As the Hilmar Yellowjackets celebrated their victory in the Vaca Bowl and raised the championship Milk Can Trophy for the first time in one end zone, the Escalon Cougars could only think of what might have been as they huddled in the other end zone.

A couple of yards was all they needed … a couple of yards that would have meant a first down and a likely chance to kneel out the clock and get out of Hilmar with a win on Friday night, Oct. 2.

But the varsity football team couldn’t find a way to get those yards and had to turn the ball back over to the host Yellowjackets, who then went on a game winning drive, taking the Trans-Valley Leage contest by a 36-32 final.

“This game came down to inches,” Escalon head coach Andrew Beam said. “Hilmar looked like it was their Super Bowl.”

It was also a game of big plays on both sides, with Dylan Ball getting Escalon on the board first on a 68-yard run and the kick for the point after by Brody Abbott, putting the Cougars up 7-0.

Hilmar answered back and the teams were tied, 7-7, after one quarter.

“Hilmar gets 16 points in the second, we get seven so we were down nine points at halftime,” Beam said of trailing 23-14, with Jake Ferreira scoring on a 17-yard run in the second and Abbott adding the extra point.

Escalon got the ball to start the second half and went on to put 18 straight points on the board, flipping the script to go up by nine, leading the Yellowjackets 32-23 in the fourth quarter. The Cougars put 15 points on the board in the third while keeping Hilmar off the scoreboard, but the Yellowjackets then grabbed the win with a 13-3 scoring edge in the final frame.

In the third quarter, Escalon got touchdowns on a 45-yard run from Ball, an 11-yard TD pass from Archer Sanders to Ferreira, with a 2-point conversion toss pulled in by Ian Trejo. Then, in the fourth, Abbott hit a 26-yard field goal to extend the lead.

“Then Hilmar rolls off 13 straight,” Beam said.

It was a game of ebbs and flows, with each team at times seeming to be down for the count but finding a way to get back up.

“I’m unbelievably proud of how our kids responded in the third quarter,” Beam said. “We showed resilience.”

But it was also a frustrating game in that the team couldn’t put the game away late in the contest.

“This team has as much talent as anyone we play,” Beam said. “But we have to learn to close out games.”

One of this year’s team captains, Ethan Butler, knows that the Cougars let an important game slip away.

“We have to have a better first half, we came out completely flat, we didn’t look like the same team we had the last three weeks, we were missing blocks, missing tackles,” Butler said. “We’ve got to move on from this loss and move on to Hughson.”

It was also a disappointing outcome for fellow captain Conner McDowell, who said there are areas that the team needs to clean up.

“We’ve just got to make all the plays, mistakes can’t be happening, we have to make the plays when we have the chance,” McDowell said. “We’ve got to work hard, be strong in practice, show up on time and work hard.”

Offensively, Ball had 20 carries for 209 yards and two touchdowns, along with one catch for four yards. Ferreira had nine carries for 54 yards and one catch for 11 yards, scoring two touchdowns. Trejo had four catches for 78 yards and had the 2-point conversion catch. Quarterback Sanders was 6-for-11 for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Conner McDowell had eight tackles, Ball had five tackles and an interception.

“We had 377 total yards of offense, Hilmar had 388,” Beam said, adding that he hopes his team has another chance to see the Yellowjackets down the line in the postseason.

With the 36-32 win, Hilmar claimed the Vaca Bowl trophy for the first time; Escalon won it the first three years. The Milk Can trophy was created by Daniel Medina, paying tribute to the farming families of both communities. And while the Cougars would like to have kept their winning streak in the Vaca Bowl intact, they have to collectively shake off the loss.

“How do we get the gear shifted,” Beam said of what the team is focusing on this week. “We have to move on … we have to focus on Hughson. We still control our destiny; we still have control of what this season looks like for us.”

Escalon is now 1-1 in TVL play, 3-3 overall and will face off at Engel Field against a tough and talented Hughson team on Friday, Oct. 9 in a crucial league battle.

Due to this week’s heat wave, start times for the contests have been pushed back, with the JV game scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start, varsity at 7:30 p.m.