Cesar Chavez defeated Alhambra 54-25 Friday to advance to the playoffs and extend its win streak to six games.

The rushing attack for the Champions led them to victory, with Mike Rodgers running for more than 235 yards and three touchdowns.

“The line blocked good,” Rodgers said. “Actually, they blocked perfectly.”

Cesar Chavez, the Metro Section champ, learned Saturday morning that it'll play at No. 1 seed Phoenix Mountain Pointe in the first round of the 6A Conference playoffs. 

Cesar Chavez scored off a touchdown pass from quarterback Chris Russell on their first possession against Alhambra. The Champions never looked back after the first score, leading the entire game.

Special teams were also key in the victory, as Cesar Chavez wide receiver Tavion Allen returned a punt 50-plus yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. But a touchdown run from Alhambra running back Yakir Cobb made it 14-6.

Then Rodgers took over for Cesar Chavez. He broke off 63-yard touchdown run near the end of the first quarter.

On the next Champion possession, he ran in a 43-yard touchdown run to give the Champions a 28-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Lions meanwhile suffered a big blow when it lost Cobb, who didn’t play much in the second half due to an ankle injury.

Cobb was leading the state in rushing and scoring.

“It’s kind of a strange injury,” Alhambra head coach George Medrano said. “I don’t know what the medical term is, but he just can’t put a lot of weight on it.

“He’s such an explosive player. Once we lost him we had to change the game plan.”

But Alhambra just couldn't get anything going on the ground or through the air.

Medrano, a former coach at Cesar Chavez, and his team also had a tough time stopping Rogers.  

“I knew Mike was going to be a handful coming in,” Medrano said. “We did everything we could and planned around it, but he still made plays.”

Rodgers ran for another 43-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

Cesar Chavez head coach Jim Rattay said wide receiver Tavion Allen and Rodgers had big-time games for the Champions.

“My coaches did a great job of developing some of our kids,” Rattay said.

The loss knocked Alhambra out of postseason contention, despite their great effort.

“My guys never quit,” Medrano said. “They kept playing right to the end.”

The Lions ended their season with a 6-4 record, two wins short of their 8-2 effort last season.

Alhambra has finished with a .500 record or better every year since 2011. For Cesar Chavez, Allen caught three touchdown passes for the Champions.

“We started pretty fast,” he said. “That really helped us.”

Allen said he likes the Champions’ chances heading into the playoffs.

“Anything can happen in the playoffs,” he said. “We can shock the world.”

Despite losing their first four games, Friday's win gave Cesar Chavez a perfect 5-0 record in its division.