The cards just didn’t fall Escalon’s way in varsity football action on Friday night.

They faced off with an undefeated Sonora Wildcats team and the squad came in as advertised; arriving for their first official Trans-Valley League contest on Sept. 20 with something to prove.

And prove it they did, upending Escalon by a 35-14 final at Engel Field, opening up TVL with a road win in what is usually a very tough place for visiting teams to play.

Head coach Andrew Beam noted that the loss of starting quarterback Logan Huebner early in the first half definitely put a damper on things, but junior back up Donovan Martinez initially gave the team a lift.

Huebner, also a junior, was hurt on back-to-back plays, first twisting his knee on a QB scramble.

“The next play was a pass play and as he planted to throw the ball, a Sonora lineman kind of dove in and rolled up on his knee,” Beam said. “It’s just crazy because it hits you like a ton of bricks.”

The initial word was a torn MCL; Beam added that it will require an MRI to see if there is any additional ligament damage to the knee. How extensive the injury is will be key in whether Huebner will have a chance to return to the gridiron this season.

Martinez, thrust into the Friday night lights, performed admirably.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of Donovan; this is a kid who tore his ACL in week three of his freshman season and literally hadn’t taken a snap in a game in over two years,” Beam explained. “He came in and completed his first four passes, he threw two touchdowns on the night, stepping in to such a tough role, you would hope every kid, when given that chance, would come in and give it their all.”

Martinez did, rallying the Cougars to a 14-7 lead at halftime.

His first touchdown pass was a 44-yard toss to Chase Cummings, setting off a celebration both in the end zone and at the line of scrimmage for the Cougars. The point after was good for the 7-0 lead but Sonora returned the ensuing kickoff for a score, knotting the game at 7-7.

A nine-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Ball from Martinez with just under four minutes to go in the half, kick good, put the home team up 14-7.

But it was all Sonora in the second half, controlling the time of possession and wearing down the Escalon defense.

“It was a really tough second half, if anything could go wrong, it did; our offense only had one first down in the second half,” Beam explained. “We couldn’t sustain a drive, we put the defense out there too much.”

Escalon had just 22 yards rushing as a team on 17 carries for the game.

“That has got to be an all time low; 22 yards is hard to even imagine in our Wing-T offense,” Beam pointed out.

Huebner completed two passes for 14 yards in his time on the field; Martinez was 7-for-14 for 99 yards in his debut at quarterback.

Ben Ferreira had a great play on special teams as a Cougar kick glanced off a Sonora player and therefore was live; Ferreira pounced on it to give possession back to the host Cougars.

Freshman Dylan Ball had another all-around stellar effort, with a fumble recovery, an interception and six tackles on defense, as well as a couple of receptions, including a touchdown.

“He has just gotten better every game,” said Beam.

Ryan Lewis had six tackles and two sacks.

“Sonora was big, physical, athletic,” Beam said. “They were running away from Ryan all night long, that’s everybody’s game plan.”

As frustrating as that is for the senior Lewis, Beam said he still made his presence felt.

He also said the team needs to rally behind the lefty QB Martinez, and behind each other, as they move on and look to get back on the winning track, after dropping games to Oakdale and Sonora in recent weeks.

“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” the coach said. “Defending Section champions, defending TVL champions, we beat everybody (in league) last year and now everybody wants their piece of us.”

Escalon heads out on the road to play at Hilmar on Friday, Sept. 27. It will be the second game in the Vaca Bowl, with a special trophy at stake; a trophy that Escalon brought home from last year’s inaugural contest.

“A rally win in the Vaca Bowl would go a long way,” Beam said of the team gaining back some confidence.

JV/Freshmen

Escalon’s JV team battled hard but fell just a few points short to Sonora on Friday night, losing 29-25.

Sonora returned the opening kickoff for a score, putting the host JV Cougars in an immediate 7-0 hole.

Carter Yates found the end zone after a 51-yard run and Carson Criteser tacked on the extra point to tie the game at 7-7 and then Escalon took the lead on a K’Oz Castro 1-yard rushing touchdown. The point after attempt was blocked, but Escalon went up 13-7.

In the second quarter, Castro scored on a 14-yard run, two-point conversion failed but the JV team went up 19-7. Sonora got a score and the conversion, trimming the lead to 19-15 by halftime.

The visitors went up 22-19 with a pass play and good kick in the third quarter, then extended the lead to 29-19 in the fourth on a rushing touchdown and the point after.

“Ethan Butler completed a 54-yard touchdown pass to Yates,” coach Brant Rose said of his team battling to the end.

The kick was no good, but the JV Cougars got closer, 29-25.

They couldn’t get any closer, though, and Sonora walked off with the win.

“We are struggling to find consistency on both sides of the ball for a full four quarters,” admitted Rose. “This is a painful loss because we had so many chances to win this game. This was the third loss against a quality team that we were in a position to beat.”

The freshmen were on the road at Sonora on Thursday, Sept. 19 and took a 26-14 win.

“I want to start off by acknowledging our QB, Stratton McSorley, who was making his third start due to our starter going down for the year,” said coach Joey Costa. “He played much better and was a huge part in the victory on Thursday.”

Sonora, however, took the early lead on their first possession with a touchdown and 2-point conversion but Escalon answered back, the offense led down the field by Val Garcia and Dylan Machado. McSorley got in on a QB run for the score but the extra point was no good. Sonora had an 8-6 lead at the half.

“The second half kickoff was fumbled by us. The very next play, George Healy, our defensive end made a huge impact and stripped the Sonora QB, causing a fumble which was recovered by Dom Rissetto,” said Costa.

From there, the team went on a drive capped by a rushing touchdown from Machado. The 2-point fell short but Escalon went up 12-8. Sonora got back on the board and had a 14-12 lead after three.

Machado returned the kickoff after Sonora’s TD for 75 yards, getting in to the end zone and Garcia got the 2-point conversion to make it 20-14 Escalon. Their final score came from Garcia, after some strong defense by Rhodey Trimble, a sack; and a big kickoff from Juan Pablo De Luna to pin the Wildcats deep.

“I would like to say how proud I am as we fought through the adversity of being down early and only getting one first half possession,” Costa said. “We still have plenty of work and improving left to do but I think we are trending in the right direction.”