Bailey, Hilmar’s dynamic running game roll over Livingston in Trans-Valley League opener
It was tough enough for opposing defenses to try to slow down Hilmar High School football star Caden Bailey when he was only playing quarterback.
Now the Yellowjackets junior is lining up all over, playing quarterback, slot receiver and running back.
“He’s special,” Hilmar head coach Frank Marques said.
Bailey displayed his versatility and his big-play ability on Friday night. Twice Bailey traveled 95 yards to score touchdowns — first on a sweep play from the slot and then later on the second-half kickoff return — as Hilmar throttled Livingston 42-3 in the Trans-Valley League opener for both teams at McSweeney Field.
Bailey finished the night with 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just five carries, scoring on runs of 95 and 56 yards. Yes, he averaged almost 35 yards per carry and that doesn’t include the 95-yard kickoff return.
“He just makes my job as a play-caller easier,” said Marques, who couldn’t think of another Hilmar player in recent memory that had two touchdowns over 90 yards in the same game.
Making the switch from quarterback to receiver and running back hasn’t been difficult for Bailey. As a quarterback, he already had to know what the other positions were doing. He also grew up playing receiver and running back in youth football.
“It’s helped open up our offense,” Bailey said. “I’m still adjusting. When I watch tonight’s game there were some things I messed up. The biggest thing is the conditioning. I can get tired running around at practice.”
The Yellowjackets (1-0 TVL, 4-2 overall) showcased a dynamic running game with Bailey, running back Logan Cardoso and quarterback Merek Ellerd all taking turns slashing the Wolves defense.
Cardoso rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. Ellerd added 54 yards on the ground, including a 40-yard touchdown run.
Hilmar jumped out to a 28-0 lead at the half behind 311 rushing yards in the first half. Meanwhile, the Yellowjackets defense held Livingston (0-1 TVL, 1-5) to just 19 yards in the first half.
Still, Marques feels Hilmar has plenty of room for improvement, especially cutting down on penalties and mistakes.
“We really wanted to clean things up during the bye week and we still had too many penalties,” he said. “We made too many mistakes.”
Bailey hopes the Livingston win will serve as a momentum swing like it did last year.
“Last year we were 1-3 coming into this game,” Bailey said. “We beat Livingston and went on to win the TVL. Hopefully this will be a momentum game for us again.”
Hilmar travels to Ripon next week with games against Escalon and Hughson to follow.
