Sierra handles Chabot in Capital Shrine Bowl

Thanks to a defense that forced seven turnovers, Sierra College took care of Chabot, 31-16, in the Capital Shrine Bowl at Hughes Stadium Saturday. The victory was the 29th straight for the Wolverines, and their third straight Shrine Bowl victory."I am very elated and satisfied," Sierra head coach Jeff Tisdel said. "To win this game for back-to-back-to-back seasons is unbelievable."Chabot had six turnovers in the first half."The defense made an incredible effort," Tisdel said. "They made big plays and big stops when we needed them."Sierra's Ronald Motley started the turnover parade in the first quarter with an interception. His play set up a 53-yard touchdown pass from Dave Johnson to Tyler Vorhies late in the first quarter. Rusty Deaton helped set up the score with a 40-yard run.Del Oro graduate Kyle Mowry also had a pick in the first quarter.Motley had another interception early in the second quarter, but the Wolverines settled for a punt on the following possession."We expected them to run the ball so we were shocked at first by their offense," Motley said. "But once we figured it out, it was all about trying to make the big play."Brad Kester recovered a fumble for Sierra that led to a field goal to put the Sierra up 10-0.Chabot continued a disastrous first half as it fumbled the ball away again, then was called for its third pass interference penalty on the ensuing Sierra drive. The Wolverines took that drive into the end zone, with Cody Yeager running in from 13 yards to make the halftime score 17-0.After a scoreless third quarter, Sierra's Darrell Willis provided a spark with a 17-yard run early in the fourth. Johnson found the end zone on a 13-yard quarterback keeper to put Sierra in the driver's seat, 24-0.Chabot finally answered, however, with a three-yard touchdown run by Tauese Faumuina with 4:54 remaining in the game. But Deaton settled things for Sierra by picking up his 35th touchdown run of the year, a 32-yarder that sealed the game. A late 70-yard fumble return by Chabot's Jonathon Miller provided the final points."As a running back you need to make a play and hit a home run sometimes," said Deaton, who finished with 92 yards rushing on 28 carries. Johnson was 9-of-21 passing for 97 yards and Vorhies led Sierra receivers with 73 yards.Although Sierra was undefeated in the regular season, earned the Mid-Empire Conference championship and is ranked third in Northern California, as a member of a B-Division conference it wasn't eligible to play for the Northern California championship. City College of San Francisco and Fresno City, both A-Division conference teams, meet Saturday for that title in the Hawaiian Punch Bowl."We played better teams this year and we are still on the way up," Deaton said.His teammates feel they should be playing for a NorCal title now."We felt we should have been higher up in the rankings," Motley said. "(Saturday) we proved to everyone that we can compete at a higher level."