Before the Escalon offense even got on the field Friday night, Nov. 24 at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton, they were looking at a 14-0 deficit.

It was not the best of starts for the Cougars as they faced off in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 final against the Patterson Tigers.

Escalon, moved up to D4 this season for the playoffs due to past success in D5, went in as the number one seed while Patterson was the number three seed. But it was the Tigers who seemed to be trending in the right direction in the early going.

Taking the opening kickoff, the Tigers displayed a combination of speed, strength, agility and athleticism in putting points on the board on their first possession.

It took less than three minutes, with the Tigers getting an 8-yard rushing touchdown and the point after to take the early 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Talan Reider took the ball and started up the field but was met by some hard-hitting Tigers, with the ball jarred loose and the Patterson team jumping on it at the Escalon 29-yard line. The Cougars stopped them on three downs but the Tigers went for it on fourth down and got a first down completion at the 12-yard line. From there, they kept the ball on the ground and pounded down toward the goal line.

Tiger Jeremiah Lugo appeared to be stopped short but stretched out and got the ball across the line for the touchdown, the point after was good and it was 14-0 Patterson with 6:09 to play in the first quarter.

Escalon fans – who filled a good portion of the home side stands at the Stockton stadium – hadn’t had much to cheer about and were a bit restless. But the Cougars did get a couple of first down plays after seeing the kickoff go out of bounds, taking over on the 35-yard line.

Josh Graham had a couple of first down runs on the possession, with another one by Jamin Miller, but a couple of runs were stuffed and a pass fell incomplete, putting Escalon in a fourth and 11 situation in Patterson territory. After a time out with 2:47 left in the first, the pass from Donovan Rozevink to Ryan Lewis had just a little too much juice on it and was incomplete, allowing Patterson to take over on downs at their 34-yard line.

Patterson was driving as the second quarter began, but a huge defensive effort from Nate Krieger and Ryan Lewis – who got credit for the quarterback sack – made it a fourth and 15 and the Tigers had to punt.

It was then there was a little light, as Sam Jimenez broke free for a 74-yard punt return to the end zone and the kick was good by Reider, trimming the lead to 14-7 with 10:56 to go in the second quarter.

“If we ever needed a big play, that was it,” head coach Anderw Beam said of the Cougars getting some life back after being a bit deflated following the two quick first quarter scores by Patterson. “Sam had a couple of key blocks, one by Ryan Lewis and another by Carson Medina, that helped spring that play.”

But less than two minutes later, Patterson answered with a touchdown pass to Lugo and with the kick good, it was 21-7 with 9:09 left in the first half.

Unable to get much going on their next possession, the Cougars had to punt it away and the Tigers once again cashed in, this time with a 38-yard play and the kick good, extending their lead to 28-7 with 2:45 left in the half.

Taking over at their own 17 following the kickoff, the Cougars found the ground game hard to use, so Rozevink was called on for some big completions, including one to Lewis, another one pulled in by Jimenez with the defense all over him, and then a big first down completion to Lewis at the Patterson 41-yard line. Another Lewis catch in the sequence put the Cougars at the 27-yard line but then Rozevink was sacked by a tough Tiger defensive line, putting the team back at the 38-yard line with just over 50 seconds to go. On a third and forever, Rozevink scrambled to buy enough time and found Jimenez on a crossing pattern, drilling it into his receiver’s midsection and the play going for a 35-yard touchdown. The kick was good and the Cougars trimmed the lead to 28-14 with just under 20 seconds left in the half. Patterson didn’t have time to get much going but left the field with the two touchdown cushion.

However, the Cougars knew they would get the ball to start the second half.

“It started as bad as we could imagine,” admitted Beam. “Down 14-0 in the first, we gave them all the momentum in the world but when we were able to score right before half and then get the ball to start the second half, in all reality, that seemed to be our only hope.”

And the Cougars seized that hope, as Reider returned the second half kickoff to the 37-yard line, a solid starting point for the opening drive. First down passes to Jimenez and Lewis, a short rush by Graham and then a 5-yard scramble for the first down by Rozevink put the Cougars at the Patterson 24-yard line. After a rushing play went nowhere, Rozevink again turned to Jimenez, finding him in the corner of the end zone where he pulled the ball down by going up and over the defense; the catch good for the touchdown. The kick by Reider was good to trim the lead to 28-21 with 8:28 to go in the third.

