Latrisha Jordan dominated the headlines. Martin Gomez did remarkably well. Ceres High's softball and boys tennis, and Central Valley High School's girls track and field teams made history. The spring sports season was filled with many highlights. Now's the perfect time to recollect and celebrate.
Female Athlete: Latrisha Jordan graduated as the most decorated athlete in Central Valley High School's three-year history. She captured a fifth-place medal in the 300 hurdles in a personal-record time of 42.40 seconds at the CIF State track and field championships, won Sac-Joaquin Section Masters and Division III titles, and swept four events at the Valley Oak League meet (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 and 200.
Latrisha qualified for state (300 hurdles), finished first at Masters (300 hurdles) and claimed four conference titles (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 200 and 100) as a junior.
She's currently weighing scholarship offers from several Division-I colleges, including New Mexico State and Fresno State.
Male Athlete: Martin Gomez played a pivotal role in leading Central Valley High School to a respectable showing during its second season of varsity baseball.
The Hawks doubled their overall (11) and Valley Oak League (6) win totals from last year (5-19-1, 3-11).
Martin excelled on the mound. The junior righthander compiled an 8-4 record (5-3 VOL) with a 2.91 ERA, 93 strikeouts, eight complete games, one shutout and two saves. He limited opponents to a .193 batting average.
Gomez and Central Valley defeated East Union (7-6), Sierra (8-2), Sonora (2-1), Ceres High (4-3) and Weston Ranch (11-0) in conference play.
Martin and the Hawks dropped a 1-0 decision to Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV and VOL champion Oakdale during the regular season. The Mustangs beat East Union for the section crown.
Gomez also ranked in the top three on the team in eight offensive categories, including first in homers (1), triples (3), walks (16) and RBIs (17), and second in doubles (4), runs (13), on-base percentage (.411) and slugging percentage (.451),
Female Newcomer: Fleet-footed Mika Johnson starred on Ceres High's softball team. The junior leadoff hitter/centerfielder won the Valley Oak League Offensive Player of the Year award in her first season at the varsity level. She batted .448 with 39 hits, 24 runs and 28 stolen bases in 28 regular season games.
Male Newcomer: Junior Reyes joined Central Valley High School's boys track and field team to earn credits for graduation. The senior blossomed into one of the top pole vaulters in the Valley Oak League. He cleared a personal-best 11 feet en route to a third-place finish at the conference meet. That's quite an accomplishment considering he started the year at 6-6. Reyes also ran a leg on the Hawks' third-place 4x100 relay squad (46.62).
Coach: Donnie Donaldson (Ceres High softball), Brian de la Porte (Ceres High boys tennis), and Mike Reynolds, Anthony Castro, Tony Castro and Dale Hancock (Central Valley High School track and field) are worthy of recognition. Donnie's and Brian's teams persevered despite being hampered by injuries and/or ineligibility. The Hawks thrived under the direction of Reynolds and Co. Their wisdom and enthusiasm made for a very productive and enjoyable season.
Team: Ceres High extended its string of consecutive playoff appearances in softball to 23 seasons by winning 11 of 14 Valley Oak League games. The Bulldogs tied for second with Sierra. Ceres received the league's No. 2 playoff seed by virtue of its 2-0 record against the Timberwolves. Vaneza Hoover, Mika Johnson, Chelsea Lomeli, Hillary Haley, Ryan Norton, Cassie Rayford and Jode Johnson led the way.
Ceres High qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Team Playoffs for the second straight year in boys tennis. The Bulldogs managed to place second in the VOL at 11-3 despite losing their best player to eligibility three weeks into the season. Mike Hundal, Aaron Salazar, Harmon Bains, Jose Cortes, Raul Massie, Wilson Liang and Brian Moreno all contributed.
Central Valley High School made a name for itself in girls track and field.
The Hawks had one athlete qualify for state (Latrisha Jordan), four for masters (Jordan, Jasveen Brar, Danni Sandoval and Marissa Cabusas) and six for divisionals (Jordan, Brar, Sandoval, Cabusas, Taeilorae Levell and Adrianna Mendez).
Central Valley finished in sixth place in a field of 30 at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships.
