively, at the Western Athletic Conference and Central California Conference Championships.

“We had to place one place higher than Los Banos to make it to Divisionals as a team,” Bulldogs’ head coach Ron Edwards said. “We just got edged out.”

“End result, it’s kind of what was expected,” Hawks’ leader Scott Edwards said. “The tournament was no different than the league matches. The pecking order going into it didn’t change.”

The Bulldogs posted a team score of 529 while finishing behind Mountain House (491) and Los Banos (519) on May 1 at Manteca Park Golf Course.

“It’s the best we’ve finished at league championships since I’ve been here,” Ron Edwards said.

Ceres High topped Beyer, Lathrop, Grace Davis, Johansen and Pacheco.

Beyer (531), Lathrop (557) and Grace Davis (563) finished fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

“They surprised me,” Ron Edwards said. “I didn’t think we’d beat Beyer.”

“I’m surprised everybody did as well as they did,” he added while talking about the playing conditions during the WAC Championships. “The wind was blowing hard. It was cold. It was a rough day.”

Jayson Homsombath led Ceres High with an 85.

Miles Cabling had a 93.

Zachary Chastain, Marcus Granados and Benjamin Larranaga rounded out the Bulldogs’ scorecard with 112, 113 and 124, respectively.

The top three teams in the WAC’s overall standings advanced to Divisionals.

The Bulldogs placed fourth.

The conference’s overall standings combined team scores from league clusters and finals.

“I’m happy,” Ron Edwards said. “They executed when they needed to. They played smart.”

The Hawks carded a 596 while losing to Buhach Colony (432), El Capitan (436), Atwater (459), Golden Valley (473) and Merced (517) at the CCC Championships on May 2 at Dryden Park Golf Course.

Central Valley bested Patterson, which didn’t have enough players to post a team score.

Dillon Brush led the Hawks with a 104.

Jadon Rafatti, William Montez, Daniel Castillo and Gabriel Davila-Sanchez finished with rounds of 115, 117, 125 and 135, respectively.

Central Valley also placed sixth in the CCC’s overall standings.

“It was nice to see Dillon being consistent and solid growth from the other guys,” Scott Edwards said. “They finished the season on an upswing.”

Homsombath, Cabling and Brush all extended their seasons by securing individual berths to Masters.


SOFTBALL

Central Valley’s softball team put the finishing touches on an unprecedented regular season last week.

A week removed from earning their first conference title and playoff berth, the Hawks added to their program-record win total.

Central Valley improved to 19-3 on the year after pounding Patterson 12-2 in Central California Conference play on Senior Day in Ceres on May 10.

The first-place Hawks posted a near-perfect 11-1 record versus CCC competition this spring.

“I don’t think they’ll realize the magnitude of what they accomplished until years down the road,” head coach Jimmy Bates said. 

Seniors Janessa Godinez, Victoria Lloyd, Allie Peterman, Micaela Martinez and Soria Corona competed at home for the final time during Central Valley’s mercy-rule victory over Patterson.

Godinez starred at pitcher and on offense.

She batted 2-for-2 from the plate with one homer, four RBIs and four runs.

Godinez improved her pitching record to 17-2.

She allowed two runs and two hits with four strikeouts and no walks in five innings.

Godinez’s three-run homer extended the Hawks’ lead to 12-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning.”

Hawk Jannet Valencia batted 3-for-4 with one double, three RBIs and one run.

Alicia Espinoza batted 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs.

Jayden Corona batted 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run.

Soriah Corona scored twice.

Central Valley held on for a 21-16 victory over host Hughson on May 8.

“That’s a lot of offensive work,” Bates said. 

Valencia batted 3-for-6 with one double, three RBIs and four runs.

Peterman batted 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs.

McConnell batted 3-for-5 with one triple, one double, two RBIs and three runs.

Priscilla Hamidat batted 3-for-5 with one double, two RBIs and one run.

Adelina Sandoval improved her pitching record to 2-0 while starting in place of Godinez. She had two strikeouts.

Central Valley had a special guest in Nicole “Sis” Bates during last Friday’s practice, which was staged from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Sis, Jimmy’s younger sister, was named to the USA Women’s Softball National Team roster for the WBSC World Cup last month.

“The timing worked out perfect,” Jimmy said. “I’m really appreciative she (Sis) took the time to come out. It was a really cool experience for the girls. Some of them were shy and starstruck.”

Tenth-seeded Central Valley will face seventh-seeded Tracy (17-9, 12-3) on the road in the opening round of the Division-I bracket.