With each successive possession, the Cougars were regaining their own momentum, drawing on the experience from a preseason gauntlet of tough teams, riding out the storm that the Tigers brought to the contest. Both the offense and the defense started clicking and it was Jimenez who got the interception on Patterson’s next possession, cutting short a Tiger drive and getting the Cougar offense back on the field at their own 15-yard line with 6:54 left in the third.

“That place erupted,” Beam said of the fans celebrating Jimenez getting the pickoff that eventually led to the game-tying score. “I just felt it, everybody believed it.”

A couple of solid runs from Miller churned up some yardage and with just over a minute to go in the third, the Cougars were looking at a first and 15 at the 26-yard line, just outside the red zone, after taking a delay of game penalty. The next play saw offsetting penalties, with Rozevink then once again scrambling, evading the would-be tacklers and keeping his eyes downfield. Reider was able to get free in the end zone and pulled in the 26-yard pass, then made the extra point kick, knotting the score at 28-28 with 1:17 to play in the third.

“He had to make so many plays happen, there was a lot of improvisation, including from the offensive line,” Beam said of Rozevink and the O-line. “I don’t think the kids ever felt they were out of the fight.”

Tied up entering the fourth quarter, Patterson kept the ball for almost the first six minutes, working the ball down the field and getting the touchdown and the point after with 6:13 to play in the game, going up 35-28.

The kickoff went into the end zone, putting Escalon on the 20-yard line, facing an 80-yard drive in the final six minutes. Again, it was a drive that saw a couple of sacks, some short gains on the ground and some big pass completions. There were also some fourth down conversions – including two confirmed to be first downs by measurement – that kept the drive alive.

Some scrambles, some penalties and a third and 11 at the 13-yard line with 41 seconds left saw the Rozevink to Jimenez connection come through again, with Jimenez grabbing the pass and twisting his way in for the score.

“We knew we were going for two,” Beam said of opting for the 2-point conversion play for the win rather than the extra point try to tie it up. “Nothing was easy on that drive.”

And though Rozevink wanted to throw the ball for the conversion, Beam said he had faith in the power run team that Escalon is, and asked his three-year quarterback to take it in on the Q strong play. With Patterson looking out to the sides for the potential pass, it opened up the lane for Rozevink, who went in untouched to put the Cougars up 36-35 with just 36 seconds to play.

“There was nothing but excitement everywhere, but then it’s hold them one time,” Beam said.

Nico Franzia stepped up huge, recording back-to-back sacks as Patterson tried to make headway down the field on the final drive of the game. What appeared to be the last gasp was a series of laterals – and a couple of forward passes – with a Patterson player appearing to be down and setting off the celebration as the Cougar players rushed the field.

“We all heard the whistle,” Beam said.

But the officials called a penalty on Escalon for entering the field early, saying that offset two forward passes and one block in the back by Patterson. The ruling on the field was one untimed down for the Patterson offense. And it nearly won them the game, as the pass was complete and the Cougars worked to chase down the receiver; it was Noah Gutierrez who ultimately made the stop just inside the red zone, bringing down the Patterson player and sealing the Section win for Escalon.

“I’m so unbelievably proud of our kids,” Beam said. “The resiliency, the belief, the fight.”

Escalon, with the gutsy, come-from-behind 36-35 victory, earned their fourth straight Section title, winning in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. There were no playoffs in the COVID year of 2020.

“They stunned us,” Beam admitted of the Tigers, getting the early lead and seeming to take control in the second with the 28-7 lead. But the crucial score just before half and the determination of an entire team coming out of the locker room for the second half made the difference.

Defensively, Franzia had two sacks, Lewis had one sack and Jimenez had the interception. Krieger led the way with 11 tackles and Miller had eight.

Offensively, Jimenez had nine catches for 128 yards with three receiving touchdowns and one punt return touchdown. Reider had the other touchdown reception and Rozevink took in the winning 2-point conversion.

“Donovan was spectacular,” Beam said.                                           

The senior was 17-for-26 for 239 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers.

“Him making the plays, buying enough time,” Beam added. “It was one of the best, if not the best, quarterback performances we’ve ever seen from an Escalon quarterback.”

And while Rozevink – a team captain this season – led the team into the battle, Beam said it took everyone to get the win and bring the blue banner home.

“I’m proud of every coach, every player,” Beam said. “This is why we do it.”

With the Section title now in hand, Escalon will travel to Lafayette to play Acalanes in the Division 3-AA NorCal Bowl with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday, Dec. 1 with a state title game berth on the line.