Central Valley’s football team suffered a gut-wrenching loss for the second week in a row.
The Hawks gave up a 14-point lead and fell 26-21 to the visiting El Capitan Gauchos Friday evening at CUSD Stadium.
Central Valley dropped its season opener, 28-27, at Pitman.
“We’re putting ourselves in position to win,” head coach Derrick Goblirsch said. “We’re showing we can compete. We’re not losing bad. We’re getting better. Now, we have to learn how to finish games and eliminate mistakes.”
The Hawks dropped to 0-2 overall.
The Gauchos improved to 2-0 on the season.
Central Valley has lost its first two games by a combined six points.
“We’re going to play a lot of close games because of our playing style,” Goblirsch said. “We have to continue to compete.”
The Hawks had 241 yards of total offense versus the Gauchos.
“We had a lot of success running the ball,” Goblirsch said. “That’s what we want to do. We want to wear teams down.”
Central Valley piled up 171 rushing yards.
Erick Mendoza and Sebastian Maldonado did most of the damage on the ground.
“They played really well,” Goblirsch said. “They’re a nice change of pace. They’re different style backs. They complement each other well.”
Mendoza gained 59 yards and scored one touchdown on 15 carries.
“He’s been great for us,” Goblirsch said. “He fits perfectly into our system. He’s so big and strong.”
Maldonado rushed for 52 yards on five carries.
Elizjha Casteel ran for 29 yards on 11 carries.
Ivan Quezada carried the ball five times for 20 yards.
Hawk sophomore quarterback Junior Gomez totaled 70 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions while completing 7 of 13 passes.
“He’s been super accurate two weeks in a row,” Goblirsch said. “He’s really shined. He stands in the pocket well. He’s showed a lot of grit. He’s not scared.”
Julian Gonzalez has emerged as Central Valley’s top special teams player.
He returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown against El Capitan.
“If teams are smart, they’ll kick away from him,” Goblirsch said. “He’s dangerous.”
Central Valley’s Josiah Armenta was a perfect 3-for-3 on point-after kicks.
Damian Jackson led the Hawks’ defensive unit with a team-high eight tackles.
Terrance Wethington had seven tackles and one forced fumble.
Azaiah Lopez had seven tackles.
Cristian Gudino had six tackles and one interception.
Jaycob Casias had three tackles, one pass deflection and one forced fumble.
Adrian Santabanez had three tackles and one fumble recovery.
Gonzalez had two tackles and one pass deflection.
Isaac Ramirez had one tackle and one pass deflection.
Central Valley stormed out to a 21-7 lead.
Gomez and Jackson combined for a 3-yard scoring play with 1:24 to play in the first quarter.
Gonzalez’s 96-yard kickoff return touchdown and Armenta’s second PAT gave the Hawks a 14-7 lead with 11:47 remaining in the second quarter.
The Hawks went ahead 21-7 when Mendoza scored on a 4-yard run and Armenta added his third point-after kick with 1:59 remaining in the opening half.
El Capitan cut the deficit to six points (21-14) at the 1:01 mark of the second quarter.
“I thought we played well for three quarters,” Goblirsch said. “We made too many mistakes late in the game. We had a couple miscommunications and penalties. That cost us.”
The Gauchos outscored the Hawks 19-0 during the final two-plus quarters.
Central Valley had two offensive possessions end in the red zone during the second half.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t execute like we needed to,” Goblirsch said. “That’s something we have to do a better job at as coaches.”
“I’m proud of the effort,” he added. “The kids played hard.”
Central Valley has a bye this week.
The Hawks resume play against the Modesto High Panthers (2-0) on Sept. 12.
The contest will be staged at CUSD Stadium.
Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
