Escalon’s Calton runs wild in victory over Liberty Ranch

Hunter Calton carried the ball 14 times for 279 yards and three touchdowns as Escalon High rolled up 443 yards on the ground en route to a 35-14 victory over Liberty Ranch on Friday night in Galt.

The win is the second for the Cougars in a span of five days. Their game against Bret Harte, scheduled for Sept. 11 in Angels Camp, was moved to Escalon and played on Monday, Sept. 14, because of the Butte fire.

“This is may the first time in my life that I’ve had two wins in one week,” said Cougars head coach Mark Loureiro, the winningest coach in the history of the Sac-Joaquin Section with 268 victories. “I’m proud of my kids. That was a tougher bounce-back than people realize.”

Calton scored on runs of 59, 29 and 79, and averaged 20 yards every time he touched the ball.

Up next for the Cougars is a home date with Bear River, the section’s reigning Division V champion, which beat Escalon last season 14-10 in Grass Valley.

The Bruins defeated Argonaut 37-20 on Monday, in another game delayed by the Butte fire, but had a bye Friday. When they square off against the Cougars, they’ll be playing for the first time since Sept. 14. Escalon will be playing for the third time in the same span.

“It’s a big game,” said Loureiro. “We let the game get away from us last year; we’re looking forward to it.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 2:32 AM with the headline "Escalon’s Calton runs wild in victory over Liberty Ranch."