Behind big performance from senior, one Ceres school extends streak over rival
For Central Valley High, senior Isaiah Hidalgo is the heart and soul of the football program.
Coaches say he leads by example and settles everyone down when things aren’t going the right way.
Teammates ask him for advice and work hard because they know their leader is keeping them accountable.
Hidalgo is a mere 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weights 170 pounds. On Friday, he carried the Hawks (3-0) to their sixth straight win over rival Ceres (2-1) with 27 carries for 227 yards and two touchdowns (also one passing) in a 36-14 win at Ceres High.
“This trophy is staying at home and we run this city,” Hidalgo said. “Now, I am making sure the juniors stay confident so it can remain with us next year.”
Hidalgo had been the team’s starting running back the last two years but after Derrick Goblirsch was hired as coach after the 2019 season, one of his first decisions was switching Hidalgo from running back to quarterback.
At first, Hidalgo wasn’t sure about the decision but eventually “bought in.”
“I trust the scheme,” Hidalgo said about the offense. “I knew moving to quarterback was best for the team.”
It also helped he had an offensive coordinator who had centered his offensive schemes around dual-threat quarterbacks before.
Mike Parsons, the former Modesto Christian coach who led the school to their only CIF Sac-Joaquin Section and CIF State title in 2009, joined the Hawks staff in 2019 as defensive coordinator but switched over to offensive coordinator after the season.
At MC, Parsons had his own star athlete at quarterback, who also happened to be named Isaiah ... Isaiah Burse.
Burse had nearly 100 total touchdowns in three years as starting quarterback, including 53 as a senior on the state championship team and Parsons is using some of the same formations with Hidalgo.
“He is the leader and committed and smart.” Parsons said. “We just have to get him in space and make sure he gets the ball.”
The offense involves a spread formation with the quarterback making different reads that decide if it’s a pass or run play.
Alum Ja’Quan Gardner instrumental in Hidalgo’s development
After senior Amari Taylor scored on a 1-yard run to give the Hawks a 6-0 lead with a little over seven minutes left in the first quarter, Hidalgo showed he was adjusting quite well to the quarterback position as he escaped multiple Bulldogs defenders and threw a 45-yard touchdown to Tristan DeLeon to give CV a 14-0 lead with 3 minutes, 51 seconds left in the quarter.
Ceres sophomore Landyn Hudson scored on a 1-yard run to cut the lead to 14-6 with 4 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter and the Hawks added a safety right before halftime on a botched snap on a Bulldogs’ punt.
The second half, Hidalgo took over with his legs.
He had touchdown runs of 10 and 30 yards and also added a 55-yard run as he remained patient behind the line of scrimmage until holes opened.
“Once they do, you just go,” he said. “They open up a little slower in HS football.”
Hidalgo said he was ready for the even heavier workload this year and changed his diet during the off-season.
Gone were the high sugar intake and replaced with “lots” of chicken and rice.
He also worked out with a former Central Valley running back: Ja’Quan Gardner.
Gardner had over 4,000 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns at Central Valley before playing at Humboldt State and had stints in the XFL and with the San Francisco 49ers in training camp and played with the Seattle Dragons in the XFL.
The two have spent time working out at local gyms and Hidalgo said he’s received advice from someone he has looked up to since he was in sixth grade.
As the Central Valley players posed with the Crosstown Showdown trophy, a teammate was missing.
In came Hidalgo front and center.
They had their leader.
This story was originally published April 2, 2021 at 11:14 PM.
