Desperate to hit the reset button, Central Valley's varsity football team bounced back with a 35-28 win over host Grace Davis Friday night at Downey High School.

The Hawks' comeback attempt fell short in losing 20-14 to Sierra on Sept. 8.

"We shot ourselves in the foot so many times against Sierra," Central Valley running back/safety Estevan Barragan said. "That's what we tried to prevent this week."

The Hawks improved to 2-1 on the year.

The Spartans dropped to 2-1.

"We were pretty confident going into the game," Estevan said. "That's a team we should beat. We should have scored more points."

Barragan enjoyed a career night on offense versus Grace Davis.

Estevan carried the ball 28 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns.

He also caught three passes for 89 yards and one TD.

"I give 100 percent every single play," Barragan said. "I don't want to let my coaches and teammates down."

Hawk quarterback Miguel Jimenez completed 6 of 14 passes for 114 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Jimenez had three picks the previous week.

"He's getting better," said Barragan, who hauled in a 77-yard TD pass from Jimenez in the fourth quarter. "He's making good decisions. He knows how to control the offense. He's a great leader."
Central Valley fullback Nasson Sanchez gained 36 yards and scored one touchdown on four carries. He also had an 8-yard reception.

Receiver Phil Jackson's lone catch resulted in a 17-yard gain.

Central Valley underclassmen Christian Palomares (kicker/punter), Kyle Hendrix (defensive back), Andrew Hernandez (linebacker), Daniel Ward (defensive line) and Thomas Carrillo (defensive line) also contributed.

Palomares had three touchbacks and three punts downed inside Grace Davis' 20-yard line.

He also made both of his point-after kicks.

"We moved up a couple sophomores," Barragan said. "They did a great job."

Barragan had 10 tackles and one pass deflection on defense.

Sanchez had 11 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception and two pass deflections.

Jackson had 10 tackles at cornerback.

David Serrano had seven tackles and two sacks.

Mark Ramirez had six tackles, one interception and two pass deflections.

Ryan Palecek had one interception and two pass deflections.

Robert Garcia had one sack.

Central Valley's defense frustrated Grace Davis quarterbacks Ryan Viodes and Xavier Rodriguez by sacking them three times, batting down eight passes and intercepting them three times.

"They like to throw a lot," Barragan said. "We were ready."

Barragan dashed Grace Davis' comeback bid with a third-down conversion run late in the game.

The quarterback-running back exchange between Jimenez and Barragan wasn't clean.

"The tip of the football hit my hand," Estevan said. "I just tried my best to get the first down. That's all we needed. My coaches and teammates have trust in me."

Barragan didn't let Grace Davis' defenders get under his skin earlier in the game.

"They were trying to bend my leg and twist my ankle," he said. "I didn't let that bother me. I just went back to the huddle."

Central Valley outscored Grace Davis 22-6 in the opening half.

Palecek returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown.

"That was a great way to start," Barragan said. "We should have been up by more. We're happy we got the win. But there's a lot of room to get better."

Central Valley will face host Enochs this Friday at Johansen High School.

Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

The Hawks shut out the Eagles 17-0 last season.

"Their record is 1-2," Barragan said. "But they've been playing against tougher teams. We know they're going to give us everything they got."