On the prowl: Modesto defense turns Davis mistakes into points in homecoming rout

At both ends of Don Lanphear Stadium, the message from the coaches was the same: Grow and get better.

The Modesto High football team took the biggest strides on Friday evening, revving toward a 41-14 victory over Davis. Six different players found the end zone for Modesto, which rattled off 41 consecutive points and sent the sputtering Spartans (2-4, 0-2) to their fourth consecutive loss.

The Panthers (4-2, 2-0) have won two straight, but the toughest stretch of its season lies ahead. Modesto has Enochs, Downey, Gregori and Beyer left on its schedule. Downey and Gregori are undefeated.

“We’ve come together more and more as a team; keep building and keep growing,” Modesto’s first-year coach Brett Wagner said. “Our guys are a unit. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we’ve continued to improve. We keep taking steps forward and that’s all I can ask from our guys.”

Norvale Howard, Zaire Eugene and Daeveon Graves had rushing touchdowns, while Connor Cruce spun and stepped out of tackles to complete a 30-yard reception to start a 21-point flurry in the second quarter.

Defenders Blake Brasil and Skye Scacutto tilted the field in the Panthers’ favor with a scoop-and-score and interception return, respectively.

“Going into this game, we knew it was a tall order. We have to play perfect against ‘The Big Three’ in league,” Davis coach Tim Garcia said of Modesto, Gregori and five-time defending champion Downey. “It was about controlling our own attitude and effort and limiting mistakes. I thought physically we played with them, but we fell short because of mistakes and they capitalized on them.”

Davis’ record-setting offense struggled to move the ball consistently against the Panthers. Junior quarterback Xavier Rodriguez was 13 of 24 for 124 yards in his first career start. After averaging nearly 40 points per game in its first three weeks of the season, Davis has scored just 21 points over its last four.

Garcia will stick with the promising junior through the bye week. Protecting the football will be a teaching point, though. Rodriguez turned the ball over twice, both of which Modesto turned into immediate points.

“He’s our guy the rest of the way,” Garcia said.

Rodriguez was taken off his feet late in the second quarter by Justin Cristo, who dislodged the football. Brasil never broke stride, taking a perfect bounce 60 yards. The touchdown was Modesto’s third of the quarter and second in a one-minute span.

The Spartans played Modesto close in the first half, despite the scoreboard, but any chance of a comeback was forfeited moments into the third quarter. Eugene scored on the second play, a 39-yard burst up the middle.

On the next possession, Scacutto picked off Rodriguez, winning a jump ball near the 45-yard line. The senior defensive back made a beeline for the pylon and a 34-6 advantage.

In about four minutes, spanning the second and third quarters, the Panthers scored 28 points.

“All season, we’ve dominated possession (and) yards per carry on both sides of the ball,” Wagner said. “In a lot of ways, our record doesn’t reflect who we are. We’ve played tough opponents. Patterson is a great football team. Turlock is well-coached. There are things we could have done better on my part, but the guys are resilient, they keep fighting and I’m proud of them.”

Howard was 6 of 11 for 77 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 11 times for 66 yards. Eugene anchored a multi-faceted ground game with seven carries for 84 yards. He had a 59-yard touchdown run erased by a penalty.

Graves had six carries for 47 yards and Cruce had two catches for 42 yards.

Wagner wants to be judicious with his carries and touches. He believes it makes his team harder to scout and breeds a confidence that permeates the roster.

“We don’t want to be one-dimensional,” Wagner said. “We have the talent to be that way, but we have a lot of talent. We want to make sure we get those guys a lot of reps and get them going. It benefits us to have a more versatile attack.”

Davis took a 6-0 lead on Jayricho Nglam’s 2-yard run in the first quarter.

After Modesto surged ahead on a 2-yard run by Howard, the Spartans drove the ball into Panther territory looking to close the half with points. Instead, Cristo blew up Rodriguez, springing Brasil’s touchdown return.

“When you lose that momentum, it’s hard to get it back,” Garcia said. “If we could get some points there, whether it’s three or seven, I think we’re right back in the game”

This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 12:41 AM with the headline "On the prowl: Modesto defense turns Davis mistakes into points in homecoming rout."