Escalon made it three wins in a row on the varsity football field this week … but this one counted.

After capturing victories in their final two preseason contests, the varsity Cougars kept it rolling and got a decisive 38-7 win against Ripon Cristian to open up Trans-Valley League play.

Making it that much sweeter, the victory came on Homecoming Night.

It also was nearly a mirror image of the game from last season, when the final score at RC was the host Knights 38, Escalon 8.

Head coach Andrew Beam was much happier to be on the winning side of the score this time around.

“We just felt like we needed to put pressure on that team right away,” Beam said of facing off against the Knights.

Coming in with a relatively small roster, Beam said one of the keys was to jump on the Knights and make it hard for them to catch their collective breath.

Escalon won the toss and deferred, kicking off to the Knights. The defense stepped up, though, holding RC to three and out. After a short punt return, the first play from scrimmage saw Dylan Ball go 71 yards for a touchdown, Brody Abbott adding the point after for an early 7-0 Cougar lead.

After the quick strike, the Cougars had another surprise for Ripon Christian, as Abbott executed a perfect onside kick and then recovered the ball himself to give Escalon great field position.

“That was a body blow,” the coach said. “Any chance for them to make a quick rebuttal to our opening touchdown was negated.”

Escalon turned that possession into a 33-yard field goal from Abbott to go up 10-0.

“In the second quarter, we exploded for 28 points, which was nice,” Beam said.

Quarterback Archer Sanders found Ian Trejo down the field, putting a 39-yard pass over his shoulder and into his hands as Trejo hit the end zone. Abbott kicked the point after for a 17-0 lead. It was 24-0 after a Val Garcia 17-yard touchdown run, set up by a 35-yard rushing play from Jake Ferreira.

After a fourth down stop by the Escalon defense, it was Ferreira’s turn to grab the spotlight.

“He had a 69-yard touchdown run and he got to show off his elite speed,” Beam said.

With the point after by Abbott, it was 31-0 Escalon.

Trejo then pulled in an interception and zig-zagged his way across the field but there were penalties on both sides, eventually putting Escalon back past midfield. But they got back on the scoreboard before halftime, with a 21-yard completion from Sanders to Ferreira for the touchdown. Abbott tacked on the extra point and Escalon went into the locker room with a 38-0 lead.

“We had 301 rushing yards at halftime, 106 passing yards,” Beam said. “We had 400 yards in the first half; that’s what we’ve been trying to find.”

The big lead gave Escalon the chance to get its second unit guys on the field for much of the second half; Ripon Christian requested a running clock in the third quarter, allowable due to the point differential, and Escalon agreed to the request.

The Knights avoided the shutout by getting a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, after 19 straight plays against the second unit defense, who made their opponent work hard for every yard.

“Ripon Christian was missing a few kids to injury and they only dress 22 to 24 when they’re healthy,” Beam noted. “They are a good team.”

Last year’s contest was one in which Escalon turned the ball over five times and had their worst performance of the season; Beam said it was important for this year’s Cougars to put that game behind them and get the win.

Ripon Christian had a 4-0 record in preseason and came in highly ranked in the Section.

“This is a team that was winning games convincingly so opening league 1-0 is important for us,” Beam said of defeating the Knights. “We’ve also had a horrible track record on Homecoming the last seven or eight years.”

Getting the win on Homecoming was icing on the cake; with the Class of 1986 celebrating their 40-year reunion at the game and their class president Tom Murphy serving as the honorary captain for the coin toss ceremony.

Jake Ferreira had seven carries for 130 yards and one catch for 21 yards, scoring two touchdowns on the night. Dylan Ball had eight carries for 124 yards and a touchdown. Val Garcia had a touchdown; Ian Trejo had two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Archer Sanders was 4-for-8 for 106 yards and two touchdowns, Abbott had a field goal, five extra points, a touchback and a recovered onside kick.

Defensively, Conner McDowell and Cole McDowell each had five tackles, Trejo had an interception.

Next, the Cougars travel to Hilmar to face off with the Yellowjackets for the Vaca Bowl trophy. Hilmar won their TVL opener by a 28-14 final over Ripon on Sept. 25.

“The month of October will make or break our season,” Beam said. “We face Hilmar, Hughson, Ripon and Sonora; it’s going to be a battle every week.”

The coach added that Hilmar is a senior leaden team and is currently 5-0. Game time in Hilmar is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2.

“This will be another great test,” Beam said.