‘Business as usual’: Hughson unfazed in D-IV opener scores 49 in quarterfinals win
Hughson senior tight end Bryce McDaniel has seen it all on the football field. He started his career at wide receiver, where he caught passes from his older brother for two seasons en route to a pair of deep playoff runs that included back-to-back section titles. They had blowout victories and gave Huskies fans their share of scares in come-from-behind wins in the biggest moments.
Hughson football overall has been on a generational four-year run that includes three straight Sac-Joaquin Section titles and a state championship.
This offseason, McDaniel made the transition to tight end (the position he will play at Fresno State when he gets to campus as an early enrollee this winter) and the Huskies program made the jump to a new playoff division.
The one thing he and the Huskies had not seen before Friday night’s home playoff opener, however, was a postseason game in Division IV.
After winning back-to-back section titles (2022, 2023) in Division VI, the Huskies moved up to D-V last season. They won another blue banner in 2024, prompting another move up to D-IV due to the section’s continued success rule that states if a school wins two titles in one division, they move up. If that same school then wins in the next division, they are promoted again. Each offseason, the possible move was OK’d by a committee vote.
“There was a little nerves coming off a two-week bye,” McDaniel said. “But we’ve been through the playoffs — D-IV or D-V, it doesn’t change.”
Friday night in their 2025 playoff opener, the Huskies looked like D-IV regulars. The No. 3 Huskies never trailed at home against No. 6 Pioneer as they coasted to a 49-6 win over the visiting Patriots.
“I think it was business as usual,” head coach Shaun King said. ”Whatever opponent is across the sideline, we’re gonna play Hughson football. Yeah, we’re in Division IV, but we’re taking it in and we’re happy to be here and we’re gonna compete.”
Hughson advances to its fourth straight section semifinal and travels to No. 2 Roseville next week after the Tigers beat Escalon 49-30.
By the time McDaniel broke a tackle and sprinted up the sideline, converting a short completion from Hudson Baldwin into a 59-yard touchdown pass, the Huskies already had all the momentum they needed.
Hughson scored on both of its first drives on long passing connections from quarterback Hudson Baldwin to tight end Titus Beers.
Baldwin found the junior on a deep pass down the middle of the field to cap a long drive with a 68-yard touchdown. A 53-yard connection capped the second drive and gave the Huskies a 14-0 lead with 10 minutes, 29 seconds to go in the second quarter.
The game was Baldwin’s first-ever playoff start, but the freshman played like a seasoned veteran, passing for 219 yards and four touchdowns on six completions.
“You would never know he’s a freshman,” King said. “He’s playing out of his mind right now and we’re just really lucky to have him.”
Beers once again was everywhere for the Huskies. In addition to his two long touchdowns, he blocked on offense and played linebacker, forcing a fumble, coming away with an interception and flying around the field for multiple tackles and tackles for loss.
“Offensively, I’ve got so many guys around me,” Beers said. “I’ve got Bryce on the other side taking DBs, so I get a 1-on-1 and a freshman quarterback throwing it to me in the perfect spot. It’s a team effort.”
McDaniel’s touchdown put the Huskies ahead 21-6 and started a run of 35 unanswered points from the second quarter to the end of the game.
Eli Wilbanks scored on a four-yard run, Baldwin connected with Valente Soria for a 31-yard score and, in the fourth quarter, Alex Vargas and Caden Bowerman found the end zone on eight- and 23-yard rushes, respectively.
By the fourth quarter, the referees called for a running clock.
“Bringing up a lot of the underclassmen to help us out on scout team helped a lot,” McDaniel said. “And then at the end of the game, being able to get them in (helped) build the family together.”
Despite their Week 11 bye and the bye given to each of the top-eight teams with the new postseason format , Hughson showed no signs of rust from the layoff. The defense tied a season low on points allowed and the offense put up a season high in points. Devion Corley scored just once in the second quarter for Pioneer and after that, the Huskies held the opponent’s top playmaker in check.
“I’d say that was the best game I’ve seen our defense (play) this year,” King said. “I was worried with the weeks off, but if you put Valente on one side and Titus Beers on the other, it’s going to be hard to get to the outside on us. Our job tonight was to stop (Corley) and we did that.”
The Huskies travel next week to take on the Foothill Valley League runner-up, Roseville. The Tigers battled with Escalon for the majority of the first half but shut out the Cougars in the third, en route to a 28-14 second half advantage that helped seal the win.
Both teams enter the matchup 9-2 overall. Roseville boasts a balanced offense with a pair of 500-plus yard rushers and a third player with 12 rushing touchdowns. As a team, Roseville has rushed for 30 touchdowns and had 11 passing touchdowns.
“The past couple of years, we’ve been road warriors,” King said, “so we’ll have to do it again.”
This story was originally published November 15, 2025 at 7:46 AM.
