The Santa Rosa Junior College football team lost its home opener 27-20 to Modesto Junior College, nearly pulling off a fourth quarter comeback but coming up short Saturday afternoon.
After a stunning overtime win the prior week, the No. 18 Bear Cubs couldn’t keep up with the bigger and more physical No. 4 Pirates.
Bear Cubs quarterback Jacob Porteous said the team has room to improve.
“I think that we played well in some aspects of the game but at the end of the day the only people that can beat us is ourselves and we had some mistakes in all three phases of the game, all of which were self-inflicted wounds,” he said.
Bruising running back Bryson Davis led the way for the Pirates, rushing for 136 yards on 6.5 yards per carry.
Modesto’s Dezjour Malone snatched momentum early, returning the kickoff to SRJC’s 48-yard line. Nine plays later, Davis powered through for a 5-yard touchdown run — aided by the big Modesto offensive line — to go up 6-0. Modesto kicker Emanuel Garibay nailed the extra point to give Modesto an early 7-0 lead.
After the Bear Cubs punted on their first drive, Davis and the Pirates rushed up the field before the Bear Cubs defense stopped them at the 9-yard line. Garibay knocked down a field goal to put the Pirates up 10-0.
The Bear Cubs and Pirates each went three-and-out, with the Bear Cubs taking over with 46 seconds left in the first quarter.
Porteous completed three straight passes for a combined 31 yards to open the next drive. The Bear Cubs got up to the Modesto 25-yard-line before Pirates defensive back Alius Mayo intercepted Porteous in the end zone.
Two plays later, Bear Cubs linebacker Cayden Homan strip-sacked Davis, forcing a fumble that the Bear Cubs defense recovered at the Modesto 39-yard line.
Porteous settled back in, leading the SRJC offense to the Modesto 12-yard line before Bear Cubs running back Zion Williams ran in for a touchdown. Bear Cubs kicker Anthony Calvillo then nailed the extra point to cut the deficit to 10-7.
Modesto went three-and-out once again before the Bear Cubs capped off a seven-play drive — headlined by a 28-yard completion to Eli Evans where Evans’ helmet was ripped off while making the diving catch — with a Calvillo field goal, tying the game at 10-10 with five minutes left in the second quarter.
The tie didn’t last long, as Modesto’s Jeffrey Missouri promptly took the kickoff to the house for a 95-yard touchdown, putting the Pirates up 17-10 after Garibay nailed the extra point.
Both teams went scoreless for the rest of the half and for ten minutes into the third quarter until Garibay knocked down a 45-yard field goal to put Modesto up 20-10.
With time expiring later in the third, Modesto quarterback DayDay Tafoya connected with Malone for a 30-yard touchdown. The Bear Cubs entered the fourth quarter trailing 27-10.
Both teams were quiet for the first two drives in the fourth until Porteous scrambled and connected with wide receiver Jovan Scott for a 47-yard touchdown, throwing on the run and across his body.
On their next drive, the Bear Cubs made it all the way to the Modesto one-yard line, but opted not to go for it on fourth-and-one, settling for a field goal to cut the deficit to 27-20.
Modesto ran out the final six minutes, sealing the 27-20 win.
The Pirates finished with 398 yards of total offense, slightly more than the Bear Cubs’ 383. The turning point came on kickoff returns, where Modesto had multiple big returns including the 95-yard touchdown.
Despite the loss, Porteous is optimistic for the rest of the season, especially under new head coach Dante DePaola.
“This is a brotherhood that has a bond that can’t be broken,” he said. “Coach Dante is the real deal and has helped change our culture into a winning culture. We will fix our mistakes and get 1% better every day to get to where we want to be.”
The Bear Cubs will look to clean up their special teams play in their Week 3 matchup Sept. 13 at Monterey Peninsula.
