Modesto JC trip to Hayward ends with overtime loss to Chabot
Chabot College kicked a tying field goal as time expired and defeated Modesto Junior College 60-53 in overtime in a matchup of Valley Conference co-leaders Saturday night in Hayward.
After Ivan Flores’ 44-yard field goal tied the score, Chabot (6-2, 3-0) got the ball first in overtime. On third and two from the 7-yard line, the Pirates were whistled for pass interference. So, instead of having to attempt a short field goal, the Gladiators had first down at the 2, and Yachal Butler scored on the next play.
Modesto (5-3, 2-1) couldn’t answer on its possession, with Kareem Dabney intercepting a Trey Cooper pass on third and 10 from the 25.
“In the end, they executed at a slightly higher level than we did,” MJC coach Rusty Stivers said. “That drive, to be able to complete those passes and get into field-goal position ... they made plays when they needed to.”
After Thomas Langley’s 19-yard field goal gave MJC a 53-50 advantage with 35 seconds remaining in regulation, the Gladiators took over on their 38 with 30 seconds left and no timeouts. Jose Ferreira completed passes to Alan Busey for 10 yards, Zack Johnson for 19 and Busey again for eight to move the ball into field-goal range with four seconds to play.
Cooper was unstoppable, totaling 445 yards from scrimmage and accounting for six of MJC’s seven touchdowns. He completed 26 of 41 passes for 313 yards and four scores (to Greg Tripp, David Martinez, Tim Knuettel and Fotios Jordanglou) and ran 23 times for 132 yards and two scores.
The Pirates totaled 606 yards, the Gladiators 544.
“It was quite the shootout,” Stivers said. “It was so back and forth that it was almost a blur.”
Modesto committed turnovers on back-to-back possessions in the first quarter, helping Chabot move ahead 21-7. The Pirates eventually tied it 28-28 on Cooper’s four-yard strike to Knuettel, then went ahead 35-28 on Cooper’s second rushing touchdown of the first half.
After the Gladiators cut the deficit to 35-34 with just 10 seconds to play in the half, the Pirates opened the third quarter with Jordanglou catching a five-yard touchdown pass from Cooper to make it 42-34, MJC’s largest lead.
Chabot scored the next 13 points to take a 47-42 lead, but MJC made it 48-47 on Aden Ruiz’s 17-yard touchdown run and made it a three-point margin when Cooper hit Knuettel for the two-point conversion.
Flores kicked a 37-yard field goal to tie it 50-50.
The Gladiators entered the game riding a three-game winning streak in which they averaged nearly 52 points. MJC made its second straight trip to the East Bay, having defeated Laney 41-20 on Oct. 23 in Oakland.
The Pirates were ranked No. 2 in Northern California and sixth in the state. Chabot was fifth in the NorCal poll and 11th statewide.
MJC hosts Fresno City at 1 p.m. Saturday.
This story was originally published November 1, 2015 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Modesto JC trip to Hayward ends with overtime loss to Chabot."