The 18th installment of the Ceres Classic, which pits Ceres High against Central Valley in football, will be staged at CUSD Stadium this Friday at 7 p.m.
The Bulldogs claimed the Ceres Classic perpetual trophy last fall with a thrilling 21-20 win over the Hawks in front of a sold-out crowd.
Ceres High snapped a seven-year losing streak versus Central Valley, which won 14 of the first 16 meetings between the two teams.
Bulldog and Hawk players are looking forward to this year’s matchup.
“After we won, there was a lot of chaos on the field,” Ceres High senior quarterback/defensive back Donovan Osuna said. “It was good chaos. Everyone was happy. It made me happy and proud to be a Bulldog. We want to experience that feeling again. It was amazing.”
“We’ve been waiting for this moment since last season ended,” Central Valley senior wide receiver/defensive back Anthony Ramirez said. “It (losing) really hurt us. A lot of people are counting on us to get the trophy back. We have high hopes.”
“We’re very hungry for this,” Bulldogs’ junior wide receiver/defensive back Reis Smith said. “It’s been the talk of the school the past couple weeks. It would be amazing to win it again this year. We want to keep the trophy and streak going.”
“We can’t let Ceres High win back-to-back games and start their streak,” Hawks’ senior quarterback/defensive back Mario Gonzalez said.
Osuna, Smith, Brayden Clark (QB/LB), Ernie Miranda (RB/DE), Isaac Vizcarra (RB/LB), David Diaz DeLeon (RB/LB), Manny Mendoza (WR/DB), Elias Carrera (OL/DL, Jacob McAfee (OL/DL), Zion Rochell (OL/DL) and Nikahli Garcia (DE) will lead Ceres High (0-1).
Ramirez, Gonzalez, Darrius Jackson (QB/DB/LB), Tristan Villicana (RB/DB), Joshua Hale (RB/LB), Amir Drakeford (RB), Joey Zuniga (RB/DB), Josh Ludwig (OL/DL), Andrue Olivas (OL/DL), Aiden Prudhel (OL), Josiah Sandoval (DB/WR) and Cesar Pimentel (DB/WR) will lead Central Valley (0-2).
Osuna, Clark, Miranda, Diaz DeLeon, Mendoza, Smith, Carrera, McAfee, Rochell, Garcia, Gonzalez, Jackson, Villicana, Hale, Zuniga, Ramirez, Ludwig, Prudhel, Sandoval and Olivas are returning players.
The Hawks have an all-time record of 14-3 against the Bulldogs.
Central Valley topped Ceres High 20-18 in 2021, 36-14 in 2020, 55-13 in 2019, 35-0 in 2018, 35-33 in 2017, 52-10 in 2016 and 48-14 in 2015.
The Bulldogs won the inaugural showdown in 2006 (20-7) and eliminated the Hawks from playoff consideration in 2014 (24-7).
Smith helped Ceres High edge out Central Valley in 2022. The sophomore cornerback deflected Hawk emergency quarterback Elijah “Booty” Jackson’s potential go-ahead 2-point conversion pass to Central Valley backup tight end Juan Alonzo in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
The Hawks opted to go for the win in regulation instead of attempting a game-tying point-after kick after Jackson cut the deficit to 21-20 with an 18-yard touchdown run with 1:33 to play.
Elijah Jackson, Central Valley’s 260-pound tight end, finished the game at QB after Hawk backup/younger brother Darrius Jackson exited the contest with a leg cramp.
Gonzalez, Central Valley’s starting quarterback, suffered a fractured left collarbone early in the third quarter.
“I remember tipping the ball, throwing my arms up and running to the sidelines,” said Smith, who had two tackles and one pass deflection. “It’s one of the funnest games I’ve played in. The atmosphere was crazy. I’ve never seen that many people in a high-school stadium. The crowd was so loud. You could barely hear anything. Holding that trophy was fun.”
“I found out the score when I was laying on a hospital bed,” Gonzalez said. “When I found out we lost by one point, my heart sunk. We would have seen a different outcome if I was in the game. We had all the momentum before I got hurt.”
The Bulldogs managed to beat the Hawks despite being limited to just 198 yards of total offense and 21 points.
Ceres High averaged 385.5 yards and 45.0 points through its first two games.
Mendoza’s lone catch resulted in an 18-yard touchdown.
The Hawks amassed 270 yards of total offense in defeat.
Gonzalez completed 5 of 11 passes for 83 yards with two touchdowns and one interception prior to exiting the game with an injury. He carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards.
Darrius Jackson rushed for a team-high 66 yards on 13 attempts while filling in for Gonzalez.
Ramirez totaled 37 yards on one catch.
Villicana led Central Valley’s defense with six tackles and one sack.
Hale totaled five tackles and one sack.
Ceres High’s defense had three takeaways.
Clark recovered a fumble.
Osuna had three tackles and one pass deflection.
The Bulldogs lost 28 players from last year’s team to graduation.
“Last year, they were senior dominant,” Gonzalez said. “This year, we have that experience.”
“This year’s outcome will be really close,” Smith said. “I think it will be a lot like last year. We just need to stay humble and let our pads speak.”
“It’s going to be very competitive,” Ramirez said. “They’re going to give it their all. We’re going to give it our all. We just have to play the game of football. That’s what we’re really there for.”
“Last year, we won by just one point,” Osuna said. “It’s going to be a dogfight again. It’s going to be really competitive. Back-to-back wins would be really special. All the junior-high kids will want to come to Ceres High School. This game is really important.”
