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JV Hawks survive
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Ceres High School's junior-varsity football team kept Central Valley star running back Ja'Quan Gardner out of the end zone in the first half of Friday's Western Athletic Conference finale.

"I wasn't getting frustrated," said Gardner, who was limited to 37 yards on 12 carries during the opening 20 minutes of play. "We expected it to be a battle. But we expected to come out on top. It just feels good to have bragging rights until next year."

Ja'Quan totaled 190 yards on 19 carries and scored two second-half touchdowns as the Hawks held on for a 21-14 victory over Ceres High on Friday at Bulldog Stadium.

Central Valley receiver Juan Plasencia had three receptions for 43 yards and one score.

Hawk quarterback Kenny Lopez completed 5 of 9 passes for 57 yards with one TD.

"All of our linemen did a great job," Gardner said.

Central Valley compiled a 5-5 overall record and finished 2-3 in the WAC.

Ceres High was 5-5 and 1-4.

Bulldog signal caller Blake Hurst connected on 10 of 22 pass attempts for 145 yards and two touchdowns.

Freshman running back Raul Godinez gained 64 yards on 14 attempts.

Damian Underwood and Josh Glendenning both caught a TD pass.

Plasencia broke a scoreless tie with a 25-yard touchdown catch at the two-minute mark of the second quarter. Juan snatched Lopez's pass with his right hand and raced into the end zone.

The Hawks extended their lead to 13-0 early in the fourth quarter.

Gardner broke loose for a 31-yard score. Adrian Arellano added the extra point.

Hurst's 34-yard TD strike to Underwood on a double-reverse trick play, and Godinez's 2-point conversion catch made it a 13-8 game with 6:17 left in regulation.

Gardner gave Central Valley some much-needed breathing room when scored on a 27-yard run at the 4:25 mark. He had a 64-yard TD nullified because of an illegal block four plays earlier.

Lopez and Plasencia accounted for the Hawks' 2-point conversion.

Chance Shaw set key blocks on both of Ja'Quan's TD runs.

After turning the ball over on downs at the Hawk 13-yard line, Ceres High caught a break when Central Valley fumbled the ball deep in its own territory.

Hurst completed a 15-yard pass to Godinez.

Blake and Josh combined for a 2-yard touchdown with 6 seconds to play to cut the deficit to seven.

Ceres High's onside-kick attempt sailed out of bounds.

"Everybody did what they were supposed to do," said Hawks head coach Tim Garcia Sr. while talking about his team's overall performance.

"We just played our hearts out," Gardner said.