From the first offensive play of the night – which went for an 85-yard quick strike catch and run touchdown by host Placer – the Escalon Cougars were battling uphill. Down 7-0 just 29 seconds into the contest, things just never got any better for Escalon, which lost the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 quarterfinal game to the Placer Hillmen by a 42-2 final.
On a chilly night in Auburn, it was the number four seed Hillmen showing up big, outplaying number five seed Escalon in all facets of the game on Friday night, Nov. 15.
“Placer was really, really good,” admitted Escalon head coach Andrew Beam. “They were bigger, faster, more physical and stronger than us … it’s a reminder of what playing up a division or two is like with a small school roster. We were working with our fourth string wide receivers, our fourth string defensive backs, a couple of freshman running backs … Placer returned 20 of 22 starters, they came with a lot of experience.”
Escalon – by virtue of its playoff success the past few seasons – was bumped up to Division 4 while all other Trans-Valley League teams that qualified for the playoffs stayed at the Division 5 or 6 level. Throw in the myriad of injuries the varsity Cougars have dealt with this season, and making the long road trip to face off against Placer proved to be too much to overcome.
Escalon did get in position to attempt a first quarter field goal from 38 yards out in an effort to trim the lead to 7-3, but it fell short. After a fumble recovery by Rylan Koops on the next Placer possession, Escalon looked poised to perhaps get the game tied, but again the Placer defense turned them back. Still, a bad snap as the Hillmen took over on downs deep saw it sail over the head of the quarterback into the end zone and it set off a scramble for the ball. The quarterback got to it but was swarmed in the end zone for an Escalon safety, making it a 7-2 game with 2:15 left in the first quarter.
That was as close as Escalon would get on the night, though, and those were also the only points they would score in what turned out to be the final game of their season.
Placer added three more scores in the second quarter to go up 28-2 at the half and they would put two more touchdowns on the board in the third quarter to take a 42-2 lead. There was no scoring in the final frame, with a running clock implemented.
“We were just outmanned,” Beam said simply. “We couldn’t run it; we couldn’t throw it. They only ran 25 plays but had 377 yards of total offense, averaging 14.8 yards per play.”
Escalon, on the other hand, ran 59 plays but rolled up just 200 yards of offense, averaging 3.3 yards per play.
Senior running back Carson Medina had 13 carries for 39 yards, junior quarterback Logan Huebner completed 11-of-22 passes for 88 yards and had 36 rushing yards.
“Everything was just tough and that was a really good football team,” the coach summarized of the quarterfinal contest against Placer.
Still, the season saw the Cougars battle through plenty of injuries and internal struggles, trying to find an identity, especially after falling to a 2-5 record.
“They found a way from 2-5 to get to 6-6. They could have just laid down at 2-5 but they showed a lot of perseverance,” Beam pointed out. “Guys not quitting, guys pushing forward, they took it one week at a time and as a coach, I appreciate that.”
Escalon finished with a 4-2 record in Trans-Valley League play, 6-6 overall.
