Ceres High’s and Central Valley’s girls flag football teams competed in the Sac-Joaquin Section Playoffs this past week.

The ninth-seeded Bulldogs upset the eighth-seeded Vanden Vikings 31-13 in the opening round of the Division-III tournament on the road last Wednesday.

“We prepared for them,” said Ceres High head coach Curtis Hulstine. “We studied film and our practices went well.”

The Bulldogs improved to 16-7 on the season.

The Vikings compiled an 18-8 record this year.

Ceres High (Western Athletic Conference, 11-3) and Vanden (Monticello Empire League, 10-2) both finished in second place in their respective leagues.

“Our girls play very well together,” Hulstine said. “They highlight each other. That combo leads to success.”

Bulldog quarterback Presley Vierra threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns against the Vikings.

Jayden Garcia totaled 97 yards and two touchdowns at receiver.

Sovannary Carter finished with 32 yards and two touchdowns.

Lilly Staggs added 78 yards and one touchdown.

Briona Bravo, Mariah Renteria and Amaia Pritchett had 78, 35 and 32 yards, respectively.

Daisy Leon led Ceres High’s defense with three interceptions.

Staggs and Bravo both had one interception.

“Our game plan was to play the way we know we can play,” Hulstine said. “We didn’t change our offense or defense. The result was a win.”

The Bulldogs welcomed the challenge of being underdogs versus the Vikings. 

The bus drive from Ceres to Vanden took two hours.

“Everyone was locked in,” Hulstine said. “You could tell it was a business trip.”

Fifteenth-seeded Central Valley lost 47-6 on the road to second-seeded McClatchy in the first round of the Division-I tournament on Wednesday.

“We knew we were facing an uphill battle,” Hawks’ leader Tony Cordova said. “I just wanted the girls to play loose and fast.”

Abigail Krauss and Jocelyn Rivera accounted for the Hawks’ lone touchdown.

Krauss tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Rivera.

“We moved the ball well,” Cordova said. “But we had three interceptions in the end zone.”

Central Valley enjoyed its best season to date this fall.

The Hawks posted a 14-10 overall record, placed third in the WAC standings with a 9-5 mark and qualified for the playoffs for the first time.

Central Valley dropped out of the race for the conference title during the final week of the regular season.

McClatchy improved to 21-5 and finished second in the Metropolitan League with a 9-1 record.

“We were able to accomplish almost all of the goals we set at the beginning of the season,” Cordova said.