Good, but not great: MJC ‘not satisfied’ after nearly shutting out Contra Costa

The Modesto Junior College football team is winless no more after shellacking Contra Costa College, 41-6, but coach Rusty Stivers isn’t fooled by the final score.

With true freshmen thrust into starting roles, his Pirates still have much to learn before Valley Conference play begins next month.

“That was a great performance,” Stivers said in the postgame huddle, “but for me, I’m not satisfied. You shouldn’t be satisfied. In fact, I’m ready to watch film on Siskiyous right now. I’m ready to go. I’m hoping you’re ready to go, too. We have a long ways to go, but this is a good start.”

In a battle of winless programs, Modesto (1-3) showcased its potential. The Pirates scored the first 41 points, forced four turnovers and nearly blanked the Comets (0-4), who finally cracked the scoreboard with 6:19 left in the game.

It was a fresh night for Modesto’s true freshmen, a heralded recruiting class that has struggled against some of the state’s top programs.

The Pirates’ first three opponents – College of San Mateo, American River College and Sacramento City College – are 11-1, collectively, and live high in the polls.

“We needed to get some positive vibes going,” Stivers said.

Quarterback Danny Velasquez made his third start of the season. The freshman from Turlock High threw two touchdowns and rushed for another, finishing 11 of 30 for 195 yards and an interception.

Velasquez opened the scoring with a 60-yard scoring strike to sophomore Tiki Tonga (Modesto High), a versatile but oft-injured athlete, with 8:07 left in the first quarter.

Tonga began the season as a quarterback, but has since moved to receiver after lingering issues with a surgically-repaired shoulder. The former Modesto Metro Conference MVP has found a home in the slot.

On Friday, Tonga was Velasquez’s top target with four catches for 97 yards.

“Offensively, we’ve been struggling quite a bit, but this game, I feel like we finally clicked,” Tonga said. “We still have a lot to work on. This is just the beginning.”

Devan Bass of Pitman High found the end zone twice. He scored on a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter and then reeled in a 4-yard pass to make it 35-0 at the half.

Bass finished with a team-high 128 yards on 18 carries as the Pirates rushed for 266 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

“Our run game was there today, but we’re still looking for a rhythm,” said Velasquez, who had nine carries for 41 yards and a 2-yard score. “We’re not completely there. We saw against American River (a 55-49 overtime loss), when we can get it clicking, we can get it. We just have to find it.”

The defense did its part, stifling the Contra Costa attack. The Pirates’ front line harassed quarterback Rudy Norwood, who was sacked six times and picked off three times, and the Comets mustered just 90 yards of offense on 69 plays.

Safety Trae Nichols of Modesto High had two interceptions, including a pick-six for the second straight week. The play was set up cornerback Braxton Howze of Downey High, one of four true freshmen to start in the Pirates’ secondary.

Howze deflected a quick pass, and Nichols, crashing down, caught the deflection at the 25 and sped into the end zone untouched.

“I’m in the right spot and just having fun,” Nichols said. “I read that the whole way. My corner made a great play and I was right there. We have confidence in each other and we’re playing as a team.”

Mustafa Noel-Johnson (Turlock), Kekupa’a Freehauf (Central Catholic), Robby Huddleston (Merced), Broderick Medrano (Oakdale) and Sifa Tuavao (Monterey) had sacks.

Noel-Johnson forced a fumble at the Comet 10 that set up Bass’ leap from the 1-yard line.

“We had good pressure. The secondary has grown up quite a bit,” Stivers said. “We’ve played some really good competition, so they’re learning on the fly. Overall, we put them in a bad position. … It didn’t seem like they got anything going.”

Modesto will celebrate Homecoming next Saturday with a home game against College of the Siskiyous (4-0), which rallied for a 35-34 victory over Delta. Kickoff is at 6.

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Good, but not great: MJC ‘not satisfied’ after nearly shutting out Contra Costa."