Hilmar outlasts Ripon to win key Trans-Valley League game; Escalon is next
Heading into the 2022 football season, Escalon was considered by many to be a prohibitive favorite to win the Trans-Valley League.
But when it comes to the TVL, there’s no such thing as a sure thing.
When Hughson stunned the Cougars in Week 1 of TVL play, the league suddenly looked up for grabs.
Enter the Hilmar Yellowjackets.
Hilmar defeated Ripon 34-14 on Friday night to improve to 2-0 in the TVL — the Yellowjackets suddenly look like serious contenders to claim the TVL crown.
“I love this league,” said Hilmar coach Frank Marques. “Ripon came in and gave us everything we could handle. ... We’re lucky to come out here with a win tonight.”
Sophomore quarterback Caden Bailey ran for three touchdowns, and Hilmar’s hard-hitting defense limited Ripon to two scores en route to the victory.
The lopsided score was not indicative of the battle a young Ripon team gave Hilmar.
“That’s what I love about the TVL, every night is a ... battle, and so tonight we beat Ripon, but they were in it until the very end,” Marques said.
Bailey, who took over the starting quarterback job after Hudson Azevedo’s injury, is far from your prototypical quarterback.
But what the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder lacks in size and arm strength, he makes up for with elusive running, accuracy and a moxie beyond his years.
“He’s super mature,” Marques said. “He’s really calm under pressure; he doesn’t show emotion one way or the other, so he’s a great asset to have on our team. He had a great night tonight.”
Asked what it’s like being a sophomore leading a team of seniors and juniors, Bailey said, “It’s weird being a sophomore and people looking at me to be a leader on the team. But it’s cool, too. I’m glad they see me as that.”
Ripon started slowly, spotting Hilmar two touchdowns in the first quarter before the Indians really got into the game.
Bailey’s first TD run, from six yards out, gave Hilmar a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.
The Indians’ offense finally got going in the second quarter, with sophomore running back Anden Ries (69 yards and a TD) leading the way. But Ries was injured late in the second quarter and didn’t make it back for the second half.
The Indians tied the score in the third quarter on a 5-yard TD pass from Ty Herrin to Adam Johnston, but by then Ripon’s defense was gassed.
Bailey’s second and third touchdowns (6 and 26 yards, respectively), blew the game open.
Senior running back Jax Bernardo, who had a nice game with 94 yards on six carries, closed out the scoring with a 29-yard TD run.
Bailey finished with 76 yards on 11 carries. Hilmar senior running back Luis Vargas had 102 yards on 12 carries, including a 6-yard TD to open the scoring.
Ripon coach Chris Musseman said his team’s slow start proved costly.
“We came out and were flat,” Musseman said. “We haven’t played a lot of good, physical football teams. We played one early and the last three games had been pretty easy games. And so our kids, just not having the experience of a group who has played through the TVL before ... they weren’t ready.”
Ripon, which fell to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the TVL, will look to bounce back next Friday at winless Riverbank (0-5).
The Yellowjackets now turn their attention to Escalon (3-3, 0-1 TVL), which had a bye on Friday and will have had two weeks to stew over the loss to Hughson and prepare for Hilmar.
The two rivals will kick off at 7 p.m. on Friday at Hilmar’s McSweeney Field.
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 11:39 PM with the headline "Hilmar outlasts Ripon to win key Trans-Valley League game; Escalon is next."
