Escalon shuts down Hilmar

HILMAR -- Gino Franceschetti posted some of the ugliest numbers of his high school career on Friday night.

The Escalon senior quarterback threw for 61 yards while under constant pressure from the Hilmar defense, and getting sacked five times meant Franceschetti finished the game with minus 7 yards rushing.

So all he did was go out and do what good quarterbacks are able to accomplish. He went out and led his team to a win.

In this case it was a 10-0 Cougars' victory before about 3,000 fans at McSweeney Field that earned the defending Division 3 state bowl champion no worse than a share of the Trans-Valley League title.

Escalon, with its 21st consecutive victory. improved to 9-0 and 5-0 in the TVL with a home game against Modesto Christian remaining. Hilmar's regular season came to an end with the loss, but at 8-2 and 5-1 in the TVL the Yellowjackets will be opening the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 playoffs at home.

To call this a defensive battle would be a gross understatement. Hilmar won the battle of yardage 149-133 and held Escalon running back Josh Miguel to 25 yards on 12 carries, but there was not a single play run in the red zone by either team.

On top of that, it was unthinkable that the Yellowjackets, who had averaged 49.8 points in its five TVL wins, possibly could be blanked by anyone.

"Getting shut out is shocking to me, but their defensive line did a great job of physically dominating the game," said Hilmar coach Frank Marques. "We had no answers for them."

Said Franceschetti: "Our defense was incredible tonight. We stepped up on defense against Patterson, but we stepped up even bigger tonight against an even better offense."

And Franceschetti, on offense, defense and special teams, was the biggest little man on the field.

He set the tone for the Cougars' defense by stepping up from his safety spot to intercept Hilmar quarterback Andrew Olson and end the Yellowjackets' opening possession.

Late in the first quarter, four plays following a Hilmar fumble, Franceschetti connected with junior Alec Von Alvensleben on a 28-yard scoring pass, a fly pattern up the left side to the back of the end zone. Franceschetti then tacked on the conversion for a 7-0 Escalon lead.

With 3:10 left in the half, after an Escalon's drive stalled at the the Hilmar 25, Franceschetti connected on a 41-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.

On Hilmar's next possession, wingback Kurtis Bettencourt cut through the right side for a 25-yard gain, but what would have been a certain touchdown was stopped when Franceschetti made a clean tackle in the open field.

And with 5:38 left the fourth quarter, Hilmar forced the Cougars to punt from their own 41. Franceschetti, under heavy pressure, got off a booming kick that was downed at the Hilmar 5. With no room to maneuver, Hilmar punted four plays later and never again saw the ball.

"Gino is the straw that stirs the drink," said Escalon coach Mark Louriero. "He does all the little things that no one sees, except for the people who know what the game of football is all about."