On numerous occasions, Denair head coach has described the small town just east of Turlock as a “football town.” The community members made sure to live up to their reputation by packing Jack W. Lytton Stadium on Friday night for the program’s first playoff game in five years when the No. 7 Coyotes (5-5 overall, 3-3 Southern League) hosted No. 10 Delta of Clarksburg (6-4 overall, 4-2 Sac-Metro League) in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 playoffs. And the crowd received their money's worth, as the Coyotes cruised to a 49-16 victory over the Saints.
“Just an overall great night,” Armas said. “We played great team ball all night with the big crowd (with it) being the first home playoff game since 2019, and it was just awesome.”
Denair and Delta had one common opponent in the regular season, the Southern League’s Gustine. The Saints lost 45-12 to the Reds on Sept. 6 while three weeks later, the Coyotes beat Gustine 24-13. After watching film, the Coyotes did what they have done best all year, which is pack the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Offensively, their dynamic running game had its way, while the defense was able to limit Delta’s pass-heavy attack to just two score in the second half with the game already out of reach.
Senior captain Jesse Ruelas did most of the scoring with a trio of touchdowns. His first came late in the first quarter from a yard out. He had another short score, this one from four yards out, early in the second half. He added a punt return touchdown midway through the third quarter.
Junior running back Alex Vargas also found the end zone on multiple occasions. He kicked off the scoring frenzy with a 10-yard rush just three minutes into the game. In the third quarter, he punched it in from two yards out. He pitched in two points on a conversion following Ruelas’ punt return.
The last score from Denair’s offense came early in the fourth frame, when sophomore quarterback Derek Potter found senior Austin Silva in the end zone.
Defensively, junior linebacker Brody McFarland had a 26-yard scoop-and-score.
In the quarterfinal round, the Coyotes will face a familiar foe in the Knights of Stone Ridge Christian. The Merced-based program is the second seed in the D-7 bracket after achieving an 8-1 overall record and the Southern League title in the regular season. En route to their 5-1, first-place conference record, the Knights defeated the Coyotes 28-6 on Sept. 20.
“They’re an athletic, well-coached team,” Armas said of the SRC squad. “(When) we played the first time, they really got after it on defense, very aggressive with guys flying around. And offensively, man, a lot of weapons, spreading us out and still running the ball.
“We're really excited to get a shot at them because we were kind of dinged up when we played the first time. So we’re excited for the challenge. It’s going to be tough, going to their place, but at the same time, it’s kind of nice to not have to travel that far either. We’re looking forward to it.”
