NEWMAN – Three Orestimba High football players posted big numbers in Friday’s Trans-Valley League finale against Escalon High’s squad.
But Escalon posted bigger numbers that counted in the end.
Playing at Warrior Stadium, Orestimba and Escalon battled for four quarters. But Escalon came away with a 42-28 win.
Orestimba (0-6 in the TVL, 2-8 overall) scored a touchdown in the first and second quarters. But the visiting Cougars went on a scoring frenzy, scoring two touchdowns in the first and three in the second for a 35-14 halftime lead.
Escalon (3-3 in the TVL, 5-5) was held to a touchdown in the third quarter, which built its lead to 42-14.
The Warriors, who have only scored a total of 13 points in their five league games prior, found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter that led to the final score.
Orestimba quarterback Giovanni Gudino had a good night airing the ball, completing 9 of 16 passes for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Warrior running back Michael Maier and wide receiver Richie Rivas had a good night being on the end of Gudino’s passes. Rivas had six receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns and Maier 2-121 plus a TD.
Orestimba finished with 221 total offensive yards. Although the Warriors had plenty of yards in the air, their rushing game was -23 yards.
Escalon quarterback Logan Huebner threw 10 of 18 passes for 221 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Cougars had 405 total offensive yards.
Bowl game
Despite the loss, Orestimba’s season has been extended by one more week and hosts a bowl game.
In early October, the Sac-Joaquin Section’s Board of Mangers passed a new playoff structure. In Divisions I-VII, only the top eight teams in each division advance into the playoffs that will begin on Friday, Nov. 14. The measure passed by a 55-2 vote.
Schools that finished Nos. 9-16 and based on the strengths of their schedules would play in bowl games, which will be played this Friday. Orestimba will host Beyer of Modesto. Beyer went 1-6 in the Western Athletic Conference and 3-7 overall.
To view playoff brackets and bowl games, visit the section’s website – www.cifsjs.org. Click on the Football tab.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushmedia.
