Sutter overwhelms Hilmar in D-V semifinal, ends Frank Marques’ career at 199 wins
Sutter High didn’t waste a second proving its point.
On the road for the longest trip of the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals, the third-seeded Huskies dominated second-seeded Hilmar from the opening whistle Friday night, scoring touchdowns on their first four drives and rolling to a 48-14 victory at McSweeney Field.
The loss ends the storied 23-year head coaching career of Hilmar legend Frank Marques, who retires with 199 wins, six Trans-Valley League titles, four section championships and a 2018 state crown.
Sutter (11-1) advances to the Division V championship game next week at Sacramento City College, where it will face top-seeded Casa Roble — the team that beat the Huskies in Week 10.
Hilmar finishes its season 7-5.
Sutter strikes early, strikes often
The game swung sharply in the first quarter, when Sutter marched 75 yards on its opening drive and never looked back. Senior quarterback Braden Scritchfield accounted for four touchdowns — two passing and two rushing — while junior running back Losi Asiata and senior scatback Max Bringgold added two scores each behind a dominant offensive line.
Sutter led 21-0 after one quarter and 35-0 at halftime.
“They showed up ready and motivated,” Sutter head coach Ryan Reynolds said. “They’ve had a chip on their shoulders since the Casa loss. We knew that cost us the No. 1 seed, and we’d have to go on the road and be road warriors. To come into this environment — Hilmar’s a phenomenal program — and play the way we did? Awesome.”
Scritchfield said the team felt in control immediately.
“There was a lot of hype and a lot of people expected us to lose,” he said. “But from the first drive, I knew it was our game. We scored with ease. Everything was working.”
Hilmar got on the board early in the third quarter on a 25-yard touchdown run, but Sutter answered immediately to push the lead back to 41-7 and trigger a running clock.
Onside-kick controversy and postgame tension
Tempers rose early in the second half when Sutter attempted two consecutive onside kicks despite holding a five-touchdown lead. Reynolds said both were mistakes — one intended to be a pooch kick and the other a line-drive squib — and were not meant to catch Hilmar off guard.
Marques disagreed.
“When you don’t substitute when you’re ahead and there’s a running clock and you still have your starters in, I don’t know what they do up north,” Marques said. “But here in the south, we like to let everybody on the field play. I don’t think that’s very classy.”
Some verbal arguments broke out between members of both staffs during the postgame handshakes before assistants separated the teams.
Marques’ final game
In his final postgame huddle, Marques spoke about his team’s heart and his gratitude for the program he helped shape since taking over in 2003.
“It’s just a gritty group of kids,” he said. “They battled all year long. I’m blessed to be part of this community. I’m just a little cog in the wheel of something much bigger.”
Even after a lopsided loss, he said his love for football remains intact.
“Sometimes you run into a buzzsaw, and tonight we did. But I still love the game. I’m excited for everything coming for the Yellowjackets in the future.”
Hilmar returns a heavily junior-loaded roster in 2026.
Sutter’s mission continues
The Huskies will see Casa Roble again — this time for a championship.
Bringgold, who scored twice and shined on both sides of the ball, said the team has thought about this road to the championship since last November.
“It feels great,” he said. “We lost last year by one point, and we’ve lost to TVL teams three years in a row. To execute like this felt amazing.”
Asiata said the team is locked in.
“Go in 0-0,” he said. “We don’t need motivation. Just go in there and get that win.”
Scritchfield echoed that message.
“We’ve had this mission since the beginning of the year,” he said. “We lost to Casa earlier this season. We want our get-back.”
Reynolds said his team knows what it’s capable of.
“Tonight was a testament to that,” he said. “They have an opportunity next week.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Sutter overwhelms Hilmar in D-V semifinal, ends Frank Marques’ career at 199 wins."
