Central Valley’s football team prevented Ceres High from winning its second straight Crosstown Showdown game last Thursday.

The Hawks exacted payback with a 38-21 win over the Bulldogs during the final week of the regular season at CUSD Stadium.

Central Valley lost 36-7 to Ceres High in 2024.

“It’s our Super Bowl,” Hawks’ senior running back Emanuel Luna said. “That’s how big of a game it is for us. The feeling of losing last year made us want to never feel that again. It pushed us to work harder and get better.”

“It’s heartbreaking,” Bulldogs’ senior all-purpose player Nathaniel St. Macias stated. “You want to win these types of games. To lose by that big of a margin is disappointing. It really doesn’t hit you until the clock hits zero. We were in disbelief.”

“Before the game, I was really confident,” Ceres High head coach Brett Johnson added. “We had a really good week of practice. The game didn’t play out the way we had planned it. Trying to play catch-up is not an easy task.”

Central Valley amassed a 4-6 overall record and finished fifth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 3-4 mark this fall.

Ceres High improved to 3-7 overall and placed sixth in the WAC standings (2-5).

“Our guys expected to do better this year,” Central Valley head coach Derrick Goblirsch said. “We lost some close games. We could have been 7-3 or 6-4. I’m still proud of them.”

“We worked hard all year,” St. Macias said. “Small mistakes cost us throughout the season.”

Nine different Central Valley players carried the ball against Ceres High.

The Hawks piled up a season-high 369 yards and four touchdowns on 48 attempts.

“Our offensive line executed amazingly,” Luna said. “They dominated up front.” 

Luna, Sebastian Maldonado and Erick Mendoza did most of the damage on the ground.

Luna ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

Maldonado totaled 170 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries.

Erick Mendoza had 53 yards and one touchdown on eight carries.

“We have a deep running back room,” Luna said. “There’s no selfishness. We’re dogs. We work.”

Hawk sophomore quarterback Junior Gomez completed 4 of 6 passes for 57 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

Matthew Ontiveroz caught one pass for 41 yards and one touchdown.

Caden Mendonca caught three passes for 16 yards.

Ceres High also had success running the ball versus Central Valley.

The Bulldogs totaled 200 yards on just 18 carries.

St. Macias ran for 164 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 attempts.

Alex Alvarez added 36 yards on six carries.

“I did my best to give us a chance,” St. Macias said. “I was built for these kinds of moments. That’s my mentality in life.”

Bulldog quarterback Parker Borges completed just 4 of 11 passes for 18 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions

Eric De Lozada caught four passes for 18 yards.

Adrian Carrillo caught one pass for 10 yards.

Elizjha Casteel led Central Valley’s defense with seven tackles and one sack.

Terrance Wethington had three tackles and one interception.

Mendoza had one interception.

“We were very locked in this week,” Luna said. “Our game plan was to be aggressive and run the ball. Our defense held them down. We all did our part.”

“Offensively, we did exactly what we wanted to do,” Goblirsch stated. “Defensively, we got enough stops to get the win. That was the overall goal.”

“They did exactly what we thought they’d do,” Johnson added “They just executed better than we could defend.”

The Bulldogs were forced to play from behind after a competitive first quarter. Ceres High trailed 14-7 following the opening 12 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs cut a 28-7 first-half deficit to 10 points early in the fourth quarter.

Ceres High outscored Central Valley 14-10 during the second half.

“I didn’t have any doubt,” Luna said. “When we do our jobs, we’re a good team.”

“They had long drives that tired our defense out,” St. Macias said. “It’s mentally and physically draining.”

“I’m proud of our kids,” Johnson said. “They battled back.”

“Every time they scored, we were able to respond,” Goblirsch said.

Central Valley has dominated the Crosstown Showdown series since its inception in 2006.

The Hawks improved their all-time head-to-head record versus the Bulldogs to 16-4 this past week.

“This is my first win against Ceres High,” Luna said. “Knowing this team was able to bring it (the Ceres Classic perpetual trophy) back (to campus), it feels great. We want to keep it at CV. Hopefully, we start a new streak.”

“It’s always fun to be a part of big games,” St. Macias said. “The school is counting on you. The whole city is watching. I’m grateful I was able to be a part of the Crosstown experience.”

Central Valley capped of its 2025 campaign with a win against Ceres High last week.

“It’s nice to end the season that way,” Goblirsch said. “But our kids wanted to keep playing. We missed going to a (Sac-Joaquin Section) Bowl Game by less than one point based on the ranking system by MaxPreps.”

Ceres High will get to showcase its talent one more time.

The Bulldogs will travel to Argonaut this Friday for a Bowl Game. 

Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

“I’m excited to coach the kids again,” said Johnson, who will retire at the end of the season. “It’s an opportunity for them to redeem themselves. That’s a bonus.”