At the Valley Oak League finals, Jordan claimed four gold medals. Brar took second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 400. Jasveen, Danni, Marissa and Taeilorae teamed up to finish second in the 4x400 relay. Mendez finished third in the 1,600.
Game: With only pride and sixth place at stake, Ceres High survived a second-half scare to beat host Central Valley, 4-3, in girls soccer on May 1.
More than 300 spectators attended the Valley Oak League finale.
Leah Rose netted two goals for the Bulldogs (5-9). Lizzy Flores and Caitlin Cerny each had one goal.
Veronica Nides, Simi Talawan and Carla Martinez all scored once for the seventh-place Hawks (3-11).
Cerny tallied the game-winning goal from 7 yards away with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Six minutes earlier, Martinez evened the score at 3-all. She fired a 15-yard left-footed shot into the lower-right corner of the goal.
The Hawks battled back from a 3-1 halftime deficit.
Individual Performance: Latrisha Jordan claimed four Valley Oak League track and field titles for the second straight year. She placed first in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 200 and 400 on her way to being named outstanding female athlete at the 2008 meet. Jordan didn't lose a single race during the conference's regular season.
Honorable Mention:
Vaneza Hoover did just about everything for Ceres High's softball team. The Valley Oak League Pitcher of the Year finished 18-10 with a 2.08 ERA, 199 strikeouts, six shutouts and two no-hitters. She also batted cleanup for the Bulldogs. Hoover hit .388 (33-for-85) with four homers, five triples, five doubles, five stolen bases, 15 runs and 24 RBIs. She had slugging and on-base percentages of .706 and .458.
Ceres High senior swimmer Vincent Wester posted section-qualifying times in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly.
Central Valley High School track and field member Jasveen Brar surprised herself while competing for the first time at the varsity level. The Masters and Division III qualifier placed second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 400 at the Valley Oak League finals as a sophomore.
Greg Guerra had another productive campaign for Central Valley High School's varsity baseball club. The sophomore utility player ranked second on the team in batting average (.316), hits (25), triples (2), doubles (4) and RBIs (14), third in runs (12) and slugging percentage (.418), and fourth in stolen bases (4).
Female Athlete: Latrisha Jordan graduated as the most decorated athlete in Central Valley High School's three-year history. She captured a fifth-place medal in the 300 hurdles in a personal-record time of 42.40 seconds at the CIF State track and field championships, won Sac-Joaquin Section Masters and Division III titles, and swept four events at the Valley Oak League meet (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 400 and 200.
Latrisha qualified for state (300 hurdles), finished first at Masters (300 hurdles) and claimed four conference titles (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 200 and 100) as a junior.
She's currently weighing scholarship offers from several Division-I colleges, including New Mexico State and Fresno State.
Male Athlete: Martin Gomez played a pivotal role in leading Central Valley High School to a respectable showing during its second season of varsity baseball.
The Hawks doubled their overall (11) and Valley Oak League (6) win totals from last year (5-19-1, 3-11).
Martin excelled on the mound. The junior righthander compiled an 8-4 record (5-3 VOL) with a 2.91 ERA, 93 strikeouts, eight complete games, one shutout and two saves. He limited opponents to a .193 batting average.
Gomez and Central Valley defeated East Union (7-6), Sierra (8-2), Sonora (2-1), Ceres High (4-3) and Weston Ranch (11-0) in conference play.
Martin and the Hawks dropped a 1-0 decision to Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV and VOL champion Oakdale during the regular season. The Mustangs beat East Union for the section crown.
Gomez also ranked in the top three on the team in eight offensive categories, including first in homers (1), triples (3), walks (16) and RBIs (17), and second in doubles (4), runs (13), on-base percentage (.411) and slugging percentage (.451),
Female Newcomer: Fleet-footed Mika Johnson starred on Ceres High's softball team. The junior leadoff hitter/centerfielder won the Valley Oak League Offensive Player of the Year award in her first season at the varsity level. She batted .448 with 39 hits, 24 runs and 28 stolen bases in 28 regular season games.
