Following the inaugural Battle of 120 in 2023 when Escalon brought the Mayor’s Cup trophy back from The Corral in Oakdale, the last two years have seen it captured by the Mustangs.
The varsity football teams, separated by just a handful of miles on Highway 120, have been playing each other in preseason for the past few years. It was a similar scene this past week, as the Mustangs hosted the Cougars in a Friday night contest, Sept. 5.
Escalon won the first battle back in 2023 by a 41-21 final in Oakdale. The Mustangs returned the favor the next year, winning on Escalon’s home turf, Engel Field, by a 21-20 edge. This year, the trophy stayed in Oakdale, as the Mustangs defeated Escalon by a 27-13 final. (See story in Sports, Page A7.)
Oakdale Mayor Cher Bairos and Escalon Mayor Andy Hagan met at midfield prior to the varsity kickoff on Friday night. After shaking hands, they then both took up a defensive stance, fists up, ready to see their teams do battle for the trophy.
Trudy Vierra of Oakdale was there to hold the trophy in between the mayors; the concept for the two teams to compete for the cup was her idea.
It was a hard-fought battle but Escalon came up short and had to leave the trophy behind. Still, head coach Andrew Beam was pleased with the overall effort, noting that the defense was especially tough, working to contain a high-powered Oakdale offense.
For senior Co Northcutt, a wide receiver and defensive back, the emphasis was definitely on the defensive effort on Friday night.
“The defense was always there, we competed, we were battling,” Northcutt said. “Oakdale is a great offensive team but we stopped them and we had so many good drives; I’m really proud of the way we defended and next week we’re coming back and we’re going to be a whole lot better.”
Senior punter/kicker Ricky Chavez had a big stop on a kick, making a strong tackle to save a likely touchdown run by the Mustangs.
“I think the team played great, we just had some slip ups,” Chavez said, adding that the focus needs to be on playing a full four quarters. “We’ve really got to work on finishing games, work on it as a family.”
He is also happy – as are many of his teammates – that they will be playing on the home field this week, as they prepare to host Lodi on Sept. 12 at Engel Field. They have spent the last two weeks on the road.
“We do play at home and that’s a good feeling,” he said. “It’s a really bad feeling losing (to Oakdale) but it will also give us motivation ... to come back and work hard.”
Senior linebacker Daniel Marrufo was in on some key stops and seemed to be around the ball most of the night.
“It was definitely physical,” he said of facing off against the Mustangs. “It’s prepared us for Sonora, a big game coming up, after Lodi but right now, we’ve just got to take it day by day, practice by practice, get better every day, ‘cause iron sharpens iron.”
Having the chance to get back to .500 on the home field – Escalon sits at 1-2 in preseason play right now – is a big factor that Marrufo feels plays in their favor.
“We’ve got to even the record out for sure, I think we’ll come out with just as much juice as today if not more at home because you know we need that ‘W’ against Lodi,” he said.
