Central Valley’s freshman football team accomplished all of its goals this season.

The Hawks won all 10 of their games, claimed the Western Athletic Conference title with a 7-0 mark and topped the crosstown-rival Bulldogs.

“The kids worked hard and pushed each other,” head coach Javier Fregoso said. “We had great support from our parents all year. They evened followed us on the road. It was amazing to watch.”

Central Valley closed out the season with a 34-0 shutout victory while competing against shorthanded Ceres High on Oct. 31 at CUSD Stadium.

“At the beginning of the game, it was competitive,” Fregoso said. “I give Ceres High credit. They played their hearts out. They didn’t quit. Our talent and athleticism took over. We played to our potential.”

“Our plan was to keep the game as close as possible and pull off the upset,” Bulldogs’ head coach Antone Lopez said. “It was a longshot. We had to play perfect. They’re really good. They’re disciplined. They’re fast. They’re physical. By far, the best team we’ve played this year.”

Sergio Torres-Zuniga, Avian Sanchez, Manuel Iniguez, Diego Quintanilla and Julian Perez led the Hawks’ offense during the crosstown victory.

Torres-Zuniga carried the ball 11 times for 125 yards and one touchdown.

Sanchez rushed for 60 yards and one touchdown on one carry.

Iniguez gained 43 yards and scored one touchdown on four carries.

Quintanilla ran for 5 yards and one touchdown on one carry.

He also caught one pass for 35 yards.

Central Valley teammates Julian Perez, Robert Soriano, Van Stevens and Jordan Avila also contributed.

Perez completed 2 of 3 passes for 65 yards.

Soriano totaled 25 yards while completing his lone pass attempt.

Stevens caught one pass for 40 yards.

Avila caught one pass for 27 yards.

Julian Zavala, Ryder Davis, Abel Huerta, Keith Allen and Elias Godinez led Central Valley’s defense.

Zavala totaled three tackles and returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.

Davis collected five tackles.

Huerta had four tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage.

Allen and Godinez both made four tackles.

“The kids were motivated for the game,” Fregoso said. “We had a great week of practice. The incentive was playing CHS. The bonus was finishing the season undefeated.”

Ahead 6-0, Central Valley scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter en route to building a 22-0 halftime lead.

“We didn’t have any struggles this game,” Fregoso said. “We went back to how we’ve been playing. We executed in all phases. Our running and passing games were working. They couldn’t move the ball on our first-team defense. Our kids were flying to the ball and making  tackles.”

“They shut us out,” Lopez stated. “They were much more physical than us. We played somewhat tough early but it was obvious they were much better. We were down a few of our best players. We lost a couple players in the game as well. We were just trying to survive at the end.”

The Hawks put the game out of reach by scoring a touchdown on their opening possession of the second half. Sanchez raced 60 yards for a score.

With the game out of reach, the Bulldogs opted to use a running clock the rest of the contest.

Ceres High’s Jonathan Marques (receiver/defensive back) and James Roark (receiver) exited the game with injuries.

Bulldog teammates Jose Ortiz (running back/linebacker/defensive back), Andres Garcia (receiver/defensive back and Leomidas Saenz (offensive line/defensive line) did not play for various reasons.

“It looked like an infirmary on the bench in the fourth quarter,” Lopez said. “We hung in there. We played hard.”

The crosstown football game was staged in front of a large crowd on Halloween at CUSD Stadium.

“It was a positive experience for everybody,” said Fregoso. 

Ceres High amassed a 3-7 overall record and finished fifth in the WAC standings (3-4).

“Going into the season, we were green and didn’t have a lot of experience,” Lopez said. “The boys learned how to play football. They were a close-knit group. They had each other’s backs.”

The Bulldogs won three of their final six games.

Ceres High bested Johansen (14-8), Pacheco (14-12) and Beyer (42-0).

The Bulldogs bounced back after losing their first four games.

“The good news is at the end of the season a lot of kids got some experience playing,” commented Lopez. “We definitely improved as the year went on. All our wins were late in the year. We won three of our last six (games). Two (losses) were really close and could have gone either way.”

Central Valley earned wins against Ceres High, Lathrop (24-12), Johansen (30-0), Livingston (18-7), Beyer (48-0), Pacheco (40-0), Grace Davis (26-0), Modesto High (65-0), Hughson (21-0) and Pitman (30-7).

The Hawks totaled 336 points on offense.

Central Valley’s defense notched seven shutouts while allowing just 26 points in 10 games.

“Some of our practices were harder than some of the games,” Fregoso said. 

“CV was a juggernaut,” added Lopez. “Good athletes. Tons of size. They had good players at the most important positions. Plus, they have really good coaching. They deserved to be 10-0.”