Central Valley High School’s football team relished the chance to seek revenge against Pitman during last week’s season-opening game.

The Hawks overcame a slow start on their way to posting a 27-0 win over the visiting Pride Friday evening at Ceres High.

Central Valley snapped a two-game losing streak versus Pitman.

The Pride prevailed 29-7 last year and 26-7 in 2022.

“Them beating us the past two years was motivation,” Hawks’ tight end/defensive lineman Nicholas Dominguez said. “Our coaches had a really good game plan. We were able to go out there and dominate.”

“We made fewer mistakes this year,” Central Valley junior safety/wide receiver Cesar Pimentel stated.

“It was fun to watch,” added Hawks’ head coach Derrick Goblirsch.

Central Valley improved to 1-0 overall.

Pitman dropped to 0-1 on the year.

“It’s always nice to start the season off with a win,” Goblirsch said. “All three phases, we played well and executed.”

The Hawks generated 260 yards of total offense versus the Pride.

Third-year starters Aiden Prudhel and Andrue Olivas anchored Central Valley’s offensive line.

“We knew up front was going to be our strength,” Goblirsch said.

Sophomore Dominic Delatorre completed 10 of 15 passes for 120 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while making his varsity debut at quarterback with the Hawks.

He had a passer rating of 102.8.

“He had a really good practice for us on Wednesday,” Goblirsch stated. “We saw the potential. He confirmed what we thought he could be. The game speed from junior-varsity to varsity is a big jump. You could see his confidence grow as the night went on.”

A newcomer to football last fall, Delatorre was the JV team’s starting QB.

“He’s a big kid for a sophomore,” Goblirsch said. “He’s got a strong arm. He’s athletic. He’s confident. It was good to see him take a stride forward in the right direction.”

Nicholas Dominguez caught three passes for 49 yards and two TDs while logging playing time at tight end for the first time.

He accounted for the Hawks’ first two scores.

“Since I’m new to the role, I was happy to contribute the way I did,” Dominguez said. “I knew I was capable of it. I had to prove myself to my coaches and teammates.”

“He bought into it right away,” Goblirsch stated. “He’s become one of our leaders. He’s one of our captains. He’s a motor-kid. He just goes.”

Dominguez bounced back after dropping pass that would have extended a drive early in the game.

“After the first touchdown, that changed the momentum for us,” he said. “It gave us a boost.”

Dominguez started on Central Valley’s offensive line last fall.

When asked what he did to prepare to play a new position senior year, Dominguez said: “I dropped a couple pounds of fat and gained a good amount of muscle during the offseason. I’m definitely excited to improve. This is just the start. I can put up more numbers for my team with more practice.”

“He’s always been a good athlete,” Goblirsch added. “He plays basketball and baseball as well.”

Junior Caden Mendonca caught two passes for 13 yards and one touchdown.

Newcomer Andre Flores rushed for 52 yards and one touchdown on five carries.

Amir Drakeford rushed for 56 yards on 11 carries and totaled 12 yards on two receptions.

Junior Isaac Garcia caught one pass for 29 yards and ran for 26 yards on eight carries.

Sophomore Aaron Torres made three of his four point-after kicks.

“Most of the guys are new to the team,” Goblirsch said. “It was a pleasant surprise to see them perform that way.”

The Hawks limited the Pride to just 91 yards of total offense.

Dominguez collected one tackle, one sack and one forced fumble.

Pimentel had four tackles, one interception and two pass deflections.

Olivas had two tackles, one fumble recovery and one blocked punt.

Junior Emmanuel Luna had six tackles, one forced fumble and half-a-sack.

Benjamin Gill had five tackles and one fumble recovery.

Junior Jaycob Casias had one tackle and one interception.

Junior William Montez had one tackle and half-a-sack.

Pahulu Anitelea had nine tackles and one pass deflection.

Sophomore Cristian Gudino had four tackles.

Junior Damian Olivares had three tackles.

“It was expected,” Pimentel said while talking about his team’s defensive performance. “We watched a lot of film. It’s really easy to read their offense.”

Central Valley will face visiting Hughson (1-0) this Friday at Ceres High. 

The Huskies opened the season with a 35-7 victory over the Bulldogs.

Hughson, winners of back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section championships, claimed a state title in 2022. 

The Hawks lost 56-9 to the Huskies last season.

Hughson will be led by quarterback Robert McDaniel and defensive end/tight end Max Mankins.

McDaniel and Mankins committed to NCAA Division-I Arizona and Air Force, respectively.

“It’s really exciting going against a good opponent,” Pimentel said. “There aren’t many teams that have a quarterback that pass like him. We have to keep our coverage in-check.”

“We just got to limit our mistakes and play our hearts out,” Dominguez stated.

“We’re excited for the opportunity,” Goblirsch added. “If we reach our goal of making playoffs, these are the types of teams we’ll play.”