Escalon has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will square off against the Hilmar Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Escalon lost 35-14 to Sonora on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Cougars can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California football rankings (they are ranked 279th, while the Wildcats are ranked 102nd).
Although Escalon took the loss, they still got scores from Chase Cummings and Dylan Ball.
Meanwhile, Hilmar waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came out on top against the Knights by a score of 31-21. That looming 31-21 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Yellowjackets yet this season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Hilmar to victory, but perhaps none more so than Merek Ellerd, who threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.6% of his passes, and also rushed for 108 yards. Another rusher making a difference was Caden Bailey, who rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Hilmar was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 235 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Escalon's defeat dropped their record down to 1-3. As for Hilmar, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Everything came up roses for Escalon against Hilmar in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 49-21 victory. In that game, Escalon amassed a halftime lead of 35-14, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
