There was a different feel in the locker room as the varsity football Cougars waited to take the field.

There were motivational speeches, there were challenges put to the players. There was a collective mindset.

And it added up to a big win, on the road, Friday night in Hilmar.

Assistant coach Frosty Van Houten said it was a fired up team that burst onto the field to take on the Yellowjackets in the Sept. 27 contest.

“I feel it; this is the spark that ignites the season,” Van Houten said prior to kickoff.

The spark was definitely there, as the Cougars rolled to a 42-17 win. It evened Escalon’s record at 1-1 in league play and allowed the team to retain possession of the Vaca Bowl trophy, which they won last year at the inaugural contest.

Head coach Andrew Beam agreed, noting that the team entered the game with a different attitude, a different approach, a sharper focus.

He said it was a key win, especially with the team’s two best athletes – senior Sam Jimenez and junior Logan Huebner, the starting quarterback who was injured in the league opener against Sonora – relegated to the sidelines.

“They didn’t blink,” Beam said of the players that did take the field, going up against a tough Hilmar team looking to take advantage of the Cougars not being at full strength.

But rolling to a 21-10 halftime lead and doubling their score with three touchdowns in the third quarter, Escalon turned the tables on the host Yellowjackets.

They also changed things up a little bit within the coaching corps, as Beam told his coaches that they didn’t have to all wear the same polo shirt on Friday night.

“I told them I don’t care what shirt you wear, as long as it’s purple,” he said, chuckling, with coaches picking their ‘lucky’ shirts.

Beam chose one from the 2017 campaign.

After losses to Oakdale in the preseason finale and to Sonora in the TVL opener, Beam said it was crucial for the Cougars to get back in the win column.

“We were asking for some excitement, for the kids to play with some passion,” the head coach said of main points in the pregame preparation.

Junior quarterback Donovan Martinez, who had to step in for Huebner following last week’s injury, connected with several receivers and ran the offense effectively.

“I knew there was going to be some pressure because, trying to fill in for Logan Huebner, that’s a big part of our offense and, just to be able to come in and execute the way I did, just filling that spot for us, it feels good,” Martinez said.

The junior has had to battle back from injury himself, having torn the ACL in his left knee as a freshman.

“I just tried to do my best, just wanted to come out here and show what I could do,” Martinez said of getting the chance to contribute.

A pair of third quarter touchdowns were scored by senior Dom Arauza, who churned up the yardage against the Yellowjackets.

“It felt amazing, I feel like everyone, all the groups, our special teams, our offense, our defense, we all just clicked,” Arauza said of putting together the winning effort. “Offensively, we got in a groove and if we play like this every time, I think we’re going to win a lot of games.”

He said the coaches also let the players know that, in reality, their backs were against the wall as they headed to Hilmar; digging out of an 0-2 hole in the Trans-Valley League would be tough. So, they focused on getting to 1-1, regardless of the opponent.

“We needed to get in a groove, get things going on the right track … we’re in league and these are the games that matter,” Arauza added.

Ben Gonzalez pointed to the ability of Martinez to step up and lead the team through adversity as being a motivating factor for all.

“I’ve known Donovan for a really long time, he’s been my best friend since third grade, I’m very glad that he stepped up when he needed to,” Gonzalez said. “We really turned it up, we came with a lot of electricity, a lot of power to this game, we came with our heads up.”

For senior captain Carson Medina, he classified the feeling of looking at the 42-17 final score on the scoreboard as “amazing” and a testament to the team’s hard work.

“Tonight was the night that we all really clicked,” Medina said. “It’s what we needed as a team, after those two losses in a row, this is what we needed, to rebound. I think from here on out, we know what we have, we know what we can do and I think it’s really going to help us the rest of the season.”

Medina added that Hilmar seemed to lose some steam toward the end of the game, as the Cougars were able to keep the pressure on and outlast their opponent, wearing them down.

Fellow captain Ryan Lewis agreed that it was a motivated team that came out of the locker room.

“The whole week we just knew that we had to get this one,” Lewis said. “We had to come here, bring the energy.”

He also said the Cougars weren’t willing to just sit on a 21-10 halftime lead, making sure they focused on getting even more points on the board in the second half.

“We kept our composure, we got it done,” Lewis said. “Everyone was just flying around, everyone was just having fun; we need to do that every game, have more fun. I know it’s business, for sure, but we’ve got to have fun while we do it.”

Getting some carries with the second offense, senior Austin Cullum was glad to be part of the big win, helping secure the Vaca Bowl trophy for a second year.

“It felt amazing and, with the trophy now, they’ve been wanting that thing back since we beat them so bad last year so this year, to be able to keep it means everything,” Cullum said. “This means a ton for the team, to be able to have a lot of weapons … Donovan was able to step up huge.”

Freshman Dylan Ball also agreed that Martinez settling in at quarterback and spreading out the offense was a major part of the win.

“When Logan got hurt against Sonora, it brought the whole team down, but to have somebody step up, that’s exactly what Donovan did today with four passing touchdowns,” Ball said. “It was good to get back on track, this was a big win, it obviously boosted our team spirit … but we’ve got to keep working, we’ve got to move on.”

Escalon rolled up 456 yards of offense on Friday night, with 18 first downs. Lewis said with both the offense and defense working together, it was a recipe for success, especially with so many Cougars getting involved in the win.

“It was super exciting to see everyone make a play,” Lewis said.