Central Valley’s football team extended its unbeaten streak to four games with a 31-26 win against host Grace Davis in Western Athletic Conference play Friday evening at Downey High School.

Ceres High secured its first league victory, beating visiting Beyer 31-22 on Oct. 2 at Bulldog Stadium.

“From watching film, we knew it was going to be a dogfight,” Hawks’ junior running back/strong safety Jeremiah Moreno said. “They’re physical. We knew we had to work as a team to get the job done.”

“Nobody likes nail-biters,” Bulldogs’ senior running back/linebacker Caelen Eskridge said. “It would have been nice to win by 40 points. Overall, I’m pleased with how we handled adversity. We stepped up when it mattered the most.”

Central Valley improved to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in the WAC standings.

Grace Davis dropped to 2-3 and 1-1.

“We worked hard to get to this point,” Moreno said. “We go into each week ready to dominate. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to win.”

“Our bond is like a brotherhood,” he added. “We’re close. It’s like a family.”

The Hawks generated 296 yards of total offense versus the Spartans.

“Our line worked hard,” Moreno said. “They got the job done.”

Hawk quarterback Junior Gomez threw for 159 yards and one touchdown.

Julian Gonzalez caught two passes for 64 yards and one touchdown.

Adrian De La Hoya had 64 yards on three catches.

Moreno ran for 70 yards and a career-high three touchdowns on 15 carries.

“It was an honor to be able to do that,” said Moreno, who missed eight games last season with a right knee injury. “But I wouldn’t have been able to do that without my line. It’s a team sport. I want everybody to get fed. I want to see my brothers win as much as I win.”

Sergio Torres carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards.

Central Valley’s Damian Jackson registered 10 tackles and one forced fumble while starring on defense.

Antonio Louis had six tackles and one fumble recovery.

James Morales had four tackles, one sack and one pass deflection.

Isaac Ramirez had three tackles and one pass deflection.

Kaleb Mendoza had three tackles and one sack.

Elizjha Casteel had one interception.

The Hawks outscored the Spartans 31-14 during the first three quarters of play.

Grace Davis rallied in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans scored a pair of touchdowns on their way to cutting the deficit to five points.

Central Valley will play host to Pacheco (2-3, 1-1) this Friday. Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

The Hawks are motivated to play well in front of their Homecoming crowd.

“We’re going to continue to keep working hard to improve our record,” Moreno said. “Our goal is to get better every week. We want to win league and make playoffs.”

Ceres High held a remembrance ceremony for Roy “Bub” Randez prior to kickoff during last week’s game against Beyer.

Randez, who would have been a senior player on this year’s team, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 16 in January of 2026.

Eskridge teamed up with Randez in multiple sports, including football, basketball and wrestling.

“It was such an honor to win the game for Bub on Senior Night,” Eskridge said. “We were friends since seventh grade. He’s one of the first friends I made at Mae Hensley. We played junior-varsity football together. I played quarterback. He was my left tackle. It was like having the Great Wall of China in front of me. He was always the light in the room. He was super kind to everyone. He got along with everybody. He liked to make jokes. He always listened and gave me advice. He was like a therapist. He was an awesome guy.”

Ceres High improved to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the WAC.

Beyer dropped to 1-4 and 0-2.

“It’s nice getting the win,” Eskridge said. “Right now, we’re in a pretty good spot. We’re going to get better. Hopefully, we’ll be in position for a Bowl Game or in playoff contention by the end of the season.”

The Bulldogs rolled up 325 yards of total offense against the Patriots.

“We did what it took to win,” Eskridge said.

Ceres High had 262 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Eskridge ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries.

Jayden Carrillo added 42 yards on nine carries.

Bulldog quarterback Anthony Santillan gained 129 yards and scored one touchdown on 15 carries and completed 9 of 14 passes for 63 yards.

Leonardo Ayala caught five passes for 46 yards.

Ceres High led 23-8 at the end of the third quarter.

“We were locked in mentally,” Eskridge said. “We moved the ball methodically. It put us in position to score every time.”

The Patriots made the game interesting by outscoring the Bulldogs 14-8 in the fourth quarter.

Ceres High defensive lineman Gelo Estrada’s tackle behind the line of scrimmage on a 2-point conversion run play following a touchdown prevented Beyer from taking a one-point lead.

“True leaders step up,” Eskridge said. “It was awesome seeing that.”

Ahead 23-22, Eskridge scored on a 6-yard run and added the 2-point conversion to put the contest out of reach with 1:18 to play.

Ceres High defensive back Julian Barrera’s fumble recovery on a botched Spartan punt at Grace Davis’ 20-yard line set up the touchdown.

“I came out for a couple plays after I took a knee to the side of my leg on defense,” Eskridge said. “Once I got the feeling back, I told coach I was ready to go back in. I forget about the pain and sacrificed myself for the greater good.”

Ceres High will travel to Modesto to play Johansen (4-1, 2-0) this Friday at 7 p.m.