5 things to know about Friday’s NorCal Football Bowl games featuring Stanislaus teams
Escalon (11-3), Hughson (11-2) and Ripon Christian (11-2) will represent the Stanislaus District in the 2022 CIF State Northern California Football Championships on Friday.
The Cougars will host Pleasant Valley (9-4) in the Division 4-AA Bowl Game while the Huskies host the Knights in the Division 5-AA game. Both games will be at 7:30 p.m. with the winner advancing to the state championship against the winner of the Southern California bowl games in their respective divisions.
To get here, all three had to win Sac-Joaquin Section titles. Escalon beat Sonora to capture its third straight section title and second straight in Division V. Hughson won its first in 22 years, beating Summerville in Division VI. Ripon Christian beat Woodland Christian for its first in school history.
Ripon Christian, a program that has been in existence for less than two decades, is the new team on the block in terms of the state tournament. Although it has a state title under its belt, Hughson has never won a state bowl game, winning its championship before the CIF went to the Bowl Game system. Escalon is looking for its second state title in three full seasons, after winning in 2019.
Here is a deeper look at some key storylines heading into Friday night’s match-ups:
Experience leads for Escalon
Logan Anderson and Owen Nash made two of the biggest plays of Escalon’s season Saturday in the Division V section championship. Anderson’s fourth-quarter, 35-yard pick six kept the Cougars in the game and Nash caught the game-tying touchdown. It’s what Escalon coach Andrew Beam has come to expect from his two senior leaders who were pulled up to varsity for the playoffs as freshmen. Back then, Anderson recorded one carry for one yard in the NorCal Bowl Game, but they were there for the experience and to learn how to win. They both had brothers on that team and went on to win a 2019 state championship. They have played varsity ever since. Through the COVID shortened spring season their sophomore year and a section championship last season, Anderson and Nash have become experienced leaders and major contributors.
Anderson is second on the team in rushing yards (814) and touchdowns (9) and Nash leads the team in catches (57), receiving yards (1,028) and receiving touchdowns (14).
“Those are two of our leaders, they’ve been our leaders, our captains and they’ve also been two of the biggest play makers that we have on this team,” Beam said. “That’s what you would expect from your senior leadership.”
War of attrition
The match-up between Hughson and Ripon Christian may come down to who can outlast the other. The Huskies are the healthiest they’ve been all season and key players Larkin Meyer and Malakai Sumter are back full-time in the lineup after recovering from broken collarbones. Meyer started the season as quarterback Robert McDaniel’s favorite passing target with 488 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first seven games. In their fourth league game against Hilmar, the 5-foot-11 junior suffered his injury and missed the next month. He made his return in the section championship game but he played sparingly. Sumter, who was injured in an off-the-field accident after the second game of the season, returned for the last regular season game against Ripon, rushing for a touchdown and converting a two-point conversion. A Week 11 bye gave him some more rest before hitting the playoffs.
Ripon Christian, however, will be shorthanded on Friday, losing key skill position players in the section title win over Woodland Christian. Even though they are unhealthy at the worst time, coach Phil Grams remains encouraged after the team’s week of practice.
“It’s tough when you lose guys, especially guys of that caliber,” Grams said. “But, our guys are still practicing at a high level. This whole playoff run, we play for each other, we play for our school, we play for our families, we play for His glory. And now I think there’s no better way to honor the guys by playing their butts off on Friday night.”
2019 bowl game rematch
Escalon is familiar with Friday’s opponent.
The Cougars faced off against Pleasant Valley for a spot in the 2019 state championship, a game Escalon won 41-17.
Beam knows he’ll have to worry about the physicality of the Vikings. They have a number of players that could double as basketball players. With 11 players standing over 6-foot-1 including 6-foot-7 sophomore Gavin Garettson and 6-foot-5 Thatcher Damon, Pleasant Valley will easily be the tallest team Escalon has faced all season.
While they might be out-sized, they’ll rely on the experience they gained from winning the match-up three years ago as Beam says he saw a lot of familiar tendencies on film.
“They’re still running a lot of the same offense and defense that we saw three years ago,” he said. “They’re a big team. They fill out a uniform. And they are a power run team, much like ourselves. So that’s an interesting match-up.”
Hughson’s tight games
Hughson, which finished second in the Trans-Valley League, hasn’t made the road to its state bowl game easy.
They won each section playoff game by less than a touchdown, including two one-point thrillers against Twelve Bridges and Summerville. They hope for less of a scare against the Southern League’s second place team.
“The last month has been pretty rough on the health of all Hughsonites,” Coach Shaun King said. “It’d be nice to not have to worry in the last 15 seconds of a game. We’ve had the ball bounce our way. It’s been one heck of a run these last three games.”
The Huskies average 33.2 points a game and give up 20 while the Knights average 38.8 and give up 12. They have a common opponent in Orestimba. Hughson beat the Warriors twice this season, a 41-28 win in Week 2 and a 21-17 win in the section semifinals. Ripon Christian played the Warriors in what determined the SL championship, losing 21-7 in late September.
A chance to make history
When every team takes the field Friday and Saturday, they’ll be playing for a spot in their school’s record books, but for Hughson and Ripon Christian, their match-up could mean more. King says the Huskies are playing for a spot in the school’s first NorCal bowl game. The Huskies won the state title in 1997, but didn’t need a bowl as the state champion was crowned after section finals. King has heard from alumni all throughout the historic season and says some have come back from as far as Utah to see the team play.
“We’re playing football on Dec. 2,” King said. “To say we’re playing in December is an accomplishment in itself.”
In the Ripon Christian football program’s 18-year history, it’s never won a section title, let alone a state bowl game. Though the team already had the most successful season ever, it’s still preparing for Friday’s game by following its main rule, “practice like pros.”
“I’m super proud of this group to be able to practice like pros through this adversity.” Grams said.
This story was originally published December 1, 2022 at 1:46 PM.
