They didn’t know much about their opponent going in … but by halftime, they knew just about all they needed, and Escalon’s JV football team crushed host Enochs on Friday night, 49-0.

“Right from the get go, you could see our guys were tougher, faster, more disciplined,” said head coach Andrew Beam.

Enochs hurt themselves with penalties and turnovers, but Beam said he also was pleased with the high level of play his squad brought to the field, with everyone getting a chance to see action on the gridiron.

“It was 36-0 at halftime,” noted Beam. “Our guys were ready to play.”

Leading the way were Alexis (Alex) Jimenez, who had four catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Lucca Dutra, who completed four of five pass attempts, including three scoring strikes to Jimenez.

“Jimenez had a very good game for us and Dutra will give us a chance to put the ball in the air more; that should make for an exciting season,” Beam said.

Major contributions also came from Kaden Christensen, who had a pair of rushing touchdowns while Frank Leal, Nash Satnat and Colton Panero all got high marks for their efforts in running the ball as well. Jordan Gwartney had a rushing touchdown for the JV team.

“Jacob Walden had a sack, a fumble recovery and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, that was a great night for his first game in a Cougar uniform,” Beam said of the freshman playing with the JV team.

The defense had an outstanding night, never letting the host Eagles find any kind of offensive rhythm and made sure their own offense had plenty of opportunity to get on the field.

“Our second string guys played the whole second half,” explained Beam, noting that they kept the shutout intact.

Though the Friday game was definitely one-sided, Beam said it will be a decidedly different scenario this week. The JV boys will travel to Calaveras for an early season contest that should give the young squad a chance to see how they measure up.

“Their JV team was 10-0 last year,” Beam said. “They were the only team that beat us … I expect it to be a tough, physical game.”

Kickoff for the JV game will be 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2 in Calaveras.