Hughson football tasked with slowing down Summerville attack

If people are talking about the Hughson Huskies, legendary coach Reyn Franca isn’t listening.

Franca has returned to the Hughson sideline where, in another time and space, he led the Huskies to three Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championships in 1992, 1997 and 2000. As if on cue, the Huskies are off and running again.

Hughson opened the season with shutouts of Waterford and Johansen and then crushed Ceres 50-27 last week. The Huskies have risen to No. 6 in The Bee’s small-school rankings, creating a buzz around the Stanislaus District, but Franca admits it’s news to him.

He’s so focused on getting his team ready for the rigors of the Trans-Valley League, Franca hasn’t concerned himself with hyperbole or perception.

“Are we flying under the radar? I don’t know,” said Franca, who came out of retirement to succeed George Harp. “Each group of kids, they’ve got their strengths and weaknesses. We’ve just got to find something to put our hat on.

“We lost two outstanding athletes on the edge from last year, kids we haven’t replaced yet. Our running game is our forte, but we’re still making a lot of mistakes. We’ve got a long ways to go, but they’re working hard.”

The Huskies can take another big step on Friday when they host Summerville in a matchup of prolific offenses. Hughson averages nearly 43 points per game, while the Bears average 53.3, including 70 against Mariposa, a perennial Southern League contender.

Summerville is 2-1 following a 57-56 shootout loss to Bradshaw Christian in double overtime last week.

Hughson and Summerville combined for 91 points last fall as the Huskies escaped with a 49-42 win.

While Franca said he’s not paying attention to his team’s fanfare, he’s buying stock in Summerville.

“They believe this is their year. You can tell they’re a very confident group,” Franca said. “These guys will be a test. They cover ground quickly and close quickly. In some ways, they’re more difficult to defend than Ceres because of their ability to run and throw.”

The Bears use the whole field, stretching defenses with quarterback Travis Rodgers (429 yards, seven touchdowns) and then attacking the alleys with running backs Jake Fulkerson (349 yards) and Nathaniel Ulvevadet (230 yards, eight touchdowns).

“Unlike last week, when it was mostly an aerial game, we have to defend the whole field,” Franca said, alluding to Ceres quarterback Chris Lubinsky and the team’s spread offense.

Hughson has its own playmakers. Cesar Cuevas has emerged as one of the Stanislaus District’s top running backs. He has rushed for 430 yards and a district-best eight touchdowns in three games, averaging 9.3 yards per carry.

The senior plays much bigger and faster than his 5-foot-7, 160-pound frame suggests. Against Ceres, Cuevas burst through the line of scrimmage and won a one-on-one battle with a Bulldogs linebacker. The diminutive Husky lowered his shoulder pads and bowled through the defender for another big gain.

Fullback Justice Futch has 262 yards and four touchdowns, rounding out an I-back/Pro set attack that has racked up nearly 1,000 yards in three games.

The lynchpin, though, is offensive lineman Kyle Harp. The third-year player has “really stepped up and improved quite a bit,” Franca said.

Matching the Bears score for score won’t be enough. Franca said long drives, coupled with a disciplined defense will need to work in concert to slow a team that features several third-year varsity players.

Hughson does have the advantage of familiarity. The Bears run an offense similar to the Huskies, which has shortened the learning curve this week.

“They do some things different than we do, but your scout team doesn’t have to get its nose in a book to run the offense back at our defense,” he said. “They’ve got kids who can fly and pound it in short-yardage situations. They’re just tough mountain kids, but that’s what they are every year. They won’t give up and they’ll fight you down to the wire.”

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Hughson football tasked with slowing down Summerville attack."