Livingston is 0-4 against Escalon since October of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Livingston Wolves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Escalon Cougars at 7:00 p.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Livingston's and Modesto Christian's match on Friday was close at halftime, but Livingston turned on the heat in the second half with 34 points. Livingston blew past Modesto Christian 47-22. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Livingston had established a 24 point advantage.
Livingston's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Zack Duran, who rushed for 137 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.1 yards per carry. Another player making a difference was Alex Hernandez, who rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries.
Meanwhile, Escalon had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 24 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They really took it to Ripon for the full four quarters, racking up a 40-7 win at home. The result was nothing new for Escalon, who have now won four games by 20 points or more so far this season.
It was another big night for Joshua Graham, who rushed for 143 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Jamin Miller was another key contributor, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
The victory makes it two in a row for Livingston and bumps their season record up to 3-6. They've been dominating during the matches in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 19.5 points. As for Escalon, their victory was their fifth straight at home, bumping their overall record up to 8-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Livingston has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 195 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Escalon struggles in that department as they've been even better at 269.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Livingston was taken down by Escalon 56-20 in their previous matchup back in October of 2022. Thankfully for Livingston, Ryker Peters (who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on only five carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
