It wasn’t pretty, but Denair High’s varsity football team found a way to win its homecoming
game Friday night, downing Gustine 23-16 in a tougher-than-expected contest.
“It was a tough victory,” said Coyotes head coach Anthony Armas. “Gustine came out running
an offense they had not run all year. They also ran down the clock on every possession. It really
limited the number of offensive plays we had.”
Despite carrying the ball only nine times, junior running back John Wilmoth totaled 105 yards
and one touchdown, while senior Connor Hart had 37 yards and two TDs on 14 attempts.
Senior receiver Harlan Brown caught one pass for 42 yards. He also converted on two of three
extra-point attempts in addition to booting a 21-yard field goal.
Denair never trailed in the game but could never shake the stubborn Reds.
After a scoreless first stanza, Hart scored the first of his two TDs in the second quarter to make
it 7-0. Brown’s FG extended the lead to 10-0 in the third quarter, but Gustine got back into the
game with a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 10-8. Hart’s second TD widened
the lead to 17-8, but another TD and two-pointer by the Reds made it 17-16. Wilmoth’s 28-yard
TD scamper produced the final margin.
“Gustine was really aggressive,” said Armas. “It was an ugly win, but a win nonetheless, and
definitely something we’ll use as a teaching tool for our players.”
The Coyotes are now 4-1 for the season and 2-0 in the Southern League, while Gustine drops to
0-5. Denair will travel Friday to take on Le Grand (3-2, 2-0), a 55-34 winner over Waterford last
week.