Football Game Preview: Ceres Bulldogs vs. Central Valley Hawks + How To Watch

Ceres hasn't had much luck against Central Valley recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Bulldogs are taking a road trip to square off against the Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Central Valley took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Ceres, who comes in off a win.

On Friday, Ceres beat Beyer 25-14. That looming 25-14 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Bulldogs yet this season.

Alex Alvarez

Rushing Touchdowns

10/24/25 vs Beyer	2
10/17/25 vs Grace Davis	0
09/19/25 vs Livingston	1
09/05/25 @ McNair	2

Ceres can attribute much of their success to Alex Alvarez, who rushed for 78 yards and a pair of TDs. What's more, Alvarez posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in September.

Alvarez was just one part of a punishing run game: Ceres was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. That's a new trend for the Bulldogs: they were averaging 89 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five contests they've averaged 185.

Meanwhile, Central Valley was beaten by Lathrop 42-7 on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 668th, while the Spartans are ranked 301st).

Ceres' win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-6. As for Central Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to an identical 3-6.

Everything came up roses for Ceres against Central Valley when the teams last played back in November of 2024, as the team secured a 36-7 victory. In that matchup, the Bulldogs amassed a halftime lead of 21-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Thursday.