‘Another classic TVL game’: Hilmar, Hughson playing with league title within grasp
To understand the full magnitude of this year’s game between Hilmar and Hughson, we have to go back more than two decades.
The Huskies host the Yellowjackets on Friday night and the stakes are nearly identical.
Hilmar traveled to Hughson for the game, in which both teams were fighting for a Trans-Valley league title. The Yellowjackets won that matchup, starting a streak of four league titles from 2000-2005.
Both sides are very familiar with the matchup’s history. Though that game was 22 years ago, some key individuals from that night will be on the field Friday.
Frank Marques, now the Hilmar head coach, was an assistant, and current Hughson quarterback coach Tim Brown led the Huskies that season at quarterback.
“He’s been amped up,” Hughson coach Shaun King said of Brown. “He’s letting this team know. The last time we were in the situation, he was the quarterback and now it’s a redemption game for him.”
Hughson (7-1, 4-0) is looking for its first league title since 1998, while Hilmar (4-3, 3-0) last won the TVL in 2016.
Friday night at 7, both teams put their undefeated league records on the line, with the winner gaining sole possession of first place.
“It’s not very often that a team goes undefeated in the TVL,” King said. “For the last couple years, Escalon has, and they’ve been a very good team. The TVL is the best small-school league in the state.”
Though they are rivals, Hilmar and Hughson — towns separated by about 15 miles — have more in common than a history of league championships.
“The Hilmar and Hughson communities are the same communities, we just have on different color jerseys,” Marques said. “Same hardworking people and same small-town community.”
Hughson started on a three-game win streak before falling in its final nonleague matchup to Summerville. The Huskies haven’t lost a game since.
Hilmar won one nonleague game against a schedule that has a combined record of 24-5 heading into Friday’s games. And they didn’t lose by much, falling to Patterson, Sonora and Palma by eight points or less.
“We lost to some really powerhouse teams,” Marques said. “We’re a better football team because of those losses than playing somebody and have a running clock in the second half, so I don’t mind those losses at all. Those losses were very educational and we got better because of it.”
Early in the season, Hilmar had to make a change when quarterback Hudson Azevedo suffered an AC joint separation against Sonora. Marques called up then-JV quarterback Caden Bailey, who has brought a different look to the Yellowjackets’ offense.
“We are definitely a run-heavy team,” Marques said. “We probably used to be about a 50/50 team and now we’re probably about an 80/20 team. Caden’s a really fast, good runner, so we have used his ability to run the football.”
In four games, he’s already Hilmar’s second leading rusher with 364 yards and six touchdowns. Luis Vargas has continued to carry much of the offensive load with 874 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. The Bailey-Vargas backfield has been the key to Hilmar’s success.
King points at the defensive line as the key to stopping such a potent rushing attack.
For the first time this season, the Huskies’ defensive ends will be fully healthy. Seniors Jacob Yarbrough, David Burciago, Chris Sanchez and sophomore Max Mankins all will be key in bottling up Hilmar’s duo.
“Their quarterback is very good, very fast, very shifty,” King said. “Their running back is very fast. We haven’t seen a backfield as fast as Hilmar.
“This is the first time all season where we’ll have our four defensive ends all suited in a single game. We’ll rotate them constantly throughout the game and go with whoever has the hot hand.”
As with any game this late in the season, this matchup has big playoff implications.
The Yellowjackets are likely playing for a high Division V seed as the winner of the TVL. Last season’s league winner Escalon earned the first overall seed and first-round bye en route to a section title.
A Hughson win could shake things up in two divisions.
If the Huskies come out on top, they move up into an already loaded Division V bracket because the TVL is a Division V league. This could push a team like Livingston down into Division VI. But with a loss, Hughson remains in Division VI where it is originally listed due to its enrollment.
“Right now, if you win the TVL, you’re getting a high seed and most likely a bye, so it’s a big game.” King said.
Said Marques: “This is going to be another classic TVL game that’s going to go down in the books. I can’t wait. I now have the best seat in the house for it.”
