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Nine Touchdown Night For JV Cougars In Win
JV Krieger
JV player Ethan Krieger, 22, gets to the outside during action on the home field on Friday night. The host Cougars roughed up Liberty, 63-0. Marg Jackson/The Times

Everything they did on the gridiron worked.

On the other side of the line of scrimmage, nothing was working for Liberty.

Escalon’s JV football team steamrolled visiting Liberty High School of Madera on Friday night, sending the Hawks home on the wings of a 63-0 defeat.

“We outgained them 293 to 73 in yardage,” said head coach Andrew Beam. “We got the opening kickoff and Colton Panero took it back 90 yards for the score.”

On the ensuing possession by Liberty, the JV defense held them to a quick three and out and then just as quickly got a 40-yard touchdown from Kaden Christensen. Then a 52-yard score by Frank Leal – each time the extra point added by Guillermo Alvarez – lifted the host squad to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

Four touchdowns in the second quarter staked Escalon to an insurmountable 49-0 lead at the half, and they tacked on one more score in each of the third and fourth quarters.

Brad DaDalt and Leal each had a pick-six in the second quarter while quarterback Lucca Dutra had a rushing score and threw for another. He was 3-for-5 on the night for 35 yards and two touchdowns.

“In the second half, we got a lone touchdown in the third from Ethan Krieger from 17 yards out and in the fourth, a 20-yard rush by DaDalt,” Beam said. “We had no penalties, no turnovers.”

Despite the huge lead at the half, and rotating in second string players liberally, Beam said there was “no drop” when the team utilized bench players and no one lost focus during the contest.

“I felt we executed and played well,” agreed Beam of the all-around solid effort.

Defensive leaders were Chase Granis and Alexis Jimenez, each recording seven tackles. Alvarez hit all nine extra points on the night.

This week, the team will have to re-double their efforts, the coach said, as they will face a team that will be their toughest test to date. Liberty Ranch out of Galt will be the opponent on Friday night, Sept. 16. Kickoff at Engel Field is at 5:30 p.m.

“Liberty Ranch is undefeated; this is going to be a big time test for us,” Beam said.

Escalon also comes in undefeated, having topped Enochs, Calaveras and Liberty over the first three weeks of the season.