If they didn’t make quite as many mistakes, the outcome might have been different.

If they weren’t missing a key player from last season, the outcome might have been different.

But football games aren’t played on if’s.

They are played between the lines and Escalon’s varsity Cougars learned that, on Friday night, host Vacaville was just a little bit better … at least on the scoreboard.

Final score was Vacaville 23, Escalon 21 as the teams met to kick off the preseason on Friday, Aug. 23.

Varsity head coach Andrew Beam said the team was hurt by its mistakes, many of which were first game jitters, and definitely missed the presence of senior captain Sam Jimenez. Coming off a superb junior campaign, Jimenez was one of the key returners for the Cougars but found his season ended over the summer, suffering a knee injury at a camp. He underwent surgery earlier this month and was not able to travel with the team for the opener on the road.

Beam said the squad, however, knows they can’t focus on what they don’t have; they move forward with new players stepping in and are looking to the guidance of fellow captains Ryan Lewis, Ryan Murphy and Carson Medina to set the standard for the team.

The Cougars definitely had their chances on Friday, including an 11-and-a-half-minute drive in the third quarter that ultimately ended with them putting no points on the board.

“We knew that Vacaville was going to be a great challenge,” Beam admitted. “They are a Division 2 powerhouse, have won six or seven league titles in a row and they lost to St. Mary’s in the playoffs last year so we had a great challenge right out of the gate.”

The coach said in assessing the overall game, he knows it is one the Cougars let slip away.

“That’s a team we can beat, as good as they are,” Beam said.

Ryan Lewis, in his fourth year at the varsity level, was seemingly everywhere for his team.

“On defense, he had some blocked passes, offensively he made some catches with two or three people on him,” Beam said.

The game plan for Vacaville, the coach said, definitely seemed to be focused on not letting Lewis beat them.

“Offensively, Logan Huebner rushed for 140 yards and threw for over 70,” Beam said of his junior quarterback. “Ben Gonzalez in his first varsity start did very well, Noah Gutierrez and David Ingles played well on the defensive side and Ryan Murphy was big on our offensive line.”

Vacaville jumped ahead in the first quarter with a touchdown and extra point to go up 7-0; Escalon got a touchdown and Vacaville hit a field goal in the second quarter so the Cougars trailed 10-7 at halftime.

In the third quarter – with Escalon keeping the ball for more than 11 minutes of the quarter after receiving the second half kickoff – the Cougars came up empty, their drive stalled by some penalties.

Vacaville scored twice more in the fourth – missing one extra point – and Escalon also scored twice, hitting the extra point both times to get to within two points.

Jeremy Grivette had all three Cougar touchdowns, with a pair of two-yard runs and one four-yard carry.

Defensively, Lewis had six tackles, Ingles had a sack, Frank Rodriguez and Gutierrez each had four tackles.

Offensively, Huebner had 13 carries for 140 yards and completed 9-of-17 pass attempts for 76 yards.

Lewis had four catches for 30 yards, Gonzalez had 11 carries for 50 yards.

“We controlled the ball, we had more total yards of offense, we just couldn’t get it in the end zone,” Beam said. “We ran 17 plays in the third quarter, they only had one play in that quarter.”

Each team had nine penalties, and Beam said while both seemed to have some first game jitters, the mistakes his team made proved to be more costly.

“A couple of penalties stalled our drives, when you’re looking at first and 15, it’s hard to come back from that,” Beam said.

The Cougars did have 312 yards of offense and 18 first downs on the night; Vacaville had 234 total yards and 10 first downs.

There were no turnovers in the game.

“They had a fumble but they recovered it,” Beam said of Vacaville. “We pounced on it but it squirted out and they got it back … they scored on that drive, their field goal, and that ends up being the difference in the game.”

Disappointed in the loss, the coach said the team needs to take the lessons learned – especially from watching the game film to see where mistakes were made and where things can be tightened up – and move forward to the next contest.

“We made a lot of mistakes this week, a lot of new guys in a big game on the road, tough environment,” summarized quarterback Huebner. “We just need to lock in, watch film, get better, do our assignments … if we do our assignments then we’ll be solid.”

Team captain Lewis agreed that the team can correct the mistakes they made.

“I think the game was a great look to start the season, obviously I’m upset with the loss,” noted Lewis. “All we can do is just move on and worry about our next opponent; we have a lot to look forward to.”

They will be at home to host Golden Valley of Merced on Friday, Aug. 30.

Tickets will be available at the gate or can be pre-purchased through GoFan.

Golden Valley is coming off a loss in their first game as well, falling to Division 1 Bullard.

“Both teams will be looking for their first win,” Beam said. “We’ve got to limit our mistakes.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.