Pirate Weekly: MJC meets San Mateo for Morris Trophy; Olympian joins track staff
When two of the nation’s top two-year college football teams — Modesto Junior College and San Mateo — meet on Saturday, remaining unbeaten won’t be the only motivating factor.
The two will be playing for the Morris Trophy, named after Charles “Jum” Morris, who was dean and president at both schools.
It will be the inaugural “Morris Trophy” game, slated for 1 p.m. at San Mateo College.
Morris was MJC’s first dean in 1921 and later became president. In 1931, he moved on to become dean and eventually president at the Bay Area school.
The Pirates (4-0) are ranked No. 7 in the JCGridiron Dirty 30 Rankings — up from No. 10 — following their 38-20 win over American River last week. San Mateo is ranked No. 3.
Scholar nominees: Tennis player James “Trey” Reed and volleyball player Sara Gonzalez were nominated as California Community College Athletic Association scholar athletes.
Reed, who overcame substance abuse and homelessness and was the subject of a feature in The Modesto Bee, earned a 4.0 grade-point average (48 credits) with courses in Drugs and Human Behavior, Introduction to Psychosocial Rehabilitation, and Intervention and Treatment in Chemical Dependency. The Central Catholic grad aspires to earn a BA degree in Psychology, and ultimately a Master’s degree with a focus on treatment of people with addictions, HIV, and depression.
Athletically, he was a two-time Big 8 All Conference selection. In 2018 he earned the best singles record on the team (10-4), and the following year he earned the best doubles record (12-5). He helped lead MJC to two Big 8 titles and earned the team Sportsmanship Award in 2018 and the Most Inspirational Award in 2019.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez, a Beyer High graduate, succeeded both academically and athletically while demonstrating commitment in earning admission into MJC’s Nursing Program. She was chosen by her coaches and teammates as team captain in each season.
As a student athlete, she maintained a 3.58 GPA, while leading the Pirates in solo blocks, assisted blocks and total blocks.
Track and Field: Downey High graduate and former Olympic discus thrower Suzy Powell-Roos joined the track and field coaching staff as an assistant. The three-time Olympian brings 27 years of experience to the program.
“The Modesto Junior College Track and Field program has been an important part of my life since age 10,” said Powell, who resides in Modesto. “From participating as an Olympic athlete in legendary events, like the Modesto Relays, to my first track practice as a fifth-grader, MJC has played a major role in my development as an athlete and coach.”
Tennis: Although not in junior college tennis season, the doubles team of Maya Young (Turlock HS) and Nora Ribeiro (Belgium) won the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Regional Tournament this past weekend in Gold River and now have qualified for the ITA cup in Rome, Georgia on October 17-20. They were the No. 3 seeds heading into play and defeated the No. 1 seeds from Sierra College to earn their spot at the ITA Nationals.
Soccer: The men’s team (6-2-1, 0-2 Big 8) dropped its first two conference games, falling to Santa Rosa 3-1 and Folsom 4-0. The Pirates play at Delta on Friday before returning home next Tuesday to play American River. The women’s team (4-5-1, 1-4 Big 8) play Santa Rosa at home on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Water Polo: The men’s team (3-7, 0-1 Big 8) plays in the Saddleback Tournament this weekend in Southern California. Freshman Shelby Johnson (Johansen) leads the team with 15 goals while freshman Blake Taylor (Downey) is second with 13. The women’s team (4-4, 1-1 Big 8) has won four of its last six and are at Merced at 5 p.m. on Friday. Sophomore Christine Berry (Beyer) leads the Pirates with 24 goals while freshman Lauren Leventini (Beyer) is second with 18.
Wrestling: The Pirates finished ninth in a field of 16 teams at West Hills College. Seven wrestlers finished in the top eight. MJC was led by sophomore Ivan Gomez (Waterford HS), who finished second at 141 pounds. William Schwertscharf (Buhach Colony HS) was fourth at 157.