MJC “hit and hustles” their way past Hartnell

 "Hit and Hustle" was the motto in the Modesto Junior College 45-13 rout of the visiting Hartnell Panthers. Coming off a loss at Sacramento City College last week, MJC showed its home crowd they plan to make some noise as a new addition to the Valley Conference.

     "We were out there hitting and hustling every play. The secondary played perfect and we didn't give up anything deep. We were on point," said Sophomore Linebacker and Defensive Captain Tony Zizzo.

     With consistent pressure on Hartnell QB Brad Smet, MJC's defense held Hartnell on their side of the 50 for the entire first half. Cornerback Dexter Coward stood out on defense with 2 sacks, an interception and forced fumbled.

     MJC led 7-0 after the first quarter on a 42 yard touchdown run by freshman running back Jarrod Daniels. MJC put the pedal to the metal in the second quarter where they exploded for 31  points.

     "The offensive line opened up big holes and were getting the ball more up field," said Daniels, who finished the game with 147 yards on 11 carries (145 in first half).

     Daniels sprinted for a 51 yard gain to open up the second quarter that set up an 8 yard touchdown pass from Freshman QB Devin Combs to Freshman WR Ronye Ellington.

     "We went in with a plan to play good old fashioned football. Establish the run first and then go to the play action." Said head coach Sam Young. MJC totaled 317 yards rushing.

     Combs threw for a touchdown to WR Kevin Roya and ran another one in during the second quarter. He finished 5-7 with 64 yards and 2 touchdowns.

     Freshman back-up QB Ryan Torkelson also got in on the action with a nice jump ball to WR Nick Batteate who had to wrestle the ball away from a Hartnell defender before claiming possession on the 23 yard score. The first half ended 38-0.

     At this point all possibilities of a comeback were diminished, but Hartnell showed resilience early in the third quarter when defensive back Mark Ramos scooped up a Torkelson fumble and returned it for 48 yards before getting tackled on the 7 yard line. RB Alvin Jelks ran 7 yards for Hartnell's first touchdown.

     MJC's defense quickly removed any hope of a comeback when Coward came on a blind side blitz to hit the quarterback and send the ball reeling in the other direction. Defensive end Amani Brown picked up the fumble and returned it for 33 yards.

     The recovery gave RB Marcus Sanders a chance to show his power on two consecutive runs when he piled over and carried multiple defenders on his back. He scored a touchdown on his own from 1 yard out towards the end of the third quarter. The last Hartnell touchdown came in the fourth quarter with a 36 yard pass from QB Austin Fales to WR Kevin Dorsey.

      "Our defense stepped up and we're getting better every week," said Daniels.

     MJC hosts Laney College next week at 7 pm. MJC and Laney are former conference foes who Young is no stranger to. "We used to duel with them every year. Whether it is for a conference title or the bid to go to a bowl game," said Young. "Laney is a well-coached team.  Trust me. It will be an even-steven ball game."