Volleyball, golf and cross country athletes were all in action this past week for Escalon while the flag football girls had a break just prior to starting league competition.
Following is a recap of the contests.
VOLLEYBALL
On the road to start their week, the varsity volleyball girls swept past host Ripon Christian on Tuesday, Sept. 15 in scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-17.
Aniston Hunt had 28 assists for the contest to go along with 13 digs, two blocks and one ace. Emma Strong had 14 kills, eight digs and two blocks; Ronni Keo had six kills and two blocks. Haven MacKinnon had four blocks and Brynn Caton added 16 digs and one ace.
“Ripon Christian is such a strong program so we knew we needed to be at the top of our game with this match, and these girls showed up,” said head coach Stephanie Ceja. “The girls were on top from the start and never looked back.”
On the home court Thursday, Sept. 17, it was a non-league match against River Islands of Lathrop. Escalon won in straight sets, 25-23, 25-17, 25-19.
Once again, Hunt had a solid all-around match, with 30 assists, five kills, 11 digs, four aces and one block. Avery Bartelink had nine kills, six digs, two aces and one block; Arie Paulsen had 10 kills and two aces. Strong had 15 kills and 10 digs; Caton had 11 digs.
“The girls were on fire this game,” noted Ceja. “They struggled in the beginning of each set, but once they got their momentum going, they played flawlessly.”
JV/FRESHMEN
It was a busy week for the JV girls, as they also saw tournament play in addition to the two matches.
They lost to Ripon Christian in three sets to start the week, then beat River Islands, 2-0, on the home court Thursday.
“We had our tournament on Saturday and finished fourth,” head coach Alyssa Cogburn said of the JV girls taking part in the Stockton Classic Tournament on Sept. 19. “The girls worked so hard all week and I’m really proud of the amount of growth they’ve shown.”
At the freshman level, the girls lost in a three-set battle at Ripon Christian, 22-25, 25-21, 12-15.
KaLee Bailey-Donis had three aces and two kills; Brooklyn Karp had 11 assists and five kills; Evelynn Strong had three aces, seven kills and 19 digs.
“Thursday, we won in a non-league game against River Islands in three,” said freshman head coach Mya Scott.
After falling 18-25 in the first set, Escalon came back to win the next two, 25-20, 15-7.
“Luisa Calderon Moreno and Olivia Raley had three kills each, Evelynn Strong had 12 digs and six kills, Paitynn Russell and Brooklyn Karp with two aces and six digs each,” Scott said.
GOLF
League matches for the golf girls saw them host Hilmar on Sept. 15, taking a 158-192 loss to the visitors at the Escalon Golf Course.
Areli Herrera paced the Escalon effort with a 42 on the day. Three players, Samantha Bruns, Jayci Trimble, and Sofia Da Silva, all carded a 50 on the afternoon. Not counting in the scoring were Kristina Mendoza, 54; and Lori Brown, 59.
“Hilmar has a really strong top three girls on their team, which makes them a really tough team,” said Escalon head coach Chris Casazza. “They are currently battling it out with Ripon for the top spot in the league.”
As far as his team, the coach said Herrera’s 42 was her best score of the season so far.
“It was great to see her play so well,” Casazza said.
Wednesday, Sept. 16, the girls were hosted by Ripon Christian at the Ripon Golf Club and the host team defeated Escalon, 169-186.
Bruns had a 43 on the afternoon, followed by Herrera, 46; Mendoza, 48; Da Silva, 49. Not counted were the 51 of Trimble and the 59 carded by Brown.
“Our girls really enjoyed playing Ripon Christian in this match. It was a very friendly vibe, and both sides had such great sportsmanship,” said Casazza. “At one point during the match, I heard cheering coming from a green. I happened to look over and saw the four golfers playing that hole, two from Escalon, two from Ripon Christian, all jumping up and down and cheering because one of them made an amazing putt.”
The coach noted that the camaraderie on the course is one of the best parts of the game.
“Even though Escalon took the loss, the girls had a great time playing, and ultimately, that’s what’s most important,” he said.
In a junior varsity match, Ripon Christian hosted Escalon and the host team took the win by just four strokes, 233-237, over the young Lady Cougars.
Alexis Tovar carded a 57 for Escalon, followed by Brisa Patino and Natalie Paxman at 59 each, Marissa Miller with a 62. Playing but not figuring in to the scoring were Daisy Lozano, 69, and Lucy Boles, 70.
The varsity girls were scheduled to play in the TVL Mid-Season Tournament at Micke Grove in Lodi this week, as well as traveling to play Hughson at River Oaks, while the JV girls had a home match scheduled, hosting Riverbank.
CROSS COUNTRY
This past Saturday, Sept. 19 the Escalon Cougars Cross Country team went to Frogtown Fairgrounds in Angels Camp for a large invitational.
“The teams placed fairly well with a few finishing quite well with decent times,” said head coach Arend Jones.
In the freshman boys race, Ismael Delgado finished first for Escalon and was a medalist with a time of 14:38, taking 23rd overall.
In the girls frosh-soph race, Amy Alvarado finished first for Escalon with a time of 17:56.
In the varsity girls race, Victoria Calderon finished first for Escalon and was 20th overall, finishing as a medalist with a time of 24:23.
In the varsity boys race, Kenneth Vargas finished first for Escalon with a time of 19:52.
In the JV girls race, Samari Webster finished first for Escalon and was a medalist with a time of 16:57, 16th overall. Miroslava Torres finished second for Escalon, 19th overall, and also was a medalist with a time of 17:09.
In the JV boys race, Brandon Gonzalez finished first for Escalon with a time of 13:59.
Coming up next, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Cougars will travel to Sonora and Wildcat Ranch to compete in the second Trans-Valley League meet of the season.
