Behind a strong defense, MJC upsets No. 6 San Mateo
For the second straight week, Modesto Junior College upset one of the top teams in the state.
Last week, American River fell to the Pirates and on Saturday, MJC took care of business with a 28-18 win over No. 6 San Mateo.
“The most impressive thing is that as you go through the season, you want to constantly find ways to improve and when you go through adversity, sometimes that rips teams apart,” MJC coach Rusty Stivers said. “This is one of the most mature and high-character teams I have had.”
The Pirates defense was fantastic on Saturday as they forced two turnovers and allowed 209 total yards.
“Our defense is playing lights out,” Stivers said. “That was pretty impressive.”
MJC’s first-team defense allowed only three points with the Bulldogs’ two touchdowns coming from a punt return for a touchdown and a score late in the fourth quarter. Freshman Kendrick Bond (Patterson) and sophomore Trae Nichols (Modesto) each had an interception for the Pirates.
Sophomore running back Devan Bass (Pitman) had another big day for the Pirates as he rushed 198 yards and one touchdown and had a touchdown reception as well.
“He is lightning quick,” Stivers said. “He has done it again for us where he makes a big play when he needs it.”
Already with a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, Stivers decided to go for it on fourth and six from the Bulldogs 16-yard line and freshman quarterback Jack Weaver (East Union) connected with Bass on a perfectly executed wheel route.
“We felt like they were paying so much attention to the trips to the left side of the field that we didn’t really see anybody recognize Devan in the backfield,” Stivers said. “He turned late because Jack threw the ball early. That was a big play.”
After freshman Jalen Lampley scored on a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown, Bass ran 51 yards for a touchdown to give the Pirates a 28-10 lead with 9:57 left in the third.
Freshman Steve Hampton had a one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Pirates. Sophomore linebacker Jason Foglia (Pitman) led the defense with 4.5 tackles, one sack, and one tackle for a loss.
The Pirates are on a bye next week but Stivers doesn’t want his team to take the week off.
“We can be excited but I really want to get a lot of work done during the bye week,” Stivers said. “When things go well, you can get complacent and I want to make certain that we are sharp for our next game.”