Escalon back in section championship after 20-point semifinal win over West Park
If there is one thing Escalon learned from its first experience in the Division IV bracket of the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, it is that there are athletes all over the field.
After competing in the Division VI and V playoffs the past few seasons, Escalon, which has consistently won section championships at the small school level, was moved into D-IV due to the Sac Joaquin Section’s continued success rule.
“There’s athletes we don’t see in the TVL,” Cougars coach Andrew Beam said of the difference between D-IV and lower divisions. “There’s more speed at this level … the athletes we’ve seen these past couple of weeks are just different from what we’d see in the TVL.”
But the Cougars (11-1) have a weapon that has helped them in their first year playing up a division: physicality.
“It’s the ultimate neutralizer,” Beam said. “It’s the counteraction of their speed and athleticism. For years, we’ve been able to hang our hat on that, and that’s the only way we’re able to play with these teams with this type of talent.”
No one embodies that more than Escalon fullback Josh Graham. The senior leads the team in rushing yards and touchdowns and will gladly run through or around any defender in his way. All while standing about 5-foot-5.
“Low man wins,” Graham said. “Honestly, I just put my head down and it kind of just happens. I’ve got a lot of momentum behind me, I’m fast and I can get lower than pretty much anyone else. That helps for sure.”
Graham led the charge in a 48-28 win for the top seed over visiting West Park (10-3) in the Division IV semifinals. He carried the ball 26 times, producing 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cougars to their fourth straight section championship appearance next weekend.
“I’ll give him about 5-foot-6,” Beam said. “But he’s going to hit you. He’s going to bring it every time. He’s really, really quick off the ball and he’s just a tough player. … He fits the mold of an Escalon fullback and an Escalon football player.”
Graham’s second touchdown came at the perfect time. In the fourth quarter, Escalon led 35-28 after West Park connected on a long touchdown pass. Graham carried the ball five times on a five-play drive, capping the possession by taking a handoff and breaking four tackles en route to a 25-yard touchdown run.
Escalon never trailed in the game, leading by 14 points for most of the contest. Quarterback Donovan Rozevink threw touchdown passes to Sam Jimenez and Jamin Miller in the first half and connected with Ryan Lewis on a key third-quarter fourth down for a five-yard touchdown.
The Cougars stopped West Park on fourth down four times, including a pair of fourth-down stops on the Panthers’ final two drives of the game to seal the win.
“It was a bend-but-don’t-break mentality,” Beam said. “We gave up some big plays, but a few different times when we needed to, we got the stop. Defense has got to make some plays in November and December if you want to keep playing, and we made enough plays tonight.”
West Park celebrates its seniors
West Park coach Jason Tenner and his team were overcome with emotions after the final buzzer.
Tenner is the first coach in the Roseville school’s football history. West Park opened in 2020. The loss marks the end of the Panthers’ third varsity season. Many members of the senior class built the program from the ground up. They played on the junior varsity team as freshmen before playing their next three seasons on varsity.
West Park twice cut Escalon’s lead to just seven points, scoring on the first drive of the second half on a Westin Wade touchdown run and a 91-yard touchdown in the third quarter from Jaden Jackson to Ryan Sisson. They just were not able to get over the hump and take the lead.
“The seniors have laid a great foundation, and this is a good experience for us,” Tenner said. “We’ll take these lessons and we’ll continue growing as a program and get better.
West Park’s 10 wins this season are the most in the program’s short history and it reached the semifinals this season for the second straight year. With sophomore quarterback Jaden Jackson leading the way with a group of talented underclassmen, soon the Panthers will be hoisting their own blue banner.
“We’re playing about 12 sophomores so we’re young,” Tenner said. “The seniors did a great job leading us and we will continue to keep working and improving and learning from this and will be better as a program. We’re just thankful for all the seniors have done for us and now’s the moment we celebrate them and this awesome year and we’ll turn the page on that when it’s time to do that.”
Reigniting a rivalry
Postgame, Beam let the Cougars know they were part of a long legacy of great football teams.
In qualifying for next week’s section title game, this year’s Cougars team will play in the program’s 18th section championship since 1990. They have won 11 blue banners, including the last three — the 2019 D-VI title and 2021 and 2022 D-V championships.
“It speaks to the consistency in the Escalon players, community, and coaching staff for 33 years,” Beam said. “We’re proud to follow in the same footsteps.”
A number of players are heading back to the section championship game for the third straight time, including three-year starting quarterback Rozevink.
He has seen his role increase this season, posting career highs in single-season passing touchdowns, completion percentage, yards per game, completions per game and other statistical categories. He is on pace to pass last season’s passing-yards mark that is set at 1,956.
When asked if he gets tired of playing in the big game, his answer is simple. “It kind of is normal because this is the third one in a row that I’ve been to and our fourth as a program,” he said. “It feels good.”
The 2023 D-IV section championship will feature a Trans Valley League rivalry when Escalon plays Patterson. Patterson traveled to Vista del Lago, defeating the Eagles 28-19. For years, the Cougars and Tigers traded blows in the TVL until the 2005-06 school year. Patterson left the league for the Western Athletic Conference for 12 seasons before moving to the Central California Conference.
The game time, day and location will be released by the Sac-Joaquin Section this weekend.
“This was one of our initial rivalries in the TVL and every coach that played against Patterson, those were heated, physical games,” Beam said. “It’s a really unique matchup … where all the old guys sitting in the bleachers are going to enjoy it because it’s what they saw for years.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2023 at 8:09 AM.
