Deegan Butler scored three touchdowns – one of them on a 77-yard screen play –as Denair defeated Gustine 24-13 Friday night in a Southern League game at Jack Lytton Stadium.
The Coyotes (3-3, 1-1) won despite missing four starters who were out after suffering injuries in their previous game. That forced some less experienced players into key roles – testing Denair’s depth and determination.
“We’ve always felt we’ve had tough kids. I don’t think we were surprised about that part,” said Denair Coach Anthony Armas. “But we were pleasantly surprised at people stepping up to fill spots this week.”
Denair’s mettle was tested early against Gustine. The Reds (3-2, 1-1) took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for a touchdown. After a Denair punt, Gustine threatened to score again but lost a fumble on the Denair 5-yard line on the final play of the first quarter.
Starting from there, the Coyotes had reached their own 23-yard line when quarterback Derek Potter faded back to pass, setting up a screen play to Butler. The junior running back followed his blockers, then burst into the open and outran Gustine’s defenders to the end zone to tie the game 7-7.
Later in the second quarter, Even Coronel had a key sack of Gustine’s quarterback that forced a fumble that Denair recovered. The Coyotes patiently moved the ball inside Gustine’s 10-yard line, where Elias Alvarez connected on a 25-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. That gave Denair a 10-7 lead it would never relinquish.
Armas called the momentum shifts in Denair’s favor after Butler’s touchdown and Coronel’s sack “huge.”
The Coyotes stretched their lead to 17-7 on the opening drive of the third quarter, which was capped by Butler’s second touchdown, a 2-yard run. The junior added a 21-yard TD run in the fourth period that sealed the game. He finished with 119 yards on ground in addition to his TD reception.
Denair’s defense, meanwhile, clamped down on the Gustine offense. The Coyotes forced three turnovers – the two fumbles in the first half as well as an interception in the second half by Austin Silva.
“Our secondary really stepped up in this game,” Armas praised. “Austin Silva, Angel Rosas, and Angel Rodriguez, particularly, played very important roles in our defense.”
Gustine scored late in the fourth quarter to make it 24-13, but Denair recovered an onside kick attempt and then ran out the clock on a satisfying win.
“We faced an offense that requires our defenders to be very disciplined, which is always a concern when you have people stepping into roles they aren’t used to playing,” Armas said. “Gustine also ran a defense they had not previously run. For those guys stepping up to fill spots, that could have been a mess, but they handled it exceptionally well.”
This week, Denair travels to Le Grand to play the Bulldogs (0-3, 0-2), whose record is misleading, according to Armas.
“They had a large number of kids suspended for three games to begin the season because of an altercation in their scrimmage,” he said. “Le Grand is Le Grand. They’re always talented, tough and coached well. I don’t think our kids are going in thinking anything other than that.”
Armas won’t know until Friday how many players he’ll have available to play.
“Health is always going to be an issue with us and our numbers,” he said. “We still have some kids that are trying to get healthy … but we’ll deal with it, like we always do.”
JV score; Denair 58, Gustine 8
