Members of Central Valley’s football team knew what was at stake prior to competing against Johansen last week.
The Hawks kept their Western Athletic Conference title hopes alive with a 19-14 win over the Vikings on Friday in Ceres.
Central Valley also snapped Johansen’s four-game unbeaten streak.
“There was a lot of pressure,” Hawks’ defensive end/fullback Damian Jackson said. “If we lost, the league title is out of the picture. We worked as a team. We had fun. That’s why we had so much success.”
The Hawks moved to 6-2 overall and into a three-way tie for first place atop the WAC standings (4-1) with the Vikings (6-2, 4-1) and Lathrop Spartans (5-3, 4-1).
“Our mindset is the same every game - make sure everybody does their job,” Jackson said.
“We’re a family,” he added. We’re not just a team. We hold each other accountable. We have each other’s back.
Led by Jackson, Junior Gomez, Maxwell Melchner, Diego Quintanilla, Julian Zavala and Alijah Jackson, Central Valley’s defense limited Johansen’s offense to just two touchdowns.
The Vikings outscored their previous four opponents, 202-58. Johansen was averaging 50.5 points per game.
“Our defense played well,” Jackson said. “What we were able to do was amazing. The main focus was to eliminate the pass.”
Damian Jackson had five tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery.
Gomez had two pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
Melchner had six tackles, one interception and one pass deflection.
Quintanilla had five tackles and two deflections.
Zavala had four tackles and one forced fumble.
Alijah Jackson had seven tackles.
Led by Damian Jackson, Jeremiah Moreno, Julian Gonzalez and Junior Gomez, Central Valley’s offense totaled 278 yards and three touchdowns.
Jackson’s lone pass attempt resulted in a 25-yard TD.
Moreno ran for 79 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
Gonzalez caught three passes for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Gomez completed 5 of 13 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
Central Valley outscored Johansen 12-7 during the second half.
Both teams scored one touchdown in the opening half.
“The energy on the field was high,” Jackson said. “We competed and ended up winning.”
The Hawks lost 28-7 to the Vikings in 2025.
“We had to get our get back for losing to Johansen last year,” Damian Jackson said.
Central Valley bounced back after having its five-game winning streak snapped by Lathrop with a 20-12 loss the previous week.
“Football is a grind,” Damian Jackson said. “It’s a sport where you give it your all and have fun.”
The Hawks will play host to the seventh-place Livingston Wolves (1-7, 1-4) on Friday. Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
“It’s on to the next opponent,” Damian Jackson said.
Central Valley needs to win its final two games to win a share of the WAC title.
“Everybody on the team wants a league championship,” Damian Jackson said. “The last time we won one was in 2016. We’re not going to stop until we get it. We know what we’re capable of if we keep pushing.”
