SRJC football: Bear Cubs rout Delta 55-23

Unbeaten Santa Rosa Junior College played its best game of the season Saturday night as the Bear Cubs defeated San Joaquin Delta, 55-23, at Bailey Field.

SRJC spotted the visitors from Stockton a 14-0 lead before roaring back to outscore the Mustangs, 55-9, in the second and third quarters.

Two of the offensive stars of the game - Ja'Narrick James and Kerr Johnson, Jr. - came to SRJC from Analy High.

Running back James scored three touchdowns - on runs of 3, 6 and 57 yards.The sophomore finished the night with 114 yards on nine carries. That's almost 13 yards per touch.

Wide receiver Johnson also had three TDs. He hooked up with quarterback Mitch Hood (Sonoma Valley) on scoring passes of 62, 63 and 13 yards. Johnson had seven receptions for 197 yards.

The Bear Cubs wound up with 640 yards of offense (451 through the air and 189 on the ground).

“Without a doubt this was the best game we've played,” SRJC coach Lenny Wagner said. “Johnson, James and Hood are our playmakers and they came through big time.”

Wagner also gave props to the offensive line and the defense.

Santa Rosa began flexing its muscles in the second period while putting 21 points on the board. The Bear Cubs followed that up by scoring 34 in the third.

The Bear Cubs struck so quickly that four of the touchdowns took less than a minute to unfold.

“We didn't change anything up at halftime,” Wagner said. “We just told the guys to play smart and cut down on penalties.”

The Benjamin brothers, Keith and Keilan, were outstanding, with three acrobatic interceptions between them.

Santa Rosa came in ranked No. 5 in the state and is now 3-0. Delta's record is now 1-2.