Passing game comes alive for Escalon in 20-point road win over Oakdale
Sam Jimenez is not the typical Escalon football player.
The junior receiver and defensive back did not play on any of the local youth teams. In fact, he did not start playing football until high school.
“My freshman year, I wasn’t very good,” he said, “so I played DB. I didn’t even play receiver, but one of my guys went out with an injury, which sucks. I got a chance (to play receiver) and ever since then, I took off.”
After two years at the lower levels, the junior is breaking through on varsity in a big way.
Jimenez entered Friday’s game as the team’s leading scorer and turned in a career performance, catching nine passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
“I was manifesting it all week. ‘Big game, big game, I got to have a big game,’ ” he said. “I’m not surprised by it, but it feels good, though.”
Jimenez was the main beneficiary of a revitalized Escalon passing attack. After throwing for less than 100 yards in three of the Cougars’ first four games and just 60 yards last week, senior quarterback Donovan Rozevink completed 16 of 24 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns. The Cougars handed Oakdale its first loss this season, beating the Mustangs in the Corral, 41-21.
“Honestly, the first four weeks we struggled to get things going in the passing game,” Escalon coach Andrew Beam said. “We were really hoping tonight could be that time to turn that around and it ended up going our way, finding a comfort zone throwing the football.
“Oakdale is built to stop the run … so we felt like if we tried to run right at these guys, I don’t know if we can, but we felt like maybe we could throw the football.”
While he did not play much football growing up, Jimenez studied how to play receiver before he took over the position on junior varsity as a freshman.
“My guy is A.J. Brown, for sure,” Jimenez said of a player he models his game after. “That’s been my boy since forever. I’ve been following him for a really long time. He’s just a dog and someone I want to model my game after.”
Rozevink found Jimenez for his first two touchdown passes. He connected with fellow senior Jamin Miller on his third. He found Jimenez again and 6-foot-4 tight end Ryan Lewis for his final two scores. Miller also found the end zone, rushing for a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
“During the playoffs, he watched me and (former Escalon receiver) Owen (Nash),” Rozevink said of building chemistry with Jimenez. “Me and Sam had to build that connection. We were practicing a lot … getting our timing down to build that connection and I think we’ve got it now.”
First-year Oakdale coach Garrett Martin knew what the Mustangs were putting their unbeaten record up against.
“We talked about it all week, they’re an experienced team that knows how to win and we never stopped their momentum,” Martin said. “Whether that was defensively or momentum offensively. We didn’t finish drives. I felt like we moved the ball at times, we just made bad mistakes at bad times.”
The Mustangs answered Escalon’s first touchdown on their opening drive, marching 57 yards in 12 plays to even the score at 7-7. Wes Burford scored on a three-yard run for the first of his two touchdowns.
Quarterback Tommy Chance connected with Joseph Delte on a 42-yard bomb for Oakdale’s second score. Escalon took a commanding 41-14 lead before Burford punched in his second touchdown.
“It was loud,” Martin said of the electric atmosphere that included standing-room-only crowds on both sides, the Oakdale High band playing between snaps and rowdy student sections. “It reminded me of when I grew up here and when we would play Sonora Week 10. It was always like that the stands were full, people everywhere, the atmosphere was good. It’s loud. It’s good Friday night football.”
Bouncing back from a loss
The way Escalon started its season, one would think the team was invincible. The Cougars beat Buchanan of Clovis, Windsor and Golden Valley, all on the road. They ran into a buzz saw last week against California of San Ramon.
“We kind of were saying we’re playing on house money and if you told any of us that we were going to be 4-1 now after our preseason, I would have laughed at you, we were hoping to be 2-3 or 3-2 at the best,” Beam said. “You knew the letdown game was coming. It’s hard when you get 5, 6, 7 guys going both ways against all these teams that only go one way.
“We had five turnovers and we learned if you turn the ball over, you’re going to lose. We got stopped on the one-yard line. Those are things that have to be a learning experience. I thought our kids came back on Monday and it was a great practice week.”
Preparing for Hughson
The Cougars have a bye next week, which means they will have two weeks to prepare for one of the area’s biggest games this year.
Escalon travels to Hughson on Sept. 29 to open the Trans-Valley League schedule with a matchup between two defending state champions.
Hughson wrapped up its nonleague schedule Friday night with a 49-20 win over Elite of Vallejo and will go into the matchup in two weeks fresh off a bye as well.
Hughson beat Escalon last season 29-14. In addition to winning state titles, both teams won 13 games and took home blue banners as section champions.
“We know that Hughson is the TVL favorite,” Beam said. “They returned the most amount of guys from a state championship team that beat us last year. We’ve got to go to their place and play in their environment which is going to be tough, but we’ve been on the road for five straight weeks so it’s nothing new. We’re looking forward to it. We also know that winning or losing that game doesn’t make our season, but it’s a game that we’re highly anticipating.”
This story was originally published September 16, 2023 at 8:25 AM.
