Central Valley High School's junior-varsity football team secured a hard-fought 7-6 victory over Los Banos on Friday at Ceres High School.
"It was a little nerve racking," Hawks coach Pat Leach said.
Central Valley gained 150 yards of offense, including 104 rushing.
Alejandro Casas ran for 49 yards and a score on 11 carries.
Jonovan Solorio added a team-high 51 yards on 12 carries.
Freshman quarterback Jesse Hatfield completed 7 of 12 passes for 46 yards.
Nikco Miller caught two passes for 29 yards.
"We don't have a lot of speed but we can run the ball," Leach said. "We'll start passing a lot more as we get comfortable."
The Tigers gained 177 yards of offense, including 140 rushing on 29 carries and 37 passing on five completions.
Miller had an interception for the Hawks. Casas and Rodney Mingsisouphar recovered fumbles.
"We played decent defense," Leach said. "We didn't give up any big plays."
Casas' 2-yard TD run and Hatfield's PAT gave the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 8.5 seconds remaining in the first half.
Central Valley responded after losing a fumble at Los Banos' 8-yard line on its previous possession.
The Tigers cut the deficit to 7-6 with a 7-yard TD run. Los Banos failed on a 2-point conversion run.
Los Banos' potential, game-winning drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down in Central Valley territory with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. Mingsisouphar tallied a deflection.
The Tigers also failed to capitalize on their second-to-last possession as they lost a fumble at the Hawks' 10-yard line.
"We got a little tired with our depth," Leach said. "We don't have a lot of guys. But we held on. It was pretty much a defensive battle both ways."
The two teams combined for eight punts and four turnovers.
Central Valley had three takeaways, two more than Los Banos.
"It was a little nerve racking," Hawks coach Pat Leach said.
Central Valley gained 150 yards of offense, including 104 rushing.
Alejandro Casas ran for 49 yards and a score on 11 carries.
Jonovan Solorio added a team-high 51 yards on 12 carries.
Freshman quarterback Jesse Hatfield completed 7 of 12 passes for 46 yards.
Nikco Miller caught two passes for 29 yards.
"We don't have a lot of speed but we can run the ball," Leach said. "We'll start passing a lot more as we get comfortable."
The Tigers gained 177 yards of offense, including 140 rushing on 29 carries and 37 passing on five completions.
Miller had an interception for the Hawks. Casas and Rodney Mingsisouphar recovered fumbles.
"We played decent defense," Leach said. "We didn't give up any big plays."
Casas' 2-yard TD run and Hatfield's PAT gave the Hawks a 7-0 lead with 8.5 seconds remaining in the first half.
Central Valley responded after losing a fumble at Los Banos' 8-yard line on its previous possession.
The Tigers cut the deficit to 7-6 with a 7-yard TD run. Los Banos failed on a 2-point conversion run.
Los Banos' potential, game-winning drive ended with an incomplete pass on fourth down in Central Valley territory with 1.1 seconds left in regulation. Mingsisouphar tallied a deflection.
The Tigers also failed to capitalize on their second-to-last possession as they lost a fumble at the Hawks' 10-yard line.
"We got a little tired with our depth," Leach said. "We don't have a lot of guys. But we held on. It was pretty much a defensive battle both ways."
The two teams combined for eight punts and four turnovers.
Central Valley had three takeaways, two more than Los Banos.
