Modesto JC ambushed ambushed by San Mateo in season opener

Tied after one quarter of play, Modesto Junior College surrendered 40 unanswered points as it was overwhelmed by San Mateo 47-7 in the 2017 football openers for both schools Saturday afternoon.

The Pirates’ Devan Bass scored on a 2-yard burst into the end zone with 2:45 to play in the first quarter knotting the score 7-7. The Bulldogs had scored on the game’s first play from scrimmage when quarterback Jared Latu connected with Elijah Harper for a 64-yard strike.

After Bass’ TD, however, it was all San Mateo. The Bulldogs reeled off 21 points in the second quarter to take control.

Quarterback Shawn Akina completed 7 of 8 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Akina hit Rajae Johnson on a 36-yard strike and Latu on tosses of 15 and 27 yards.

while Damani Sistena (103) and Cameron Taylor (102) each topped the century mark on the ground. All told, San Mateo rolled up 423 yards of total offense to just 271 for MJC.

Pirates quarterback Shawn Munoz was the teams’s leading rusher, carrying the ball 11 times for 71 yards. Through the air, Munoz was 9 of 17 for 63 yards.

The Pirates entered the game ranked No. 13 in the nation according to the College Football America 2017 Yearbook. San Mateo was ranked No. 21

Up next for Modesto is American River College, ranked ninth in the poll. The Beavers will visit MJC on Saturday in the Pirates’ home opener.

Modesto, San Mateo and American River were three of the four teams in the NorCal Bowl Classic playoffs. Butte, ranked No. 2 in the nation by the Yearbook, was the fourth team in last year’s NorCal playoff picture.

This story was originally published September 2, 2017 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Modesto JC ambushed ambushed by San Mateo in season opener."