Earning a victory at home, Escalon’s varsity football Cougars evened their early season record at 1-1, taking down the visiting Golden Valley Cougars on Friday night, Aug. 30.

The final was 25-9; all of Escalon’s points came in the first half and they had a 25-3 lead at halftime. Golden Valley managed a late touchdown in the game but it was a win on the books for Escalon.

“A win is a win,” head coach Andrew Beam said, though both the coaching staff and the players were not really satisfied with the performance.

There were, however, plenty of high points, as junior Ben Gonzalez returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and freshman Dylan Ball had the first touchdown reception of his high school career.

Beam said the contest did get off on the right foot.

“We get an 87-yard kickoff return from Ben Gonzalez and then an interception by Ben right away,” Beam said of Escalon getting the ball back quickly, not letting Golden Valley settle in.

The host Cougars, though, also struggled on that first offensive possession, deep in Golden Valley territory.

“It took us a long time to punch it in,” noted Beam.

Junior quarterback Logan Huebner was finally able to get across the goal line, going in on a rushing play from three yards out.

The first point after attempt – following the kickoff return by Gonzalez – featured a hurried snap and was thwarted. After Huebner’s touchdown, the team tried for the 2-point conversion but failed, but they were up 12-0 in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Ball pulled in a short pass from Huebner, good for the four-year touchdown reception but the 2-point conversion was no good. That put Escalon up 18-0 and the final score of the night for the home team came on a two-yard run from Huebner, with the kick good, to extend their lead to 25-0.

Golden Valley notched the field goal to get the score to 25-3 at the half.

Beam said there are plenty of areas where the Cougars need to improve, especially with games looming against Oakdale on Sept. 6, Sonora on Sept. 20 and then a crucial Trans-Valley League opener on the road against Hilmar on Sept. 27.

“We’ve got to grow and be better in 90 percent of our positions,” Beam said. “Golden Valley I thought played hard, they were a little sloppy but they played hard.”

Statistically, Escalon had 237 total yards, with 142 on the ground and 95 passing; Golden Valley had 193 total yards, with 150 rushing and 43 passing.

The visiting Cougars had seven penalties for 55 yards, Escalon had nine penalties for 65 yards.

“We lost one fumble and our offensive line struggled,” Beam said. “The defense played very well in the first half but in the second half we were very sluggish.”

Ryan Lewis had five catches on the night for 64 yards while on defense he recorded eight tackles and two sacks.

Huebner had eight carries for 34 yards and amassed 129 total yards along with pulling down an interception on defense. David Ingles and Noah Gutierrez each had five tackles.

“Ben Gonzalez, in his second varsity start, had a kickoff return for the touchdown, an interception and a fumble recovery,” said Beam. “He does a lot for us and is a junior who works very hard.”

Another bright spot for the team was a solid night for freshman Ball.

“He had three carries for 31 yards, two catches and one touchdown, a couple of tackles,” noted the coach. “Not a bad stat line for a freshman.”

Gonzalez was the recipient of the Ball-Out-Belt for the game, as the outstanding performer.

“I think we started off pretty good but we do need to fix a lot of things,” Gonzalez admitted. “We do have to bring it for Oakdale next week; they’re going to be a way tougher opponent, I just hope we can bring it there.”

The junior said there are plenty of areas where the team can get stronger, things they need to focus on in practice, starting with the run defense.

He also said his success in the game against Golden Valley came down to one factor.

“This O-line, always going to give props to them, love them, they help me a lot, it’s all about them, without them I can’t do anything,” Gonzalez said.

Freshman Ball said he has worked to overcome the nervousness about being brought up to the varsity level in his first year of high school and was glad to contribute to the win over Golden Valley.

“It felt great, but it’s a lot faster than I expected and a lot harder,” Ball said, adding that his older teammates have been supportive. “I’m so happy to be out here with everybody else, it’s a great environment, super fun. All the guys are great.”

Ryan Murphy, a senior and team captain, put the performance in perspective a bit, noting that it’s a young squad.

“It’s just a new team this year, it’s going to take more practices, more coming together as a team, I think we’re working in the right direction but it’s just going to take more work,” Murphy explained.

He is also looking forward to the challenge ahead in facing off with Oakdale at Engel Field on Sept. 6, the second battle for the 120 Cup, which Escalon won in last year’s inaugural contest.

“It’s going to be a week where we’ll have to be focused or else it could go bad, that’s just honest,” Murphy admitted. “We’re going to have to be focused, were going to have to come out and play hard, every single day.”

Senior Carson Medina, a fellow team captain, agreed and said moving forward, the team needs to stay focused and not take any plays off.

“I think we’ve got to stay sharp … we really have to keep focused,” Medina said. “We’ve got to be better up front for sure, we’ve got to be better all around.”

He added that it was frustrating to not score in the second half, but that is something that also can be addressed.

“I think it was just us knowing that we weren’t giving it our all, weren’t doing our best,” he said, assessing the second half sluggishness. “We know we have better in us.”

Escalon will welcome Oakdale – which also has started the season with a win and a loss – for the Friday night game at Engel Field, with kickoff at 7 p.m.