Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s boys water polo teams faced off for the first time on Sept. 30.

Newcomers to the sport, the Hawks battled the crosstown-rival Bulldogs for three-plus quarters before suffering a 14-8 loss at their new $5.5-million Aquatics Center.

“It’s always fun to have rivalry games,” Central Valley head coach Tyler Bolton said. “It adds a little something extra and everyone knows it. It’s a fun environment.”

“We’ve never had a rival,” Ceres High leader Sebastian Huerta Alvarado stated. “When I played water polo at Ceres, that’s all we talked about. We wished CV had a team. We’re going to have a really, good time building a rivalry. I think it’s great for the community.”

The Bulldogs improved to 2-6 overall and 2-5 in the Western Athletic Conference.

The Hawks dropped to 1-7 on the season and 1-6 in the WAC standings.

“They have a good coach over there,” Huerta Alvarado said. “He knows what he’s doing. He has his kids working hard. They’re going to do great in the future. We both got young squads. All we can do is grow.”

“I was so pleased with our performance against CHS,” Bolton added. “Remember, this is the first time all of my players have played water polo. Also, most of them have never been into aquatic sports in general. With all of that, this team has improved so much over this season already. That makes me so happy as their coach.”

Zalan Arvai, a foreign-exchange student from Hungary, led the Bulldogs in scoring with six goals. The southpaw showed off his arm strength when he scored from nearly the length of the pool.

Abel Samaniego added five goals.

Jonas Hayes tallied two goals.

Rowan Ramirez had one goal.

Elijah Rodriguez and Mateo Gonzalez totaled eight and three saves, respectively, while logging playing time at goalkeeper.

Phillip Esparza led the Hawks in scoring with four goals.

Caleb Beckhart added two goals.

Ari Luman and Nicolas DeLeon both chipped in with one goal apiece.

Santino Breshears totaled four saves while contributing at goalkeeper.

“We both got young squads,” Huerta Alvarado said. “The kids had fun and competed. I loved how CV played defense. They made us work.”

The crosstown match was competitive for three-plus quarters.

Central Valley trailed 7-6 at halftime.

Ceres High led 10-7 heading into the final period.

“It was a little bit of a shock to us,” Huerta Alvarado said. 

“It was close for the majority of the game, which was fun,” Bolton said. “I think we might have surprised them.”

The Bulldogs seized the momentum by outscoring the Hawks 4-1 during the fourth quarter. Ceres High shut out Central Valley for the opening 4 minutes, 58 seconds.

“My guys were able to lock in,” Huerta Alvarado stated. “I thought our passing was great. We moved the ball very well. I think what helped us in the long run is our experience.”

“Performing hard for an entire polo game requires so much energy and endurance,” Bolton added. “If we would have kept up the same energy and intensity for the whole game, it would have stayed competitive.”

Central Valley will vie for revenge when it plays at Ceres High on Oct. 23.

The match will begin at 5 p.m.

“Next time we meet, it will be the last game of our season,” Bolton said. “I expect it to be another close game, especially now that I have seen some of their big players. We can adapt and plan for it. I’m hoping for a victory. I know it’s something we can do.”