There were some explosive moments, big touchdown runs, momentum swings … just about everything you could want in a football playoff game … except a victory.
Escalon’s varsity football team saw its season come to an end on the road Friday night, Nov. 14, as the number seven seed Cougars were defeated by the host number two seed Roseville Tigers, 49-30. The contest was an opening round game in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 playoffs.
Other Friday night games saw number one Twelve Bridges defeat number eight Fairfield, 71-35; number three Hughson putting away number six Pioneer, 49-6; and number four East Union topping number five Placer, 58-25. On Friday, Nov 21, Twelve Bridges will host East Union and Hughson will travel to Roseville. Winners of those match ups will face off for the Division 4 Section title on Saturday, Nov. 29.
After a 3-3 season in the Trans-Valley League and going 5-5 overall, Escalon had to go on the road for the postseason. They met up with a tough foe in the Roseville Tigers, which had plenty of weapons at its disposal, showcasing some speed and power running on offense, matched by solid defensive coverage.
“We went toe-to-toe with that team in the first half,” Escalon head coach Andrew Beam said. “At the end of the day, I’m happy with the fact that our boys competed to the very end.”
Escalon finished its season at 5-6 overall.
Roseville did get a touchdown in the opening quarter to go up 7-0; Escalon countered with a 32-yard field goal from Ricardo Felix Chavez to trim the lead to 7-3 with 9:20 to go in the second. Another score by the Tigers put them up 14-3 but then Cougar quarterback Logan Huebner got into the end zone on a QB keeper from 22 yards out. The kick by Brody Abbott was good and it was a 14-10 contest.
The host Roseville team once again put together a quick and efficient scoring drive to go up 21-10. Not to be outdone, Huebner found Dylan Ball on an 18-yard passing play for the score. Escalon first set up for the extra point but when Roseville was penalized for an infraction, the Cougars opted to try for the two-point conversion. It looked as though Huebner got the ball across the goal line – and various video feeds appeared to confirm that – but the officials on the field ruled he was stopped short and said the attempt was no good. Escalon got just the six points and went into the locker room down 21-16.
“In my mind, that’s a huge momentum swing,” Beam said, noting that not getting the two points gave the momentum back to Roseville, which also got the second half kickoff.
Junior Andrew Martin was lost to injury in the first half, watching the game from the sidelines on the trainer’s table, suffering a knee injury.
“I’m still rooting for my boys,” Martin said, adding that it was difficult to just watch and not be able to play.
But he said it pointed out what became a mantra of sorts for the team this season.
“Keep your head up, no matter what, and just try your best,” Martin said.
With hopes of making a stop to start the third quarter, the Cougars instead saw the Tigers get into the end zone – scoring twice in the third – and extending their lead to 35-16 entering the final frame.
“It’s just frustrating,” admitted Beam. “We were right there at halftime and Roseville came out in the third quarter and scored two touchdowns right away and then you’re chasing it the rest of the night.”
A fourth quarter score put Roseville up 42-16, but the Escalon varsity squad continued to fight. Putting together a solid drive, which ended with Huebner finding sophomore Jake Ferreira from 34 yards out for the score and a failed two-point attempt, Escalon trimmed the lead to 42-22. It was Ferreira’s first varsity touchdown. Roseville again matched the Cougars, scoring to go up 49-22 with 1:24 to play in the game.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ferreira notched his second career varsity touchdown, this one on a 98-yard kickoff return, a slashing run that saw him evade some tacklers and then head toward the right sideline, outrunning all the defenders for the score with 1:05 to play. The two-point conversion was good, pass from Huebner to Chase Cummings, making the score 49-30.
Escalon had 289 yards of offense on the night, Roseville had 470. Huebner was 15-for-23 for 193 yards and two touchdowns, along with throwing one interception. He also had 12 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. Ball had five catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, along with 10 carries for 43 yards before he went into concussion protocol in the second half. Chase Cumings had six catches for 53 yards and a two-point conversion, Jake Ferreria had four carries, the 34-yard touchdown reception and the big kickoff return for the score.
“That team is pretty dang good,” Beam admitted of Roseville. “Coaches said this is a once in a decade team that they’ve had coming up the last few years … we just caught them at the wrong time.”
Escalon also dealt with plenty of adversity, losing three two-way starters in seniors Ben Ferreira, Ben Gonzalez and Rylan Koops, in the second game of the season, none of them able to return during the campaign. Instead, several underclassmen stepped up and Beam said as hard as it was to lose that trio, watching the younger players contribute bodes well for the future.
Defensively on Friday night, Mason Haverkamp had six tackles, Co Northcutt and Conner McDowell had five each and Northcutt had a fumble recovery.
Senior Haverkamp said the seniors this year were hard on the underclassmen, making sure they carry on the Escalon tradition in the years to come.
“We’ve really made it hard on them, we didn’t make it easy, no matter what, they kept coming back and I love it, this is what Escalon football is all about, we keep getting up,” Haverkamp said.
Fellow senior Northcutt added that it was ultimately a rewarding season.
“Honestly, everything, even the hard stuff was fun in the end because it all paid off and I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to be with,” Northcutt explained.
And while his football days for EHS are behind him, the senior said there will always be tradition and pride within the Cougar ranks.
“We’ve just got to keep moving forward and put the torch in the other guy’s hand,” he said.
Also keeping the loss in perspective and reviewing the season was senior Chase Cummings, who was glad to see the Cougars keep battling against Roseville until the clock ran out on Friday night.
“The biggest thing I take away from it is just, you’ve got to enjoy every single moment, no matter what you’re doing in life, whether it’s the sucky part, whether it’s the great part, if you’re breathing, if you’re doing something, if you’re living, you should enjoy it,” Cummings said. “High school football, you only get to do it one time, so, just don’t take anything for granted … I think another thing I can take away from it is just that, everything’s easier when you’re with a group of guys that are going through the same thing as you.”
For senior quarterback Logan Huebner, he pointed to the lessons inherent in the game as being important.
“It’s not just about football, it’s like a life lesson you know, waking up early, putting in all the work, it just prepares you for life. This season really tested us, I feel like it got us prepared for what’s to come in the next chapter of our lives,” summarized Huebner. “I just love these guys; it was fun playing with them. We’ve just got to try to wipe this off, take the good memories, leave the bad ones … no regrets honestly, just move on, remember the good times.”
