It was a very satisfying week for Escalon’s younger football teams, as both the JV and freshmen put wins on the books.
For the JV, it was a Trans-Valley League win over Riverbank, while the freshmen got their first win of the season, defeating Pacheco.
On the home field on Friday night, the JV boys took a 28-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Scores in that first quarter came from Logan Anderson, 35 yard run on a punt return for the touchdown, kick no good; Tyler Medina, 4 yard run, kick good by Andres Beltran to make it 13-0; Luis Garcia, 3 yard run, kick good and Alfonso Gonzalez, 6 yard run followed by a 2-point conversion toss, JP Lial to Austin Roberts to make it 28-0.
Lial scored on a 15 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown, kick good, in the second quarter as the JV Cougars took a 35-0 lead into the half.
Noah Martins had a 2 yard touchdown run, kick good, in the third quarter and Beltran capped off with scoring with a fourth quarter 31-yard field goal for the 45-0 final.
“We got everyone in the game, it was nice for those guys who work hard but don’t usually get to play have a chance,” said head coach Brant Rose.
He pointed to running backs Garcia and Gonzalez as playing a tough, physical game and said Casey Vassallo had some big tackles on defense.
“They made the most of the opportunity,” Rose pointed out.
Gonzalez had four carries for 52 yards, Roberts had five carries for 46 yards and added seven tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
The JV boys get ready to take on Ripon next, in what is shaping up to be a typical rivalry battle. Rose said with several common opponents played already, it looks like the teams are fairly evenly matched.
“We know we’re in for a war for four quarters,” he said. “It was nice to get that winning feeling back and they want to finish the season out well.”
FRESHMEN
It had been a long time coming, but the youngest Cougars finally tasted victory on Thursday night, Oct. 10. They hosted Pacheco in non-league action and earned a hard fought 28-22 win.
“The kids were ecstatic,” said head coach Joey Costa. “We scored the go ahead touchdown with 47 seconds left on the clock.”
The game in Escalon did come down to the final seconds, as the frosh defense for the Cougars batted down a pass with just six seconds remaining to end a Pacheco threat.
Scoring for the freshmen were Ryker Peters, who had three touchdowns and a 2-point conversion, with Colton Page pulling down a pass in the end zone, taking it away from the defender, for the other touchdown on the night.
“He had a big game on both sides of the ball,” Costa said of Page.
Escalon had a 13-6 lead at the half, fell behind in the third and then rallied back for the win.
“That third quarter didn’t go our way but the kids kept on believing and fighting, they showed a lot of heart,” Costa noted. “I’m proud of them and seeing the look on their faces when they won was priceless.”
The freshmen are scheduled to host Ripon in a 6 p.m. contest Thursday, Oct. 17.
