Prep football roundup: Escalon plays Thursday, and Friday league matchups heat up

Riddled with injuries, Escalon could not score against a Woodland Christian team defending section and state titles in a Thursday night nonleague matchup.

The Cougars, who were already missing Sam Jimenez and starting quarterback Logan Huebner, lost star freshman Dylan Ball early in the contest to a groin injury.

Donovan Martinez completed five of 17 passes with four interceptions. Carson Medina was the team’s leading rusher, with 11 carries for 74 yards. Ball added five carries for 28 yards and Ben Gonzalez rushed for 23 yards on eight carries. Ryan Lewis caught three passes for 28 yards. Lewis, a two-way star for the Cougars, led the team with six tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.

“I think our injuries finally caught up with us,” Escalon coach Andrew Beam said after Thursday’s contest. “I think it was very revealing that we were missing two-way starters.”

Woodland Christian’s duo of quarterback Isaiah Hunt and receiver Carter Lang combined for three touchdowns and a conversion. The Cardinals took advantage of missed assignments, consistently moving the ball down the field. They scored six points in the first quarter, 15 in the second and seven more in the third.

Woodland Christian went 15-0 last season and moved to 6-1 in 2024 after Thursday’s win. It is the No. 3 team in Division VI.

The Cougars are in an unfamiliar position coming down the final stretch of the season. They sit at 2-5 and need four wins to qualify for the playoffs. They need two wins in their final three games to become postseason eligible.

“If we can get healthy and get a guy or two back, we’re going to have a shot,” Beam said. “We’re not that far away. If you look at our schedule, we’ve got three losses by a combined six points.”

Valley Christian 23, Modesto Christian 0: The Crusaders came away with two interceptions and two fumbles but could not score in the Thursday night game against Valley Christian. Modesto Christian threw six interceptions, four to Riley Garcia, and the Lions scored three rushing touchdowns in the contest.

Hilmar 21, Orestimba 13: Both teams did all of their scoring in the second half. After coming out of halftime tied 0-0, Hilmar took a 14-0 lead before Orestimba answered with a score. Each team scored once in the fourth quarter of the tightly contested affair.

Ripon Christian 30, Ripon 6: Ripon scored on its first possession to take a 6-0 lead, but after that, it was all Knights. Ripon Christian beat its rival for the first time Friday night in a dominant showing. Mason Tameling threw two touchdown passes and Lushen Sanders rushed for two more. Aaron Van Hofwegen closed out the scoring with a 35-yard field goal.

Lathrop 34, Johansen 14: The Vikings could not hand Lathrop its first WAC loss this season as the Spartans continued to roll. Johansen falls to 2-2 in league play and 3-4 overall. It needs one more win in its last three games to be playoff eligible. The Vikings play Central Valley, Livingston and Davis in their last three contests.

Gregori 34, Enochs 30: Gregori ended its five-game losing streak powered by the return of running back Alton Williams from injury. Williams caught a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Emmanuel Vasquez. A third-quarter 63-yard touchdown run by Eric Myles and an extra point put Enochs ahead 23-14. Gregori outscored the Eagles 10-7 in an exciting finish.

Turlock 66, Pitman 6: The Bulldogs led just 14-6 after the first quarter of the 21st Harvest Bowl, but a 37-point second quarter broke the game wide open. The Bulldogs scored 15 points in the third quarter of the blowout win. Turlock has won the last nine games of the rivalry matchup.

Central Catholic 49, East Union 14: The Raiders came back from their bye week with a key Valley Oak League win, holding East Union’s offense to just 14 second-half points. Kayden McHenry completed five passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns. In Joey Alcutt’s absence, Carter Meeks rushed for 135 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries.

Livingston 42, Central Valley 10: The Hawks dropped their sixth game in a row Friday night, falling to the WAC’s No. 3 team. They take on Johansen, Lathrop and Ceres, respectively, in their final games of the regular season.

Downey 41, Modesto 7: The Knights scored just seven first-quarter points, but after that the offense woke up, extending a 20-0 lead at the half and outscoring the Panthers 21-7 in the second half. Carson Lamb passed for 406 yards and four touchdowns, Marcus Cruz and Elijah Tamayo had rushing touchdowns and Ethan Woodmansee caught nine passes for 150 yards and a touchdown. Three other receivers caught touchdown passes as well. Downey remains unbeaten on the season and will travel to Turlock next week for a matchup of the CCAL’s two top teams.

Ceres 29, Pacheco 3: Ceres moved to 2-2 in WAC play with a dominant win, securing its fourth straight victory over the Panthers Friday night. The Bulldogs are a perfect 4-0 at home. They travel to Davis and Beyer in the next two weeks before finishing the regular season against crosstown rival Central Valley on Nov. 1.

Davis 28, Beyer 8: Davis held a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter en route to securing their second straight league win. The Spartans are in control of second place in the WAC with games against Ceres, Pacheco and Johansen remaining.

Big Valley Christian 42, Riverbank 3: The Lions allowed just a first-half field goal in the dominant win over Riverbank in Mother Lode League play. Big Valley Christian led 28-3 at the half and continued the scoring in the second half. Big Valley is tied with Summerville at 3-1 in league play, behind Linden and Calaveras, the league’s two unbeaten teams. The Lions finish league play with Calaveras on Oct. 18 and Summerville on Oct. 25.

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