At Husky Memorial Stadium on Friday night, under the pouring rain that dropped down from the powerful bomb cyclone and atmospheric river that slammed parts of Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, the undefeated, top-seeded Hughson High football team (11-0) overcame a second slow start in as many weeks to defeat No. 4 Union Mine of El Dorado (9-2) by a 22-8 score in the semifinal round of the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 playoffs.
Fans of the program will take a now-familiar road trip to Sacramento City College next Saturday to see the Huskies attempt to three-peat as winners of section blue banners. Last year, the Huskies claimed the Division 6 crown at the venue last year in a 40-39 thriller over Bradshaw Christian. The year prior, the team survived another nail-biter, a 14-13 victory over Summerville, to raise their first blue banner in 22 years.
Now, the Huskies are on the verge of a dynasty. The team standing in their way will be No. 2 Sutter (11-1), who defeated No. 3 Lathrop 21-19 Friday. Next Saturday’s title game will kick off at 11 a.m.
“Three in a row, you know, it's never happened here,” said Hughson head coach Shaun King. “From where this program started to where it is now, it's amazing. It's about the players that have believed in us and then stayed here in Hughson and played for their hometown.”
One of those hometown kids is senior tight end and defensive end Max Mankins, who plans to play collegiately at Air Force next year.
“It would be great to do it again with my brothers. We’ve been really lucky to have done it twice, and we as a class want to have our legacy go down as one of the best ever to go through Hughson High. That’s what we’re playing for… A dynasty.”
Mankins was one of the key players for the Huskies on Friday. He recorded a sack and made a pair of clutch catches down the stretch to keep the chains moving, the Diamondbacks off the field and the clock ticking. Not only that, the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder played the ultimate team game, blocking for a running game that gave his team advantage throughout the night.
King and offensive coordinator Phil Tubera quickly turned to his junior running back tandem of Eli Wilbanks and Isaac Garcia as the rain progressively worsened and after yet another slow start from their usually dynamic passing game.
On just the third play of the game, four-star, Arizona-bound senior quarterback Robert McDaniel tried to dump a pass off over the linemen, but was intercepted by Brock Buak III. The Diamondbacks took advantage three plays later when fullback Aiden Goehring ran in a four-yard touchdown and Buak broke the goal line to successfully convert for two points.
That’s when Wilbanks and Garcia started feasting. The ensuing drive, a pair of screen passes for a combined 49 yards to junior wideout Lawson Aviles set up a 1-yard touchdown rush by Wilbanks. On their own two-point attempt, McDaniel took off but fumbled. Nevertheless, the ball was quickly recovered by senior tackle Ryan Lankford in the end zone.
The game remained tied at half time.
In the second half, it was Garcia’s show. On their first possession, he carried the ball six of the team’s 11 plays, including the final one — a 14-yard touchdown. The score stood at 14-8 after he was stuffed on a two-point try. The drive milked seven minutes off the clock.
They kept the momentum on their side when a pack of Huskies forced Goehring to fumble on the first play of the very next possession. Seven plays later, the boys in black found the end zone again, with Wilbanks jumping high above a scrum from two yards out on the first play of the fourth quarter. McDaniel found Mankins in the end zone for the two extra points and to give the Huskies the 22-8 advantage.
Up by two scores with just under 12 minutes left in the contest, Garcia put things on ice, carrying the ball 11 times and earning three first downs. He finished the night with 102 rushing yards on 19.
King explained that it was his plan to use the elusive Garcia much more considering the conditions and with his starting fullback, senior Colt Foss, still recovering from a lower leg injury suffered in their quarterfinal game last week against El Dorado.
“I knew I was (going to be) getting (the ball) a lot tonight,” admitted Garcia, who transferred from Central Valley (Ceres) in the offseason. “I just want to help my team in whatever way I can, to help these amazing players get those back-to-back-to-back titles.”
McDaniel has been the team’s starter for each of those past two title runs. In his illustrious career, he has never been one for excuses, and it was no different Friday night.
“No, it wasn’t the rain there, I just put it in the wrong spot and the guy made a play on it,” he said of his early turnover. “I just wasn't executing, but I trusted my defense. They had a really, really great plan against the defense and really tested us, but they showed out.”
Despite the rough start, the star quarterback finished his night with 172 yards on 15 attempts. His top receiver was Aviles, a transfer from Pitman, who hauled in four balls for 93 yards.
And as the gunslinger alluded to, the Hughson defense held the Diamondbacks to just 155 yards from scrimmage, with 150 of those were on the ground by way of 31 carries scattered across six different ball carriers. Their quarterback, Ethan Herr, completed just one of four pass attempts.
Although McDaniel was happy with the victory, he realized that the offensive play needs to be much sharper much earlier if they want a chance against Sutter.
“We’ll clean it up and be ready,” he said. “Overall, it’s great to have that opportunity for three straight. Our mindsets the past couple years has been to try to win it to pay it forward to the seniors. Now, Class of ‘25, it's our time, you know. It's our senior year, and it's really, really surreal to have that chance our senior year.”
