Hughson defeats El Dorado to advance to section semifinal against Union Mine
Hughson High football coach Shaun King hopes his team knocked off the rust on Friday night.
After going three weeks between games, the top-seeded Huskies defeated eighth-seeded El Dorado of Placerville 28-6 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V quarterfinal.
It wasn’t pretty. But King is hopeful the Huskies can get back in a groove heading into next week’s semifinal showdown against fourth-seeded Union Mine.
Hughson appeared to lose some of its late-season momentum after getting a forfeit win in its regular-season finale and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
“We had some cobwebs for sure,” King said. “We have to play much better next week against Union Mine. That’s a very good ballclub.”
On paper, Hughson should’ve had an easier time against El Dorado.
The Huskies (11-0) are two-time Division VI section champions, went 10-0 in the regular season and claimed the title in the Trans-Valley League, one of the state’s toughest leagues.
El Dorado (6-6) finished in fourth place in the Sierra Valley Conference Football and went 5-5 in the regular season.
And while the Huskies took care of business Friday night, they never really looked like the team that had played so well all season.
“I think we definitely came out more rusty than we wanted to be,” Hughson running back Eli Wilbanks said. “But we have a very good way of coming together and overcoming hardship. I think we were able to overcome it pretty well.”
Much of that was because of Wilbanks. The junior running back rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries to spark the Hughson offense.
That was needed because the Huskies’ usually explosive passing attack was kept in check by El Dorado’s defense.
Senior quarterback Robert McDaniel, the University of Arizona commit, passed for just 109 yards on 15 attempts. But he did throw two touchdowns.
One went to fellow senior Malakai Sumter, who made a spectacular grab between two defenders and raced in for a 56-yard score. The other went to Lawson Aviles on a 21-yard touchdown pass that put the Huskies up 21-6 late in the first half.
“(El Dorado) came in with a good gameplan, and we just struggled,” McDaniel said. “Our run game just carried us.
“That’s kind of our motto has been this year. Our run game is up or our pass game is up, and it’s really fun to watch when both of them are up, especially.”
Union Mine a bigger challenge
Hughson will need to have both the passing and running games in tune next week.
The Huskies will face a tougher test next Friday at home in the semifinal against Union Mine.
The Diamondbacks (9-2) defeated fifth-seeded Casa Roble 55-41 in their quarterfinal. Union Mine hammered El Dorado 48-7 in a league game Nov. 1.
Hughson defense comes up big
Hughson’s defense also will need to play well against a Union Mine offense that has averaged nearly 45 points a game during a four-game win streak.
The Huskies’ defense dominated El Dorado, limiting its rush attack and pressuring quarterback Jason Wilson all night.
Junior Valente Soria, who made a late-season switch to defensive, had a huge night with 3 1/2 sacks.
Sumter also had an interception.
El Dorado’s only touchdown came on a Wilson-to-Jack Tilman 14-yard pass in the second quarter.
Soria said he was happy he could make a big contribution on defense.
“It feels great,” he said. “It feels great that I can help my team out, and I hope we can still keep doing this.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2024 at 11:21 PM.
