The winter sports season was filled with many highlights. Now is the perfect time to recollect and celebrate individual and team accomplishments.
Top male athlete-Central Valley’s Ruben Valenzuela (boys wrestling) and Ceres High’s Isaac Arana (boys soccer) both had memorable final seasons with their respective teams. Valenzuela qualified for the CIF State Championships for the second time in three years. The 184-pound senior captured his second Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III title and repeated as Central California Conference champion. He was named the CCC’s Most Valuable Wrestler. Valenzuela placed first for the third time at the Ceres Invitational. He brought home a championship belt buckle from the James Riddle Memorial Tournament. He took second at the Asics Southern California Challenge. Valenzuela climbed to as high as No. 6 in the state rankings. He had an overall record of 32-7. Arana tallied 27 goals and 19 assists, both career-highs, on his way to earning the Western Athletic Conference’s MVP award.
Top female athlete-Ceres High senior guard Celeste Leon (girls basketball) averaged 15.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.2 assists per game during her final season with the Bulldogs. She earned first-team, all-Western Athletic Conference honors. Leon totaled 419 points, 111 rebounds, 66 steals and 33 assists. She scored in double figures in 22 of 27 games. She twice tallied a career-high 29 points against Grace Davis. A four-year member of Ceres High’s varsity team, Leon’s scoring average increased each season.
Male newcomer-A bench player as a sophomore, Ceres High’s Lebron Stallworth (boys basketball) had a breakout junior year with the Bulldogs this season. Stallworth averaged 11.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while logging playing time at center and power forward. Stallworth earned second-team, all-Western Athletic Conference honors.
Female newcomer-A newcomer to the sport, Central Valley’s Brianna Espinoza (girls wrestling) secured a berth to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships. The 237-pound freshman placed fourth at the South Regional Tournament, first at the Central California Conference Finals, Firebaugh Lady Eagle Invitational and Bristow Brawl, and third at the Brittany David and Mark Fuller events.
Coach-Central Valley’s Horatio Garcia (boys soccer) and Ceres High’s Gilbert Zamora Jr. (boys soccer) both led their respective programs to success-filled seasons. Garcia’s Hawks amassed an 18-7-2 overall record, finished second in the Central California Conference standings (9-3-0) and advanced to the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-II playoffs. Zamora’s Bulldogs went 16-6-1, placed first in the Western Athletic Conference for the second year in a row and reached the quarterfinals of the Division-III playoff bracket.
Team-Central Valley’s girls wrestling program dominated Central California Conference competition. The Hawks totaled 134 points while placing first at the CCC Championships. Central Valley posted a perfect 6-0 record during the CCC dual-meet season. Julia Roton, Brianna Espinoza, Savannah Gomez, Kylie Maines, Soriah Corona, Cintia Martin, Marianna Carranza, Mia Mendoza, Stephanie Aguilar, Maya Singh, Aliyah Badillo and Keilani Torres all contributed.
Honorable mention-Ceres High’s Arturo Estrada (boys wrestling), Edmond Lozano (boys wrestling), Nathan Miranda (boys wrestling), Madeline Schultz (girls wrestling), Tiffany Rios (girls wrestling), Dominique Arendt (girls wrestling), Jazmyne Arendt (girls wrestling), Makynzie Hale (girls wrestling), Kaylie Clindaniel (girls wrestling), Verlis Smith (boys basketball), Adrian Ontiveros (boys basketball), Mia Rodriguez (girls basketball), Noah Zamora (boys soccer), Jessie Villalobos (boys soccer), Noah Trevino (boys soccer), Serjio Gonzalez (boys soccer), Gilbert Zamora III (boys soccer), Kristina Corbin (girls soccer), Arianna Diaz (girls soccer), Camille Clemmer (girls soccer), Abi Prado (girls soccer), Paris Garcia (girls soccer) and Andrea Hernandez (girls soccer), and Central Valley’s Nick Genasci (boys wrestling), Adan Garcia (boys wrestling), Anthony Malagon, (boys wrestling), Enrique Gonzalez (boys wrestling), Julia Roton (girls wrestling), Savannah Gomez (girls wrestling), Kylie Maines (girls wrestling), Soria Corona (girls wrestling), Cintia Martin (girls wrestling), Marianna Carranza (girls wrestling), Mia Mendonza (girls wrestling), Stephanie Aguilar (girls wrestling), Jordan Powers (boys basketball), Gage Mastropierro (boys basketball), Yoshi Kumar (boys basketball), Alyssa Rojo (girls basketball), Fernando Cano (boys soccer), Jose Cazares (boys soccer), Carlos Ochoa Marin (boys soccer), Eberardo Huaracha Chavez (boys soccer), Heriberto Paz (boys soccer), Ally Singh (girls soccer), Maddie Mendonsa (girls soccer) and Malina Keomuangchanh (girls soccer).
