The Ceres Jr. Bulldogs’ rookies youth football team secured a berth to the Central Valley Gridiron Youth Football League Super Bowl with a 21-0 victory over the Lodi Jr. Flames on Saturday at McNair High School.

“This was redemption,” coach Alfred Garcia said. “This is the team that knocked us out in the first round of the playoffs last year. It was the same coach and kids moving up from starts.”

Ceres improved to a 9-0 on the year.

Lodi posted a 2-6 record.

“This season has been special because of the chemistry, focus and dedication,” Garcia said. “It’s a brotherhood. It’s a family.”

The top-seeded Jr. Bulldogs racked up 223 rushing yards, to go along with three touchdowns, on just 18 carries against the fifth-seeded Jr. Flames.

Andre Flores led the way with 86 yards and two TDs on three carries.

Rj Walderrama gained 61 yards on 11 carries and accounted for all three of Ceres’ extra points.

Connor Castleman totaled 49 yards on two carries.

Quarterback Kyle Chhoeum added 27 yards and one score on two carries.

“We had a good game plan,” Garcia said. “We knew where to attack.”

The Jr. Bulldogs’ defense was just as dominant. Ceres collect 68 tackles (14 behind the line of scrimmage), three sacks and one forced fumble.

Chhoeum tallied a team-high 10 tackles.

Flores made eight tackles.

Noel Garcia had seven tackles and two sacks.

Castleman had seven tackles.

Mike McCoy and Rene Cervantes had six and five tackles, respectively.

Raul Luna had four tackles and one sack.

Walderrama and David Sanchez chipped in with four tackles apiece.

“We were clicking on all cylinders,” Alfred Garcia said while talking about his team’s overall performance. “The kids played with passion. They were motivated.”

The Jr. Bulldogs will face the Salida Steeler-Jags in the Super Bowl this Saturday at Ceres High School. The game will begin at 2 p.m.

“We’re not done yet,” coach Garcia said. “We have one more game. The kids are extremely excited.”

Ceres topped Salida twice by identical 14-0 scores during the regular season.

“We can’t underestimate the team in front of us just because we beat them,” Alfred Garcia said. “They’ve been giving us a hard time this season. It’s going to be a grinder. We got to be really focused.”