Pirates travel to Delta for regular-season finale

The Modesto Junior College Pirates’ recent dominance over San Joaquin Delta on the football field has produced some shocking numbers.

Not only have the Pirates won three of the last four meetings, they’ve pounded the Mustangs 72-26 in 2013 and 73-28 last year with a staggering 1,525 yards of offense the last two years. That said, the games were outliers in an otherwise closely fought series.

Accordingly, all indicators point to a tight regular-season finale – with bowl repercussions – at 1 p.m. Saturday on the synthetic turf of Delta’s DeRicco Field.

“They will be coming out with a lot of confidence,” MJC coach Rusty Stivers said. “I don’t think we’ll be scoring that many points this year.”

Indeed, Delta (5-4, 3-1) has risen to second place in the Valley Conference with wins the last three weeks over Sequoias, Fresno and Laney. The Mustangs’ wins over Santa Rosa, San Mateo and Fresno illustrate an improved team.

Sophomore quarterback Philip Kimble, an Escalon High product, is ranked 14th in the state with his 251 passing yards per game, and running back Evan Owens has rushed for 110 yards per game (sixth in the state) with 10 rushing touchdowns (seventh).

“They have signature wins,” Stivers said. “They look really good on film.”

While Delta has rolled, MJC (5-4, 2-2) has regressed with losses the last two weeks to league-leading Chabot in overtime and Fresno. The 55-42 setback to Fresno was especially disheartening, given the fact the Pirates seemed a step slower than the Rams from the opening snap.

“Fresno was good, but that was one of our worst performances. I still can’t figure it out why we weren’t ready to play. There was no intensity,” Stivers said. “That’s not going to happen Saturday.”

Quarterback Trey Cooper, slowed by an ankle injury last week, should start against Delta. That’s good news for the Pirates, who remember his seven-touchdown performance (five rushing, two passing) against the Mustangs in 2014. Freshman backup Tiki Tonga gave Modesto a spark while Cooper sat out most of the second half against the Rams. Cooper returned late in the game and threw a touchdown pass.

“Trey is still the focus of our offense. There are not a lot of quarterbacks who can do what he did against Delta and a few other teams,” Stivers said. “We have two all-league type quarterbacks on the team. We need them because our quarterbacks run more than anyone else.”

Both Modesto and Delta are bowl-eligible with five wins apiece, but there’s a chance only the winner will advance.

“There is that possibility,” Stivers said. “You don’t want to lose the last game.”

Notes – Running back Aden Ruiz (719 yards, nine touchdowns), who scored against Fresno before he suffered an ankle injury, should play Saturday. ... Sophomore Tim Knuettel, the Peoria, Ill., product who’s emerged as Modesto’s leading receiver (55 catches, 694 yards, six TDs), impressed the team last Friday with his personal testimonial. “He talked for about 10 minutes and gave us a presentation about what he’s gone through,” Stivers said. “He talked about not being serious about his academics in high school and how MJC gave him his second chance. He’s a little older than most of the guys. They’ll listen to someone like him.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 7:14 PM with the headline "Pirates travel to Delta for regular-season finale."