Eliminated from playoff consideration, Central Valley’s and Ceres High’s girls flag football teams battled for bragging rights last week.

Three-plus weeks removed from losing 20-18 to the Bulldogs, the Hawks exacted revenge by winning the crosstown rematch by a score of 22-21 on the road last Wednesday.

“It felt like a playoff game,” Central Valley head coach Tony Cordova said. “The intensity on the field was high. Everybody was trying to make a play. It’s always like this.”

“It was a really good game,” Ceres High leader Curtis Hulstine. “Coaching-wise, I could have made some better decisions. Player-wise, the girls did amazing. They should be proud of their effort. But I know it’s not the result they wanted.”

“I think overall, we performed well as a team and worked together throughout the game,” Bulldogs’ standout junior all-purpose player Gabriella Cole said. “Although we fell short, there were moments where we could have made adjustments and learned from our mistakes. We gave it our best effort, but there are definitely things we can take away from that game to improve moving forward.”

The Hawks compiled an 8-15 overall record and placed fifth in the Western Athletic Conference with a 7-7 mark this fall.

Central Valley won four of seven games during the second half of WAC play.

The Hawks avenged losses against Ceres High and Grace Davis.

“At the beginning of the season, the girls were more timid,” Cordova stated. “Most of them were on JV last year. They were overwhelmed by the speed. They turned into a different team. It was exciting to see them develop at the varsity level. They became confident in their abilities.”

The Bulldogs went 7-15 and finished sixth in the league standings (5-9).

“It was definitely a rebuilding year,” Hulstine said. “We really started turning the corner the second half of the season. But it was a little too late.”

“Overall, I’m proud of the effort we put in and the growth we showed throughout the season,” Cole added. “We can’t wait for next year.”

Central Valley dual-threat freshman quarterback Nelmarie Diaz completed 12 of 18 passes for 105 yard with two touchdowns and one interception and rushed for 149 yards against Ceres High.

“She really capitalized with her legs,” Cordova said. “She had some big runs.”

Sophomore Pearl Ramirez caught four passes for 26 yards and one touchdown.

Ayleen Apreza caught two passes for 24 yards and one touchdown and ran for 48 yards on seven carries.

Victoria Mendoza caught four passes for 49 yards.

“They started double covering Ayleen,” Cordova said. “It opened up everybody else.”

Julianna Hernandez led Central Valley’s defense with seven flag pulls and three sacks.

Analia Diaz had six flag pulls and two sacks.

Daniela Barajas had two flag pulls and two pass deflections.

Apreza had one flag pull and one interception.

Ceres High freshman quarterback Evelyn Sciosciole had three touchdown passes, including two to Abigail Schultz and one to Gabriella Cole.

“They were focused the minute they got to the field,” Cordova said while assessing his team’s overall performance. “There was no talking during pre-game warmups. They were ready to play.”

“Since we had played them before, we knew what to expect and could have used that experience to our advantage,” Cole said. “Making those adjustments and applying what we learned from our previous matchup could have helped us secure the win.”

Down 21-14, Central Valley scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Diaz tossed a TD pass to Ramirez.

“We called a play-action play,” Cordova said. “We faked the run, Diaz rolled to her right and hit Ramirez in stride. She was wide-open.”

The Hawks improved their all-time head-to-head record versus the Bulldogs to 2-5.

“It’s always exciting playing Ceres,” Cordova said. “It’s fun to compete against each other. We’re all friends. There are ups and downs during the game. Everybody is nervous. Everybody wants to do well. Both teams fight until the end.”

“The crosstown rivalry brings a completely different level of energy and intensity,” Cole said. “Both teams want to prove themselves and represent their schools, especially since we come from the same community. A lot of us grew up together, which makes the competition even more meaningful.”

“It’s a healthy competition,” Hulstine said. “It means a lot to the kids.”

Ceres High missed qualifying for playoffs for the first in its four-year history.

The Bulldogs competed with a revamped roster this fall as 11 players were lost to graduation.

“This season definitely came with its challenges, and we faced a few bumps along the way,” Cole said. “Looking back, there were things we could have improved on earlier in the season, but we continued to give our best effort until the very end. Although we didn’t make playoffs, I think we grew a lot as a team, especially when it came to our bond and learning to work together. We built strong relationships, supported one another, and created memories beyond the field. One of the hardest parts was saying goodbye to our seniors because of how close we had all become.”

Seeking its second consecutive playoff berth, Central Valley dropped out of contention the final two weeks of the season.

The Hawks lost by one point once (13-12), two points once (20-18), five points twice (25-20, 19-14), and six points once (2014) during WAC play.

“It’s heartbreaking for the seniors,” Cordova said. “We had an opportunity to win more games. We had so many close losses. We didn’t execute.”

Central Valley will lose 11 players to graduation, including Diaz, Hernandez, Angela Alvarado, Hailee Coppola, Alexyia Garcia, Valeria Garcia, Lesley Hernandez, Annabelle Gomez, Kerry Russell, Alicia Torres and Divina Velazquez.

“We hate to see them go,” Cordova said.

“We’re looking forward to next year,” he added. “We got a lot of great players coming back. CV has a bright future.”

Ceres High graduates eight players: Samantha Alcarez, Alyssa Arbaugh, Maria Bravo, Camila Felix-Ochoa, Maya Galvan, Jackie Guillory, Daisy Leon and Yaresly Lopez.

“It’s super sad to see them go,” Hulstine said. “But I’m excited for the future of the program. We’ll get back on track.”