Ceres High School’s football team executed its defensive game plan to near-perfection versus Pacheco this past week.

The Bulldogs limited Abel Bravo to just 27 rushing yards on 14 carries on their way to shutting out the Panthers 27-0 Friday night at CUSD Stadium.

Bravo entered the Western Athletic Conference showdown ranked eighth in California and second in the Sac-Joaquin Section in rushing yards with 1,172 through the first six games of the season.

He averaged 8.0 yards per carry and 195.3 yards per game during that stretch.

He also scored nine touchdowns.

“It’s one of the best defensive performances I’ve seen in many years,” said Brett Johnson, who’s coached football at Ceres High for 31 seasons. “We never let him (Bravo) get going. Our defensive line did an amazing job. They dominated the trenches. They allowed our linebackers to scrape and make plays.”

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the WAC standings.

The Panthers dropped to 4-3 and 3-1.

Ceres High joined rare company by becoming just one of three football teams from the school to earn at least six wins in the past 20 years.

The Bulldogs also kept their WAC-title hopes alive.

“We’re happy to be 6-1,” Johnson said. “This is where we expected to be. I’ve been doing this (coaching) for a long time. This team has talent. Getting them to focus on what we can control has been the motto from the start. If we take care of business each day, everything will take care of itself.”

“Our school hasn’t won six games in a long time,” Ceres High third-year running back Tarrell Lee-Gill said. “We’re trying to win league and get a home playoff game. We just got to keep pushing these next couple weeks.”

Ceres High’s defense forced three turnovers and allowed just 136 yards of total offense.

Inside linebacker Faiva Taukalau led the Bulldogs with nine tackles.

Inside linebacker Daniel Baker had seven tackles and one forced fumble.

Outside linebacker Kahmi Smith had six tackles and one interception.

Defensive end Lebron Stallworth had five tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Defensive back Izaiah Rodriguez had three tackles, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection.

Defensive back Reis Smith had three tackles and one pass deflection.

Outside linebacker Josh Prestridge, defensive end Ernesto Miranda and defensive tackle Jeremy Diaz had seven, six and four tackles, respectively.

“We stopped their run game,” Johnson said. “That’s the whole basis of their offense. Our kids played a very, disciplined game. The last three weeks, our defense has played lights out football.”

A newcomer to football, Nicholas Vieyra booted a pair of 45-yard field goals, converted all three of his point-after kicks and totaled three touchbacks on kickoffs.

The Bulldogs generated 274 yards of total offense, including 200 on the ground.

Ceres High quarterback Landyn Hudson gained 81 yards and scored one touchdown on eight carries. He threw for 74 yards and one TD while completing 6 of 17 pass attempts.

Lee-Gill carried the ball 20 times for 95 yards and one touchdown.

Ricky Stanley had a 7-yard TD reception.

Manny Mendoza snagged three passes for 44 yards.

Prestridge caught one pass for 18 yards. 

The Bulldogs scored all 27 of their points in the opening half.

“When we control our emotions, our focus stays clear,” Johnson said.

Second-place Ceres High will face first-place Los Banos (5-2, 4-0) on the road this Friday.

Kickoff slated for 7 p.m.

The Tigers have won their last four games.

The Bulldogs have won three straight games since opening WAC play with a 19-16 loss to Lathrop.

“We’re focused on Los Banos,” Johnson said. “They’re a tough team. They’re well-coached. It’s going to be a great football game.”