Escalon dominates Hilmar to earn first Trans-Valley League win
Escalon High football coach Andrew Beam said his team was battle-tested after a challenging nonleague schedule and a tough Trans-Valley League opener against powerhouse Sonora.
The Cougars certainly showed their mettle against visiting Hilmar on Friday night.
Escalon dominated the game in every phase, and senior quarterback Logan Huebner accounted for all four of his team’s touchdowns in a 27-9 win in the Vaca Bowl rivarly game at Engel Field.
“I think we played some really good teams in the first five weeks, our three losses are to teams that are 14-1,” Beam said. “So we knew we were at least battle-tested. We’ve played some really physical teams, some really athletic teams.
“So I felt like if we could just get into this thing and get in a bit of a groove, that we could settle in and be OK. And that’s kind of what happened.”
Escalon showed it’s much better than its 3-3 record would imply.
The Cougars’ defense stifled Hilmar for most of the night, allowing only a third-quarter field goal and a garbage-time touchdown.
On offense, Escalon (1-1 TVL) displayed an impressive big-play capability.
Huebner opened the scoring on a trick play that caught Hilmar off guard.
With running back Dylan Ball lined up in a Wildcat formation and the Yellowjackets expecting him to run, Ball instead threw a pass to Huebner, who was lined up as a wide receiver. The quarterback caught the pass and scampered 60 yards for a touchdown.
Huebner also ran for a nine-yard touchdown and connected on two touchdown passes — a 62-yarder to Chase Cummings and a 40-yarder to Carter Yates-Perreira.
“Logan, in my opinion, is one of the better athletes in this league,” Beam said. “He made plays running the ball, catching the ball, throwing the ball. ... He’s our senior captain and leader behind a lot of young guys in front of him, and I thought he played really well tonight.”
Tough night for Hilmar offense
Hilmar (4-2, 1-1 TVL) came into the game on a roll, having won four of its first five games.
But the Yellowjackets never really got their offense going. Hilmar had four possessions in the first half and punted all four times.
Coming out of halftime, the Yellowjackets looked like they might make a game of it. Hilmar drove down to the Escalon 10-yard line, only to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Blake Vitorino.
Hilmar had a size advantage along the offensive line, but Escalon’s defense swarmed the Yellowjackets’ running attack.
Hilmar quarterback Cohen Felber connected with Nathan Ayala for a 22-yard pass for the Yellowjackets’ only touchdown. That came with 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the game.
Things don’t get any easier next week for the Yellowjackets, who host Sonora (6-0, 2-0 TVL), which has outscored its opponents 285-66.
Momentum builder for Escalon
Beam is hopeful Friday’s dominant win will give the Cougars some momentum heading into the rest of the TVL schedule and, eventually, the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
The Cougars host Hughson (5-1, 1-1 TVL) next Friday night at Engel Field. The Huskies are coming off a surprising 17-10 TVL loss to Ripon Christian.
Huebner said the win over Hilmar was the start of something big for the Cougars.
“I think tonight was our turning point,” Huebner said. “Tonight we just needed that win to turn the corner and go on a streak.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2025 at 11:24 PM.
