‘Blue Devil Blitz’- appearing on a lawn near you
If a pitchfork and sign appeared in your yard Friday morning, don’t be alarmed.
It’s not the start of a pagan ritual or upset neighbors suggesting you relocate. The Merced College football team’s monthlong fundraising campaign, dubbed the “Blue Devil Blitz,” began leaving pitchforks and a sign reading “You’ve been blitzed” in front yards around the county to say thank- you for the owner’s support of the program.
The team is also dropping off paperwork for people to make donations to the program and to suggest other people who might like to be blitzed.
In another move to harness the power of social media, the football team has slowly been teasing the arrival of the campaign on its Facebook and Twitter accounts. Videos alluding to the blitz, but not quite explaining it, began popping up a couple of weeks ago. As April 1 drew near, new videos surfaced, giving slightly more information each time. Blue Devils coach Bob Casey said the program will run through the month of April.
Top Gunn
Former Merced College defensive end Mark Gunn became the sixth inductee in school history to the California Community College Football Coaches Hall of Fame in March.
Gunn played at MC in 1987 and 1988. He was a two-time all-Camino Del Norte Conference player and named to the All-State Regional team and a JC Grid Wire All-American honorable mention as a sophomore. He holds the school record for longest interception return by a defensive lineman (80 yards).
Gunn went on to play two years at the University of Pittsburgh before being drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets in 1991. Gunn played in 69 NFL games for the Jets, Saints and Eagles, starting 19. He recorded 80 career tackles and 4 1/2 sacks.
Speaking of guns
Daulton Jefferies has been every bit the ace that UC Berkeley envisioned when the Bears signed him out of Buhach Colony three years ago.
Jefferies was off to an outstanding start to his sophomore season when an injury tripped him up. The junior has hit the ground running this season, a perfect 6-0 in six starts. Jefferies has a team-best 1.29 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched, all while yielding just six walks.
His six wins already match a career high and are tied for tops in the nation.
Softball resurgence
It took about a month for the young Merced College softball team to acclimate itself to the collegiate game, dropping five of its first eight contests.
Even then, the She-Devils weren’t getting clobbered, with four of the five losses coming by four runs or less. Things changed at the start of March, with MC going 15-5 since then.
A two-game sweep over Modesto Junior College on Thursday put the team eight games over .500 for the first time since Suzanne McGhee’s inaugural season in 2009. MC will try to reach 10 games over .500 and 20 wins when it travels to Taft for a doubleheader today.
MC track on pace for NorCals
The NorCal Track & Field Trials are a little more than a month away and four MC athletes have already locked up their place in them, according to coach Luis Foy.
Sophomore sprinter Taylor Brown is leading the way for the women’s team, on pace to qualify in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races. The Merced high alum has been particularly strong in the longer races, ranked in the top 10 for Northern California in both.
The men’s team will have at least a trio of representatives, led by freshman Nih-jer Jackson, who is ranked fourth in the NorCal presently. Jackson will be joined by a pair of hurdlers in Andrew Morgan and Daniel Torres. Both compete in the 110 and 400 hurdles. Morgan is likely to add a third event, also excelling at the discus this season.
This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 4:28 PM with the headline "‘Blue Devil Blitz’- appearing on a lawn near you."