Booted! Hilmar dethrones champ Escalon on Bettencourt's clutch 41-yard FG

STOCKTON -- Zack Giuliano was in the stands at University of the Pacific in 2008 when his brother and Hilmar High shocked Central Catholic to capture a Sac-Joaquin Section championship.

Zack's had to listen to his brother brag about the win ever since.

No more, not after what Zack and the Yellowjackets did Friday.

"I've got him now. This is a bigger upset then Austin beating Central," the younger Giuliano said.

Kurtis Bettencourt hit a 41-yard field goal with 20 seconds to play — his second of the night — as Hilmar upset defending state champion Escalon 20-17 in the section Division 4 final at Lincoln High.

"That Central was great, but we beat the unbeaten, defending state champion," Giuliano said. "How do you top that? What a night."

What a night, indeed, for Bettencourt, Giuliano and the rest of the Yellowjackets. They had lost 10-0 to Escalon six weeks ago, their offense never getting inside the 20.

They scored four times in the rematch, including a 40-yard kick by Bettencourt that put Hilmar up 17-10 with 5:42 to play. Escalon rallied, though, driving 80 yards and tying it at 17 on Matt Roberson's 2-yard dive and Gino Franceschetti's PAT kick with 2:14 remaining.

It looked like the game could go to overtime, particularly with Hilmar quarterback Andrew Olson going down with an injury on the first play of the next possession.

With Olson's throwing arm in a sling, Jonathan O'Brien hit three passes for 31 yards, including the 15-yard slant to Tyler Silva at the Escalon 30 with 1 minute to play.

Two runs took the ball to the 24, then Bettencourt trotted out for a game-winning kick. Escalon used three time-outs to try to freeze Bettencourt.

"It wasn't a problem. The coach kept me loose, joking with me while we waited," said Bettencourt, a kicking prodigy who gained local acclaim for kicking a 42-yard field goal as a 12-year-old. "I didn't feel the pressure and it boomed off my foot. I can't remember when I hit such an important kick so well."

An overflow crowd 4,500 reacted differently to the kick — Hilmar's sideline and bleachers erupted, Escalon's crowd sat in silence.

"This is what football's all about," said Escalon coach Mark Loureiro, whose Cougars (13-1) had won 25 in a row and were hoping for a return trip to the Division 3 State Bowl. "Small schools, one-school towns ... putting everything they have into it. You got two great teams."

Escalon was up 10-7 at halftime. A game-opening drive capped by Josh Miguel's 38-yard run got it going, and Gino Franceschetti's had a 43-yard field goal that hit the crossbar to end the half.

Giuliano kept Hilmar in it with a huge series in the second quarter. Hilmar converted three third downs on a 14-play, 78-yard drive, and Olson's 2-yard run tied the game at 7. Giuliano had runs of 7, 8 and 8 yards during the drive, and Olson hit O'Brien with a 35-yard strike down the middle — flicking his pass over the safety.

Hilmar took the second half kickoff and needed just five plays to go 70 yards for a 14-10 lead. Giuliano had a 23-yard run to put it on Escalon's 15, then Garrett Jericoff scored from the 8.

Hilmar's defense was just as dominant as it was in the first game, and it owned the second half. Miguel, the Bee's Player of the Year last season, had 93 yards in the first half but just 11 in the second. Roberson, the bruiser who had 186 yards and three TDs in a semifinal win over Central Catholic, had 27 yards on 11 carries.

Escalon finished with 247 yards offense, Hilmar had 302 — 155 in the air and 147 on the ground. Giuliano (65 yards) and Jericoff (57) handled the running, while Olson found seams in the secondary to keep alive drives.

All that was left in the end was for Bettencourt to drill his game-winning kick, and then the tears began to flow.

Hilmar had dedicated this season to Frankie Silveira, the offensive line coach who died July 7. That could have sent Hilmar in one of two directions, Giuliano said.

"We get real emotional when we start talking about coach Frankie," the middle linebacker-fullback said. "It was a tough way to start the season, losing your coach.

"We've been fighting for Frankie every week. I know most people thought we'd lose. Before the game, I was convinced we'd win 17-7."

Next up for Hilmar (12-2) is next Sunday's state commissioner's meeting. That's when the 10 commissioners will vote on the bowl teams.

It's a longshot for Hilmar since it has two losses and the North Coast Section winner is likely to be unbeaten with a good schedule.

"A bowl game would be great, if we get it," Giuliano said. "Right now, though, we're just celebrating the section championship."