Central Valley’s girls wrestling team traveled across town to face Ceres High last week.
A lot was at state as the Hawks and Bulldogs battled for second-place in the Western Athletic Conference dual-meet standings, bragging rights and a potential at-large berth to Sac-Joaquin Team Section Championships.
Central Valley overcame a 15-point deficit on its way to earning a 48-33 hard-fought victory against Ceres High on Senior Night Wednesday evening at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
“Our girls wrestled the way they did because it’s a talk-of-the-town situation,” Hawks’ head coach Brandy Cordova said. “They wanted to finish on top. Ceres put up an amazing fight.”
Central Valley finished second overall in the WAC dual standings with a 6-1 record.
Ceres High (5-2) placed third.
“The fact we were able to match our record from last year is a huge accomplishment considering most of our girls are new (to the sport),” Cordova said.
“It’s the best feeling to beat your rival,” Hawks’ 137-pound grappler Giana Breshears said. “That was one of our main goals this year.”
Breshears, Alicia Espinoza, Corena McDaniel, Davianna Marron, Alisandra Perez, Joselyn Alvarez, Micaela Maldonado and Lesly Hernandez contributed to Central Valley’s team point total.
Breshears won by pin against Mezmeriah Zuniga.
Espinoza won by pin against Elizabeth Boyd at 237 pounds.
McDaniel won by pin against Ayla Fuentes at 154 pounds.
Marron won by pin against Amelie Franco at 147 pounds.
Perez won by pin against Sharon Wheeling at 122 pounds.
Alvarez won by pin against Avril Gaona at 102 pounds.
Maldonado won by forfeit at 192 pounds.
Hernandez won by forfeit at 172 pounds.
Camila Alfaro, Abigail Schultz, Dayanna Alvarez, Yeraldi Alvarez, Evelynn Tubera and Gabriela Cole contributed to the Bulldogs’ team point total.
Alfaro won by pin against Addisyn Prudhel at 142 pounds.
Schultz won by pin against Jocelyn Martinez at 132 pounds.
Dayanna Alvarez won by pin against Alexa Palacios at 127 pounds.
Yeraldi Alvarez won by pin against MeKenzie Buenrostro at 117 pounds.
Tubera won by pin against Valeria Garcia Morales at 112 pounds.
Cole won by decision against Divina Velasquez at 107 pounds.
Down 33-18, Central Valley won the crosstown dual’s final five matches to secure the victory.
Marron and McDaniel helped swing the momentum in the Hawks’ favor.
Marron filled in for Vanesa Mendoza Balbuena, who was out sick.
Marron’s victory cut the deficit to 33-24.
McDaniel’s win pulled the Hawks within three points (33-30).
“The math (for team scoring) was going through all of our heads when we got to those two matches,” Cordova said. “Those two matches could have gone either way. They (Marron and McDaniel) wrestled their best matches of their lives.”
Hernandez’s and Maldonado’s forfeit wins helped Central Valley build an insurmountable 42-33 lead going into the evening’s final match.
Espinoza capped off the crosstown dual with a first-round pin over Boyd.
Central Valley spoiled Ceres High’s Senior Night.
Four Bulldog upperclassmen were recognized before Ceres High’s final home dual meet, including Alvarez, Boyd, Eve Valencia and Emily Ivey.
Valencia and Ivey were honored for their contributions as stat keepers.
“We knew it was going to be close,” Breshears said. “When we were down, I was telling my girls to wrestle their hardest. They gave it their all. I’m proud of them.”
Central Valley’s girls wrestling team has never lost to Ceres High under Cordova’s guidance.
“We continued the tradition of winning,” said Cordova, leader of the Hawks since 2019-20. “These girls practice hard every day.”
