Central Valley’s football team avoided a shocking upset while playing host to Livingston last week.
Tied at 20-all, the first-place Hawks scored a pair of touchdowns late in the game to escape with a 36-20 win against the seventh-place Wolves on Senior Night last Friday in Ceres.
“We underestimated them,” Central Valley running back Jeremiah Moreno said. “Livingston fought hard. We didn’t step up our game until the second half. We all worked together.”
“We didn’t have the right mindset going into the game,” Hawks’ lineman Santiago Garcia said. “We were expecting to walk through them because of their record. Games aren’t won on just records and stats.”
Central Valley improved to 7-2 on the season and remained in a three-way tie for first place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with the Lathrop Spartans and Johansen Vikings.
Livingston dropped to 1-8 and 1-5.
“I give Livingston a lot of credit,” Garcia said. “They’re better than what their record shows.”
Led by their offensive line, the Hawks’ rushing attack racked up 391 yards and five touchdowns on 39 carries.
“It’s our identity,” Garcia said. “We’re good at it and we’re going to keep doing it. I play football to hit and move people.”
Moreno ran for a team-high 163 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Elizjha Casteel totaled 129 yards on 10 carries.
Ivan Quezada gained 84 yards and scored one touchdown on 10 carries.
Victor Altamirano and Damian Jackson both had a rushing TD.
“Being able to run the ball is fun,” Garcia said. “We play fast and physical.”
Central Valley recognized 17 senior players before their final home game last week, including Casteel, Garcia, Jackson, Quezada, Edhen Alvarez, Roberto Carrazco, Julian Gonzalez, Joshua Mendoza, Kaleb Mendoza, Marcus Olivas, Alex Ramirez, Ethan Ramirez, Isaac Ramirez, Xavier Rodriguez, Javier Valdez, Adrian Vega and Terrance Wethington.
The Hawks kept their WAC title and Sac-Joaquin Section playoff hopes alive.
The Wolves nearly played spoiler.
“There hasn’t been a (league) championship team here at CV since 2016,” Garcia said.
“We’re playing for the postseason,” he added. “Being at that caliber woke our team up. This chance doesn’t come around too often. We can leave a mark.”
Spartans 36, Dawgs 6
Ceres High’s football team fell behind 22-0 in the first half and never recovered in losing 36-6 to two-time defending Western Athletic Conference champion Lathrop on Friday at Bennie Gatto Field.
The upset-minded Bulldogs were seeking to eliminate the Spartans from the race for the WAC title and spoil their Senior Night.
Lathrop placed first in league the past two seasons.
“We had nothing to lose,” Ceres High lineman Gelo Estrada said. “They had something to lose. They’re a powerhouse. We tried to play spoiler.”
The Bulldogs dropped to 3-6 overall and sixth place in conference play with a 2-4 mark.
The Spartans improved to 6-3 on the season and remained in a three-way for first place in the WAC standings (5-1) with the Central Valley Hawks and Johansen Vikings.
“They were very physical up front,” Estrada said. “The challenge we faced was trying to stop their inside run.”
Lathrop’s Roman Duvernay rumbled for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
Spartan teammate Dasani Brown had two rushing TDs (2 and 8 yards).
Ceres High struggled on offense as it was limited to less than 100 yards.
Quarterback Tyler Phongsa Chhoeum and all-purpose player Anthony Santillan accounted for the Bulldogs’ lone touchdown.
Phongsa Chhoeum and Santillan combined for a 42-yard scoring play.
Santillan and Phongsa Chhoeum logged playing time at quarterback in the first and second halves, respectively.
“Offensively, we could have done a lot better,” Estrada said. “Our defense gave us multiple opportunities. We didn’t capitalize.”
Edward McMurray and Dakota Pickett led Ceres High’s defense with 11 tackles apiece.
Alex Ramirez tallied nine tackles.
Angel Bravo and Gelo Estrada had seven and six tackles, respectively.
Malachi German had one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Malachi Johnson had one sack.
Ceres High challenged Lathrop during the second half.
The Bulldogs limited the Spartans to 14 points.
Chhoeum’s 42-yard TD pass to Espinoza cut Lathrop’s lead to 22-6 early in the third quarter.
Brown dashed Ceres High’s comeback attempt by scoring a pair of touchdowns.
“We came in with the intent of run the ball, run the ball, run the ball,” Spartans’ head coach Justin Muschott said. “And we wanted to control the clock and we did that.”
Manteca Bulletin correspondent Dave Campbell contributed to this report.
