Ceres High's and Central Valley's varsity boys golf teams battled at River Oaks last Thursday.

The visiting Bulldogs won the crosstown showdown, 217-245.

"I was very pleased with the effort," Ceres High head coach Dave Fry said. "We established ourselves as the dominant team in the district with the win. But we still have to beat them again. I don't want the kids to lose focus."

Said Central Valley leader Mike Holliday: "The main difference is Ceres High has more experience."

The Bulldogs remained in a tie for second place in the Western Athletic Conference standings (4-1) with El Capitan.

The Hawks dropped to 1-4 in conference play.

"I'll shoulder the blame for the one loss we have," Fry said. "I didn't prepare them well enough. You can be beat at any given time if you let your guard down."

Ceres High's James Cervantez fired a season-best 4-over-par 35 against Central Valley.

"That's his best round so far," Fry said. "I'm really proud of him. He's taking his game to a different level. Everybody is improving. That's great."

Bulldog teammates Jacob Langan, Zac Chapman, Zach Smith and Kobe Daoheung shot 42, 45, 47 and 48, respectively.

Derek Weis (45), Noah Postley (48), Teven Willey (49), Diego Martinez (50) and Jose Castillo (53) posted scores for the Hawks.

"We didn't play as well as we're capable of," Holliday said.

Ceres High didn't underestimate Central Valley.

"The kids were all very nervous," Fry said. "They have friends on the other side. We treated them like anybody else."