There was blood. There was sweat. There were tears.
Senior team captain – and four-year varsity starter – Ryan Lewis held a towel to his face in an effort to stop a bloody nose. He and his teammates, sweaty and battered, took a collective knee as they gathered around head coach Andrew Beam on Friday night, Nov. 16. On a bitterly cold night in Auburn, they faced a bitter reality: their season was over.
Then, the tears flowed.
But for the varsity football Cougars, the tears were more about their Friday night brotherhood coming to an end than about taking a loss on the gridiron to the host Placer Hillmen. Placer upended Escalon 42-2 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 quarterfinal game.
“It was seeing things in a different light, a different perspective and it was a humbling experience,” senior captain Sam Jimenez said.
Jimenez, who tore his ACL just prior to the start of the season, did not get to play at all this year. He was on the sidelines throughout the campaign, however, first in a wheelchair right after surgery, then on crutches, then in a walking boot. He encouraged teammates, he served as an unofficial coach and mentor for the younger players and tried to stay positive.
“I’m really just proud of how our team dealt with adversity, they battled through it,” Jimenez said of the team facing a multitude of injuries, losing players on almost a weekly basis. “People were willing to learn, they stepped up and I couldn’t be more proud.”
And as tough as it was to stand on the sidelines and watch, Jimenez said it was a growth experience in many ways.
“It was definitely hard,” he admitted. “I’m a competitor and I want to win games.”
For fellow captain Ryan Murphy, the season-ending loss was something he had to put into perspective.
“We knew they were a good team; we knew that coming in but they just kind of stunned us a little bit up front and kind of in all aspects of the game,” Murphy admitted of the Hillmen. “We knew they were good, we knew we had a challenge; they were just a bit more of a challenge than we expected … the scoreboard says it, they were a good team.”
He also pointed to the resiliency Escalon displayed this season, coming back from a 2-5 record, as being a solid building block for the future.
“No matter how it ended tonight, the team rallied; at 2-5 we always knew that we were the team that won a Section title last year. The leaders came together, we pulled together, every one, all 50 of us came together and we just fought and we took it one game at a time.”
Senior Trent Powell said having to fight their way to get into the playoffs – let alone getting a first-round win and moving on – showed tremendous determination.
“For us to claw back and get that five seed and come out and compete with these teams, it’s a cool feeling, a lot of pride,” Powell said. “It’s been an amazing experience to be a part of this program, all the camaraderie and all the friendships I’ve made with all the kids, a lot of them I’ll be friends with the rest of my life and they’ll always have my back. It’s just really cool to go out with them and fight with them every Friday night.”
Junior quarterback Logan Huebner said he will take many of the lessons learned this year into next season.
“Seeing the seniors, it should have a big impact on the underclassmen coming up, the freshmen that got moved up, they should be wanting to drive to not let this happen next year,” Huebner said of the quarterfinal round exit. “I’m going to do everything in my power, since I’m going to be a senior next year, to carry my team; me and the other juniors are going to try our best to go farther than we did this year.”
Finishing the season at an even .500, at 6-6, senior Cruz Snow said the team made the decision to put their all into every practice, every game.
“I think we realized we just really had to start coming together and getting things to work; our line stepped up, our defense was keeping up and our offense started coming together making plays work,” Snow explained. “It was amazing playing with everyone; it was really fun; I enjoyed every moment … and I hate to see it go.”
The ending of the season was also bittersweet for senior captain Ryan Lewis.
“We knew we needed a change fast, especially if we wanted to make playoffs, when we were 2-5,” Lewis said.
He added that the team can take some pride in knowing they made that comeback and got to play in the postseason.
“I’m just glad we started to get some wins and build some more chemistry and that we wanted to get it done,” Lewis said of getting the chance to play for another Section title. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen but I think we shocked a few people for sure.”
