The Ceres Seahawks’ top-seeded junior-varsity youth football team punched its ticket to the CVGYFL Super Bowl with a hard-fought 6-0 win over the fourth-seeded Ceres Jr. Bulldogs on Saturday at McNair High School.

“We faced a little adversity for the first time and played through it,” Seahawks’ coach Junior Schaefer said. “I’m glad it happened. The kids were tested a little bit. That’s what we needed going into this final game.”

The Seahawks improved their overall record to a perfect 9-0.

The Jr. Bulldogs went 5-5 this season.

The Seahawks routed the Jr. Bulldogs 26-6 on Oct. 13.

“We have a good group of kids this year,” Schaefer said. “They work hard and want to learn.”

Mario Gonzalez broke a scoreless tie with a 2-yard touchdown run with less than eight minutes to play in leading the Seahawks past the Jr. Bulldogs during the rematch.

“That’s the first time a team has played us tough all four quarters,” Schaefer said. “I knew it was going to be competitive. They have some size on their side. They were a lot more physical this time. The game showcased a lot of talent that Ceres has. We should have been the two teams in the Super Bowl.”

Schaefer has had three teams advance to the Super Bowl during his coaching career.

The Seahawks won the Cen-Cal championship at the pee-wee level in 2014.

The Ceres Falcons JV team claimed the TVYFL crown in 2005. Schaefer was an assistant coach.

The Seahawks will battle the No. 3 Turlock Hornets in the CVGYFL Super Bowl this Saturday at Ceres High School. 

Kickoff slated for 4 p.m.

“I always expect to win,” Schaefer said. “But I don’t take anything for granted. The other team was good enough to get to the Super Bowl, too.”