The defense struggled the entire quarter but still made the play to seal MJC’s win.
Before the Modesto Junior College defense went on the field with a little over a minute remaining and a three-point lead, sophomore defensive back Darrien Young said the message was clear:
“It was our turn to end the game,” Young said.
The Katy, Texas, native just did that.
The City College of San Francisco reached midfield before Young intercepted a pass, sealing a 23-20 win for the Pirates on Saturday.
“I read the quarterback’s eyes,” Young said. “They were running comeback routes all game on me.”
After three strong quarters, the Pirates’ defense struggled in the fourth, giving up 14 points, including a 94-yard go-ahead touchdown with a little over seven minutes left.
After the Rams took a 20-17 lead, the Pirates (3-0) offense generated a 14-play, 83-yard drive that took nearly six minutes and forced CCSF to use all of their timeouts.
“Every game has its own flow,” Pirates coach Rusty Stivers said. “We did what needed to be done.”
With third-and-goal from the Rams’ 5-yard line, sophomore wide receiver Brandon Gray (Beyer) was told the play was coming to him.
Sophomore quarterback Danny Velasquez (Turlock) faked a handoff and found Gray in the right corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
“We just executed,” Gray, who has four touchdowns in his last two games, said. “They told me I am going to be the guy this year.”
Stivers said Gray was a little “raw” when he first joined the team but has always been a hard-working team player and has shined this year.
MJC scored on a 58-yard touchdown pass from Velasquez to sophomore Jordan Porter (Turlock) on the Pirates’ opening drive and MJC lead 7-6 after one and 10-6 at halftime.
Velasquez finished with 191 passing yards and two touchdowns and 159 rushing yards.
Before last year’s historic win over CCSF in the Golden State Bowl, MJC hadn’t beaten the Rams since Nov. 15, 1958 and Stivers said the program has joined the top-tier. Ranked No. 7, the Pirates are at No. 5 American River at 1 p.m. next Saturday.
“We have always been known as a good B level team,” Stivers said. “Now, we are starting to beat powerhouse programs.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2019 at 7:07 AM.