Male Newcomer: Junior Reyes joined Central Valley High School's boys track and field team to earn credits for graduation. The senior blossomed into one of the top pole vaulters in the Valley Oak League. He cleared a personal-best 11 feet en route to a third-place finish at the conference meet. That's quite an accomplishment considering he started the year at 6-6. Reyes also ran a leg on the Hawks' third-place 4x100 relay squad (46.62).
Coach: Donnie Donaldson (Ceres High softball), Brian de la Porte (Ceres High boys tennis), and Mike Reynolds, Anthony Castro, Tony Castro and Dale Hancock (Central Valley High School track and field) are worthy of recognition. Donnie's and Brian's teams persevered despite being hampered by injuries and/or ineligibility. The Hawks thrived under the direction of Reynolds and Co. Their wisdom and enthusiasm made for a very productive and enjoyable season.
Team: Ceres High extended its string of consecutive playoff appearances in softball to 23 seasons by winning 11 of 14 Valley Oak League games. The Bulldogs tied for second with Sierra. Ceres received the league's No. 2 playoff seed by virtue of its 2-0 record against the Timberwolves. Vaneza Hoover, Mika Johnson, Chelsea Lomeli, Hillary Haley, Ryan Norton, Cassie Rayford and Jode Johnson led the way.
Ceres High qualified for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II Team Playoffs for the second straight year in boys tennis. The Bulldogs managed to place second in the VOL at 11-3 despite losing their best player to eligibility three weeks into the season. Mike Hundal, Aaron Salazar, Harmon Bains, Jose Cortes, Raul Massie, Wilson Liang and Brian Moreno all contributed.
Central Valley High School made a name for itself in girls track and field.
The Hawks had one athlete qualify for state (Latrisha Jordan), four for masters (Jordan, Jasveen Brar, Danni Sandoval and Marissa Cabusas) and six for divisionals (Jordan, Brar, Sandoval, Cabusas, Taeilorae Levell and Adrianna Mendez).
Central Valley finished in sixth place in a field of 30 at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships.
At the Valley Oak League finals, Jordan claimed four gold medals. Brar took second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 400. Jasveen, Danni, Marissa and Taeilorae teamed up to finish second in the 4x400 relay. Mendez finished third in the 1,600.
Game: With only pride and sixth place at stake, Ceres High survived a second-half scare to beat host Central Valley, 4-3, in girls soccer on May 1.
More than 300 spectators attended the Valley Oak League finale.
Leah Rose netted two goals for the Bulldogs (5-9). Lizzy Flores and Caitlin Cerny each had one goal.
Veronica Nides, Simi Talawan and Carla Martinez all scored once for the seventh-place Hawks (3-11).
Cerny tallied the game-winning goal from 7 yards away with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Six minutes earlier, Martinez evened the score at 3-all. She fired a 15-yard left-footed shot into the lower-right corner of the goal.
The Hawks battled back from a 3-1 halftime deficit.
Individual Performance: Latrisha Jordan claimed four Valley Oak League track and field titles for the second straight year. She placed first in the 100 hurdles, 300 hurdles, 200 and 400 on her way to being named outstanding female athlete at the 2008 meet. Jordan didn't lose a single race during the conference's regular season.
Honorable Mention:
Vaneza Hoover did just about everything for Ceres High's softball team. The Valley Oak League Pitcher of the Year finished 18-10 with a 2.08 ERA, 199 strikeouts, six shutouts and two no-hitters. She also batted cleanup for the Bulldogs. Hoover hit .388 (33-for-85) with four homers, five triples, five doubles, five stolen bases, 15 runs and 24 RBIs. She had slugging and on-base percentages of .706 and .458.
Ceres High senior swimmer Vincent Wester posted section-qualifying times in the 500 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly.
Central Valley High School track and field member Jasveen Brar surprised herself while competing for the first time at the varsity level. The Masters and Division III qualifier placed second in the 300 hurdles and third in the 400 at the Valley Oak League finals as a sophomore.
Greg Guerra had another productive campaign for Central Valley High School's varsity baseball club. The sophomore utility player ranked second on the team in batting average (.316), hits (25), triples (2), doubles (4) and RBIs (14), third in runs (12) and slugging percentage (.418), and fourth in stolen bases (4).
