Central Valley’s inaugural girls flag football team didn’t collect a lot of wins this fall.

The Hawks did show a tremendous amount of improvement during the second half of the Central California Conference season.

Central Valley amassed a 3-20 overall record and finished seventh overall in the CCC standings with a 2-12 mark.

“I didn’t know what to expect at the beginning of the year based on this being our first year playing the sport,” Hawks’ head coach Tony Cordova said. “To watch the kids grow together as teammates was very exciting to see. You’d see them at school together. They made it more than just football. That was the best part.”

“My expectations weren’t really high because it is a new sport,” Central Valley standout receiver/defensive back Kalli Hoffman added. “A lot of us didn’t know how to play football. Our coaches did what they could. It was a big learning curve. We improved so much. Our communication got better. We really started connecting once we started hanging out after practice. We grew more as friends.”

Central Valley edged Golden Valley 6-0 on Senior Night in front of a large crowd on Oct. 17.

“The girls were really amped up about playing their final game at home,” Cordova said. “They really played with high intensity. Every snap meant something to them.”

Hoffman and fellow senior teammates Jade Castro, Alexa Alberto, Emma Garcia, Tori Molina, Desjeet Pattar, Vanessa Perez, Itzel Romero, Leilanie Ware and Adelina Sandoval were recognized before the game.

“It was really emotional for all the players and coaching staff,” Cordova said. “They were an essential part of this team. They knew how important it was to set an example for the younger players.”

“We’re happy about the win,” Hoffman said. “A lot of us are really sad that we’re leaving. We love our coaches.”

Hoffman accounted for the game’s lone touchdown when she scored on a 60-yard run in the opening half.

She totaled 130 yards and one TD on just eight carries.

Hoffman had five tackles and one interception on defense.

“I played to work on my conditioning before track and field starts,” she said. “I really did fall in love with the sport. I got so much more comfortable.”

Alexa Cadenas threw for 68 yards while completing 11 passes and rushed for 10 yards on one carry.

She had two tackles.

Jocelyn Rivera caught three passes for 28 yards.

Garcia caught one pass for 17 yards.

Perez caught one pass for 8 yards.

Tarnjot Kaur caught three passes for 7 yards.

She had one tackle.

Bella Contreras caught one pass for 5 yards.

Alicia Espinoza had four tackles.

Itzel Romero had three tackles and one interception.

Central Valley compiled a 3-1 record versus Golden Valley this fall.

The Hawks prevailed by scores of 19-0, 12-6 and 6-0.

The Cougars won the first meeting, 13-7.

“It was awesome that we beat them,” Hoffman said. “They’re our rivals.”

Central Valley closed out the season with a 6-0 loss at Patterson on Thursday.

“It was a really tight game,” Cordova said.  “We made one mistake on defense and it cost us.”

“If we had a few more weeks, we’d be hard to beat,” he added.

The Tigers defeated the Hawks 14-0 earlier this year.

“We lost to them before,” Cordova said. “It wasn’t as close.”

Cadenas threw for 45 yards and ran for 54 yards during the second meeting.

She made 10 tackles.

Hoffman gained 63 yards on eight carries and hauled in one pass for 10 yards.

She had three tackles, one interception and one pass deflection.

Kaur caught six passes for 39 yards.

Alberto caught one pass for 10 yards.

Contreras caught one pass for 5 yards.

Romero had three tackles and two interceptions.

Espinoza had five tackles.

Hoffman had a touchdown catch negated because of a questionable penalty.

“They called her for flag guarding,” Cordova said. 

Cordova and Hoffman believe the Hawks will bounce back in a big way in 2024.

“The future is really bright,” Cordova said. “I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

“I see us doing better than we did this year,” Hoffman said. “Everybody will be more knowledgeable.”