Denair stuns Delhi, moves step closer to postseason

The Denair High football team gained national attention after it shut out Ripon Christian with just 14 players in uniform on Oct. 14.

With one extra body, the Coyotes made even bigger news on Friday evening, taking down a Southern League title contender.

Justin Steeley scored two touchdowns and the defense recorded its third shutout of the season, culminating in a 14-0 victory over Delhi.

With the win, Denair moves one step closer to becoming playoff-eligible. The Coyotes are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in league play, and the latest victory elevated them into The Bee’s small-school rankings for the first time all season.

Denair needs just one win over its final two games to become eligible.

“I think this was a huge win for our program because the past few years the program has struggled,” Denair coach Anthony Armas said. “It was important that we get this win to help our playoff chances and because I think it proved to our kids that we can beat a top-tier team in our league.”

The Hawks (7-1, 4-1) had been on a historic pace. Delhi had won its first seven games for the first time in school history – all by double digits – but injuries to key starters made them vulnerable.

Talented two-way player Jesse Flores didn’t play in the first half on Friday. Flores turned his ankle against Gustine on Sept. 30 and was used sparingly against Waterford the following week.

Since then, he’s been a spectator.

Delhi coach Rod McCombs was hoping to save his best player for a showdown with Orestimba next week, but trailing 14-0 at the half, Flores was pressed into action.

Even he couldn’t save the Hawks from defeat.

Steeley had touchdowns runs of 17 and 75 yards, and also tallied a two-point conversion.

His leadership on both sides of the ball and straight-ahead running style helped Denair overcome the loss of quarterback Kyle Prock, who sat out Friday’s game with a knee injury.

“He is the guy we know that we can lean on when things get tough. He’s played great on both sides of the ball,” Armas said of Steeley. “He is definitely a power runner. He does a great job of getting north-south, yet he still has enough speed to pull away from people.”

The Denair defense has blanked Le Grand, Ripon Christian and Delhi. The Coyotes will be favorites in their final two games of the regular season: at Mariposa, Friday; and at home versus Waterford, Nov. 4.

“Our defense played great assignment football. We didn’t freelance,” Armas said. “We talked with the kids during the week about each person doing their job and trusting that their teammates were going to do theirs.”

This story was originally published October 22, 2016 at 1:19 AM with the headline "Denair stuns Delhi, moves step closer to postseason."