Slow start escorts Modesto JC to bowl-game loss at Santa Rosa

The Modesto Junior College Pirates illustrated how not to start a bowl game, or any game for that matter, Saturday night.

They trailed Santa Rosa 14-0 before they notched a first down. Their bellwether quarterback, Trey Cooper, became a virtual spectator, his right leg laden with tape, 10 minutes into the game. Before the Pirates broke a sweat, they stared at a 24-6 deficit.

Modesto couldn’t dig out of that hole, and the result was a 38-18 loss in the North State Bowl. Santa Rosa (7-4), comfortable among the oak trees at scenic Bailey Field, avenged a 2013 bowl-game loss to Modesto at the same venue.

The Pirates (5-6), riding high only a month ago, chatted with family and friends after it was over. If dropping a bowl game isn’t exactly heartbreaking, losing your last four games does carry some buzz-kill.

“If we had a healthy team, I think things would have turned out differently,” Cooper said.

He had a point. Not only was he sidelined, but the Pirates lost the services of running back Aden Ruiz and backup quarterback Tiki Tonga.

Cooper’s leg was twisted during a first-quarter sack and, without him and the others, MJC’s fast-break offense dialed 911. That said, Santa Rosa sprinted out of the gate with a touchdown, a three-and-out on defense and another touchdown. Except for a brief return early in the second half, Cooper was done for the night.

“He could throw, but he couldn’t run,” coach Rusty Stivers said. “To me, it was a safety issue.”

Modesto tag-teamed freshmen Wyatt Clapper and Tonga at quarterback, but after Tonga sat out because of a sore shoulder, Clapper took over for the second half. It was his first extended playing time since his days at Pitman High School two years ago.

He completed 13 of 22 passes for 145 yards and a 12-yard touchdown strike to David Martinez, which capped a 91-yard march, midway through the fourth quarter.

“Wyatt got his opportunity. It took him awhile to get comfortable against a really good defense,” Stivers said.

The game was billed as MJC’s high-tempo offense against a Santa Rosa defense that allowed only 20 points per game, eighth-best in the state. Without Cooper, the Bear Cubs often dominated the early downs and slowed the Pirates.

But Modesto also labored on defense, as 6-foot-4 Santa Rosa freshman quarterback Mitch Hood passed for 371 yards and four touchdowns. He was an easy selection as Player of the Game.

Bear Cubs receivers, especially 6-4 Jordan Jackson (four catches, 59 yards, one touchdown), leaped over MJC’s smaller defenders for several momentum-seizing catches.

The Pirates finally gained traction after Santa Rosa muffed a punt. Modesto took advantage and closed to 14-6 on Javonte Norman’s 11-yard dance down the sideline.

Thomas Langley slipped on the muddy field and rolled the conversion kick. Later, the Pirates misfired on two two-point conversion attempts, making them 0 for 5 over the last two weeks.

Other opportunities eluded the Pirates. They opted for a fake on Langley’s 36-yard field-goal attempt in the second quarter, but the snap sailed high and an off-balance Tonga barely could launch an unsuccessful pass.

Another off-target snap aborted a 22-yard field-goal attempt in the third quarter. Simply, Modesto got in its own way too often to beat a good team.

Conversely, the Bear Cubs operated more efficiently. They snuffed any potential MJC momentum by scoring in the final seconds of the first half on a three-yard catch by 6-4 tight end Nick Reynolds. The Bear Cubs protected their 31-12 lead into the fourth quarter.

One of the few highlights for Modesto was Martinez, who caught five passes for 77 yards and a touchdown and scored on a 20-yard slot reverse.

“We would get rolling and then something would happen,” Martinez said. “I thought we practiced good this week.”

Good practice and good effort do not guarantee success, as the Pirates learned at season’s end.

Notes – Freshman linebacker Santiago Medina was named MJC’s Player of the Game. ... Santa Rosa outgained Modesto 488-345, though the Pirates owned a seven-minute possession advantage.

This story was originally published November 22, 2015 at 7:04 AM with the headline "Slow start escorts Modesto JC to bowl-game loss at Santa Rosa."