To start the 2024 season, Denair junior running back Degan Butler has experienced high and lows. Through the first four games of the year, he has had a pair of 100-yard games and has missed action with a concussion. And while teammates like Jesse Ruelas, Alex Vargas and Jayden Hensley helped pick up the slack with stellar performances in his absence, it was his time to return the favor.
On Friday night at Jack W. Lytton Stadium, as Vargas and Hensley were out with injuries, Butler led the team with 186 total yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and a catch to help the Coyotes beat the Reds of Gustine High by a 24-13 score to improve to 1-1 in the Southern Athletic League and 3-3 overall. Gustine, meanwhile, dropped to a matching 1-1 in the SAL and to 3-2 overall.
After falling behind 7-0 after six minutes of play following a 13-yard touchdown reception by Alexander Quezada, Butler got his team back on track at the start of the second quarter when he snagged a screen pass from quarterback Derek Potter and broke free for a 77-yard touchdown to tie the game. It was the first of just two completions by Potter on the night, proving that head coach Anthony Armas’ “ground attack” offense, as he described it prior to the season, is alive and well.
The Coyotes captured the lead four minutes later when a strip-sack from junior lineman Even Coronel set up a 25-yard field goal from sophomore Elias Alvarez. It was extended to 17-7 when Butler finished off a 10-play drive to start the third quarter with a 2-yard rushing score. He capped his hat trick with five minutes to play when he dashed 22 yards for a touchdown to make it a 24-7 game.
Gustine’s Daniel Navarro found Osiel Flores from 22 yards out late in the fourth, but it was too little too late as the Coyotes knelt the ball twice on the ensuing kickoff to end the game.
Butler explained that while he was fully expecting the extended workload after his teammates caught the injury bug, his mindset remained simple.
“Different situation, but same thing as always — just run hard,” he said.
The speedster also gave props to his offensive line, many who play on both sides of the ball, for providing him with open lanes and big pushes.
“It's all about bringing the energy and doing everything we practice all week,” said line coach Mike Skaria. “It's about getting after it, making sure we got all eyes on the ball all the time. I think our guys did a great job delivering and owning their gaps and getting where they needed to get. And at the end of the day, it's a team effort, but owning that box is everything, trying to turn the team one dimensional.”
Indeed, the historically run heavy Reds were held to 33 combined yards. Leading rusher, junior Joao Palomino, led the team with 18 rushes despite being forced to exit just eight plays into the game with an injury. Crue Correa was next up on the depth chart, but was only able to muster 12 yards on seven carries.
The pass game seemed like the only thing going for the Reds, as Navarro racked up 204 yards through the air while completing 14 of 23 passes. Quezada was his main target all night, as the lengthy wideout caught 10 passes for 152 yards.
“It’s been a bit different this year, we've been pretty good all year in the pass game. It's kind of been our thing,” said Gustine head coach Colin Lane. “When we can't get our one game going, we always want to lean on our passing game. It's still productive for us. It's just we have to figure out a way to keep winning, even when we get tired with low numbers.”
The Reds have just 17 players on their active roster, and were missing three lineman and leading receiver, senior Mike Saaranzin, due to injury before Palomino had to bow out Friday night.
“When we get (Saaranzin) back, it's going to be a big help. If we get him and we get Quezada playing together, on the same page again, I feel like we’re going to be pretty dangerous,” Lane said. “But it’s all about getting healthy. Denair is going through it too, and it was a close game for a while, but we started wearing a bit more and they just started leaning on us. They lined up at the end of the game and went double-tight, and we weren’t ready for that at all.”
The Reds will look to get back on track this coming Friday in a non-conference, road matchup with a 3-2 Riverbank team, who are coming off a 49-0 loss to Summerville of Tuolumne. That same day, SAL action will continue for Denair when they take the trip to Le Grand to face a winless Bulldogs squad.
