4 takeaways as Escalon's loaded offense leads to Week 2 win over Windsor
ESCALON – In the end Cougars coach Andrew Beam need not have worried about his team having a letdown following an emotional one-point overtime loss to Clovis-Buchannan in Week 1.
Escalon’s loaded offense showed up early and the defense held on late as the Cougars got past visiting Windsor with a convincing 49-35 victory Friday evening at a packed Engel Field.
Senior leadership
Escalon seniors on offense led the way as the Cougars abused the visiting Jaguars.
Ryker Peters, who rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns on 21 carries. Peters scored from 6, 28, 2, and 25 yards out to give him 12 rushing scores early in the season.
Escalon senior Logan Anderson added 90 yards rushing on nine carries and caught six passes for 97 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Donavan Rozevink that gave the Cougars a 21-14 advantage early in the second quarter.
Rozevink completed 9-of-15 passes for 156 yards and three touchdowns, including 25- and 8-yard passing scores to senior Owen Nash for a 14-7 Escalon lead early in the first quarter.
We’ll always have Boise
Javier Gutierrez intercepted Jaguars signal-caller Judson Anderson late in the first half and it nearly led to a touchdown.
Gutierrez’s interception came with just seconds remaining before intermission, so Beam sent in a razzle dazzle play Escalon calls “Boise.”
“I always smile when I hear them call that play,” said Anderson, who played the second receiver on a hook and lateral play that evoked memories of Boise State’s late comeback against Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl where the Broncos used the play to force overtime and to eventually win.
Rozevink fired a pass over the middle to Nash at the Windsor 15, where he pitched the ball behind him to Anderson racing the other way and up the sideline only to be pushed out-of-bounds at the last second just three yards shy of the end zone to end the half.
“We ran that play on fourth and 12 in our Nor-Cal game last year against Marin Catholic,” Beam said, “and we got 30 yards and scored on the next play to get within 21-14. It’s been a nice little last second, Hail Mary type of play for us every once in a while.”
Grandma’s no scaredy cat
Logan Anderson’s grandparents, Steve and Mary Anderson of Oakdale, revealed that the Cougars senior and his grandmother are locked in a long-running battle on who can shock or surprise the other more than the other.
“Logan likes to scare his Nana,” Mary Anderson said, “He’s really good, but I put a skeleton in his bed once and that got him really good.”
Added Steve Anderson, “They like to crawl into each other’s cars and scare them from behind.”
“Yeah,” Mary said, “He reached under the seat and grabbed my ankle. That got me good, but Halloween is coming and I’m going to win.”
Steve Anderson said Logan will have no clue of the surprise they have already planned for him for an epic scare as Halloween approaches. “Logan needs to be worried about it,” said his grandfather.
Calling all patriotic teams
Escalon was the first team in the state of California to don camouflage-themed uniforms in their tilt against the Jaguars and the Cougars could say the jerseys brought them luck.
Nick Barragan, who markets for the California Army National Guard, said other states have already started loaning out team uniforms, but Escalon is the first to wear them. He said he has partnered with CIF and has camo-jerseys for most of the major high school boys and girls sports, including soccer, basketball, baseball, softball and football, but needs schools to ask to wear them for a contest.
Wood Cross is the next football team who will wear the special National Guard jerseys, he said, but all the other jerseys are available now.
To arrange a special game wearing the uniforms, Barragan said to contact him at 916-584-0247.
Contact Stockton Record Correspondent Scott Niendorf at sports@recordnet.com.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Escalon's offense leads to win over Windsor: 4 takeaways
