News
Butte wins Graffiti Bowl over Modesto
By TRAVIS SOUDERS-Sports Writer
Posted: 11/20/2011 12:04:17 AM PST
MODESTO — Every week, the Butte College football team's offensive and defensive lines bring a black and gold lunch pail along, with Roadrunner players signing their names on it. It’s a symbolic gesture of the workmanlike mentality Butte has actively been cultivating as this season's worn on.
On Saturday, the Roadrunners had business in Modesto. And, like it's been just about all year, business was good. Collin Ramirez earned game MVP honors by throwing for 299 yards and three touchdowns, Donzale Ashley was the defensive MVP and led a stout secondary and Butte defeated Modesto Junior College 48-25 in the 19th annual Graffiti Bowl at MJC Stadium, clinching the fifth 10-win season in the program's history.
"I'm really proud of this ball club," head coach Jeff Jordan said. "This team decided to have a 10-win season, and it puts them as one of the best. They faced some adversity and they responded by getting better and battling every week, and they didn't have to do that. A lot of other teams wouldn't do it."
This one did, and capped off the campaign with a flourish, doing to the Pirates (8-3) what it's done to so many other opponents over the course of the fall: The Roadrunners simply decided they wouldn't be outscored. "It's a great feeling," said Ramirez, who extended his single-season touchdown record to 30 on strikes to Jacob Corbaley, Nick Lonnegren and Shawn Conway Jr. "We were able to keep it rolling and we're a proud group right now." The Pirates ready to play, taking the game's first lead on their opening drive with a quick screen pass from Quinton McCown to Brian Alvarez that went 74 yards for a score. But Butte responded on the very next drive, when Ramirez hit Corbaley in the end zone. Modesto earned a field goal before the Roadrunners had to play catch-up again, and did so spectacularly at the start of the second quarter. Ramirez aired out a 36-yard bomb to the right corner of the end zone, where Lonnegren skied to catch it, controlled the ball and kept the toes in to give Butte a 14-10 lead. The Roadrunners added on with a 6-yard touchdown run from Tromaine Dennis, the NorCal Conference's Offensive MVP, to take a 21-10 lead at 7:08. Dennis ran for 82 yards and two scores, but got a big hand from freshman Derick Seward, who added 130 yards on 13 carries. "It was just a matter of going out there and getting it done, finishing plays, running the right way and running hard," said Seward, who was met with the rest of Butte's running backs stable after the game with a final break on the season in which Dennis gave a bit of encouragement. "Go get it done next year," the sophomore back told his teammates, who ended the regular season just one loss shy of playing for a NorCal title. "Go get what I couldn't get."
Butte did in the end, but Modesto wasn't ready to lie down in the first half. The Pirates put together an impressive drive following Dennis' score, pushing 91 yards over 16 plays and reaching the end zone on Aaron Fields' 22-yard scoring rush just outside of the 2-minute mark. Butte's retort was swift and effective, however; Seward took his first three carries for 69 yards, the last an 11-yard off-tackle scamper to the end zone, to restore the Roadrunners' two-score lead. Butte opened the second half with authority and a bit of clutch play, too, driving 70 yards but overcoming three personal fouls on the way. That drive took off half the second quarter and ended when Conway hauled in a 21-yard TD pass from Ramirez to make it 34-17, a phenomenal play on which Conway got a late step on his defender and elevated to snatch the ball from right over his head. Conway and the rest of the receiving corps were the culprits responsible for the traditional coach's Gatorade bath. "I love the toughness of our team and we showed it today," Jordan said. "Our work ethic was great the whole year. We imposed some will on them, put two long drives together, and that's not what (Modesto) wanted. I couldn't be happier with the outcome."
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