Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s boys volleyball teams closed out the 2024 season earlier this month.
“We did okay, but not what I anticipated, considering coming off playoffs last season,” said Bulldogs’ head coach Kelly Heese.
“We showed a lot of improvement from last year, especially towards the end of the season,” Hawks’ leader Ryan Donnelly said. “Some key areas of improvement were hitting, serving as well as our overall team hustle.”
Ceres High amassed a 6-19 overall record and tied for fifth place in the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 5-9 mark.
The Bulldogs beat Johansen and Grace Davis twice, and Los Banos once in WAC play.
Ceres High lost once to Los Banos, and twice to Lathrop, Mountain House, Beyer and Pacheco.
“We fell short of where we should have been,” said Hees. “If everybody was whole and healthy, that would have helped. We had more injuries in one season than you can ever imagine.”
Central Valley compiled a 6-18 overall record and finished seventh in the Central California Conference standings (1-11).
The Hawks split with Atwater in CCC play.
Central Valley lost twice to Buhach Colony, Golden Valley, Merced, El Capitan and Patterson.
The Bulldogs competed with a nine-person roster this spring.
Andre Pina, Manuel Ortega, Gio Sio, Joshua Tagle, Jael Mendoza, Anthony Estrada, Mario Valadez, Daniel Quijano and Geramiah Sio made up the Bulldogs’ nine-person roster.
Pina, Ortega, Tagle, Mendoza and Gio Sio were returning players.
Estrada, Valadez, Quijano and Geramiah Sio were new to the team.
Pena (back/knee), Gio Sio (knee) and other Bulldog players were slowed by injuries this year.
Pina and Valadez will be lost to graduation.
Pina was a three-year varsity player.
“Andre was very dedicated,” Heese commented. “He was very eager to learn. It will be a huge hit to our program losing him.”
Valadez contributed for one varsity season.
“There was a lot of growth within him as a player,” said added. “He was there at every single practice.”
Andrew Dong, Sahibjot Deol, Sergio Ayala, Jose Aispuro, Sebastian Pelayo, David Alvarez, Julien Ziqueiros, Charles Nguyen, Wasu Yang, Manuel Carranza, Anthony Mendoza, David Luna and Garrett Akiona made up the Hawks’ 13-person roster.
Dong, Deol, Ayala, Ziqueiros, Nguyen and Yang will be lost to graduation.
“The guys really encouraged each other to play hard and hustle throughout the whole game,” said Donnelly. “Whether we were doing good or bad, they kept a positive morale. The biggest improvement from last year was an overall positive atmosphere for the team on and off the court.”
Ceres High and Central Valley both showed flashes of excellence during the season.
Both teams struggled with consistency.
“We had some tough losses, but even in those losses, we showed a lot of potential of what we would do if we played a consistent game,” noted Donnelly.
“Every year, it’s almost like starting all over again,” Heese said. “It makes it tough to build a program. We have to change the mindset of our athletes. They have to put in more effort.”
Ceres High and Central Valley will compete in the new-look Western Athletic Conference beginning next school year, along with Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Pacheco, Lathrop and Livingston.
The Hawks moved from the CCC to the WAC as part of the Sac-Joaquin Section’s conference realignment plan.
Central Valley posted a 2-0 record versus the crosstown Bulldogs in preseason play this spring. The Hawks prevailed by scores of 3-0 and 3-1.
“I’m happy to have them back in our league,” said Heese, former head coach of Central Valley. “That’s where they belong. The kids enjoy the rivalry. It’s always fun. I train a lot of their kids in the offseason.”
“We’re going to continue to grow,” she added while talking about the direction of Ceres High’s boys’ volleyball. “If the kids take the sport serious, we’ll see a big change in the program.”
