Central Valley's varsity boys tennis team beat Ceres High for the first time in 24 meetings on March 27.

The Hawks earned their second straight 7-2 victory against the crosstown-rival Bulldogs last Thursday.

Host Central Valley won due to Ceres High's thin roster.

The Bulldogs had just two players in uniform, including Christian Pimentel and Angelo Marino.

Ceres High forfeited its No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles, and No. 1, 2 and 3 doubles matches to Central Valley.

"It sucks losing to Central Valley," Bulldogs' senior Christian Pimentel said. "We wanted to show we were the top team, but weren't able to do it because of a lack of numbers. We don't have control over players quitting."

Christian and Angelo were both victorious against the Hawks.

Pimentel defeated Central Valley's Juan Zaragoza 6-1, 6-3 in No. 1 singles play.

"Overall, I feel like I played a great match," Christian said. "I'm happy with the result. He's a good player. I was just on top of my game. I dominated."

When asked to compare himself to WAC opponents, Pimentel said: "I'm a lot more patient. If I have to be on the court all day, I'll keep on fighting for every single point. That frustrates other players."

Marino defeated Ivan Jimenez 6-4, 6-3 in No. 2 singles play.

Tradition-rich Ceres High compiled a 14-1 record on its way to a first-place finish in the WAC and qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs for the eighth year in a row last spring.

The Bulldogs planned to continue their run of excellence this year.

"It's disappointing," Pimentel said. "We had a good team. We had the potential to beat Central Valley. It was really tough having to see people quit. I wasn't going to quit. I love tennis."