Strong defense leads Escalon to victory over Hughson in Division VI playoffs
Escalon football coach Andrew Beam said the Cougars have been led by their offense this year.
Entering Friday’s game, the No. 1 Cougars, co-champions of the Trans-Valley League, averaged over 300 rushing yards and nearly 40 points per game.
However, against No. 9 Hughson in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI quarterfinals, it was the Cougars’ defense that stepped up in a 21-6 victory at Escalon High.
Escalon (10-1) forced two turnovers and held the Huskies to zero points on four of their five red zone drives. The Cougars also overcame injuries against a team it beat 42-17 two weeks ago in the regular-season finale.
“We are the walking wounded right now,” Beam said. “We were down four starters tonight.”
Escalon scored on its opening drive on a 16-yard run by junior running back Luke Anderson. Hughson had two red zone drives in the first half where it failed to score.
After forcing the Huskies to punt with under two minutes remaining in the half, the Cougars extended their lead to 14-0 with a 6-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Ty Harris to senior running back Colton Panero with 30 seconds left.
Harris played a turnover-free game and was 12-of-19 for 174 passing yards and two touchdowns, including a couple of third-down completions in the second half.
“In the playoffs, you need to make plays and tonight Ty made them,” Beam said.
Harris connected with senior running back Kaden Christensen for 63 yards and a touchdown to extend the lead to 21-0 with 6 :49 left in the third quarter.
Cougars senior linebacker Ryan Hale had an interception in the red zone on the next drive.
“Tonight is tough to swallow,” Huskies coach Shaun King said. “We are going to focus on red zone offense in the offseason.”
Hughson junior quarterback Aiden Meyer scored on a 3-yard run with under six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Huskies looked as if they had another touchdown with two minutes to go but a penalty brought back a 40-yard touchdown pass.
Despite the loss, King was proud of his team’s effort, especially considering they were starting six sophomores on defense.
“The kids asked about going to the weight room on Monday,” he said. “We will start work for 2020.”
Beam said playing a team for the second time had its challenges, such as forcing him to change schemes. The Cougars will do it again next week in the semifinals, when they host Sonora, a team Escalon beat 35-13 in Week 3.
“It’s small-school smash mouth football,” Beam said. “Playing the same team is hard, especially after beating them the first time.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:07 PM.
