Merced College football finishes .500 behind Middleton’s four touchdowns

It wasn’t the sophomore season Travis Middleton probably envisioned.

The Merced College quarterback lost his job early in the season and was forced into a role of helping groom freshman Juwan Brown.

Middleton got to end his Blue Devils career with a bang, however, relieving an injured Brown and leading host Merced to a 34-7 victory over Cabrillo on Saturday afternoon. Middleton passed for touchdowns of 24 yards to Elias Gutierrez and 47 yards to Reggie Harris and ran for scores of 12 and 49 yards, the latter with 11:13 remaining.

The victory ensured the Blue Devils (5-5, 4-2 Golden Coast Conference) their first .500 finish since 2003. Their slim bowl hopes were dashed later in the day when Hartnell defeated West Hills 24-16 to earn a share of the GCC title.

Josh Stevens rushed for 120 yards and Merced’s defense forced six turnovers against Cabrillo (2-8, 1-5), including Jessie Sterling’s 65-yard interception return for the game’s first touchdown. Stevens finished with 1,145 rushing yards and is fourth in the state with 114.5 yards per game.

Volleyball

Menlo 3, UC Merced 1 in Atherton – Rachael Schaefer had a team-high 13 kills and Kuuipolani Braceros had 12 as the Bobcats (10-18) fell to the host Oaks (17-10) 25-23, 28-26, 23-25, 25-16 in the championship match of the California Pacific Conference Tournament.

Valeria Martinez had 30 digs for UC Merced, which was trying to become the first team in school history to qualify for the NAIA Tournament.

Women’s Basketball

UC Merced 62, Bethesda 50 in Merced – Courtney Danna scored 14 points and Brittany Martinez had a double double with 11 points and 13 rebounds as the Bobcats (2-3) beat the Flames (1-4) of Anaheim. Christina Castro scored 12 points, one night after leading UC Merced with nine in a 56-34 loss to Biola, and Shelby Howard had 11 points in Sunday’s win.

Santa Rosa 75, Merced College 63 in Merced – Janae Jackson (19 points) and Tekerra Borden (17) both had career nights, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Devils (1-4) fell in the third-place game of the Coca-Cola Shootout.

Men’s Basketball

Biola 95, UC Merced 75 in Merced – Michael Pierick came off the bench to score a team-high 14 points, but the Bobcats (0-6) couldn’t overcome a poor first half in a loss to the Eagles (6-0). Kevin Ellsworth and Mitch Flores each scored 13 points and Joshua Kimble 10, but UC Merced was outrebounded 45-23.

Fresno City 80, Merced College 66 in Fresno – The Blue Devils couldn’t keep pace as they fell to host Fresno City at the Fresno City Tournament.

This story was originally published November 17, 2014 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Merced College football finishes .500 behind Middleton’s four touchdowns."