For most of the program's history, Hilmar High and its head coach, Frank Marques, have been successful in its matchups against Hughson High.

Entering Friday, Marques  sported a 5-1 against Shaun King, Hughson’s current head coach.

For several seasons, the matchup often decided which of the two would finish ahead of one another in the Trans-Valley League standings. The exception was last season when the Huskies ended an eight-game skid against Hilmar as the team won the league and a third straight Sac-Joaquin Section championship.

Fast forward to Friday’s matchup, the stakes couldn’t have been higher. Hughson and Hilmar entered the game at third and fourth place, respectively, in the TVL.

It’s safe to say that Hughson delivered when it mattered the most.

Up by six points with 13 seconds left on a third-and-17, Hilmar quarterback Jorden Jacobo’s pass was intercepted by Hughson’s safety Karsen Moore to seal a 35-29 win for the Huskies.

Hughson finished the regular season 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the TVL, good for third place in the standings. Hilmar, however, fell to 5-4 overall and 2-3 against conference opponents with one game remaining on their regular season schedule.

King said the team’s win against Hilmar last season “wasn’t a fluke,” as the Huskies prepared for Friday’s matchup all week.

“We really thought whoever had the ball last was going to win, thank goodness that didn’t happen tonight, but we knew that this was going to be a tough matchup,” King said.

Both teams had a different approach when it came to running its offenses. Hilmar ran a run-oriented offense while Hughson found throwing the ball.

Leading the Huskies was freshman quarterback Hudson Baldwin, who threw for a career-high five touchdown passes. None of which were greater than the one to give Hughson the 35-29 lead with less than two minutes left, when he connected with Titus Beers from 35 yards out.

For the freshman quarterback, Baldwin credited his confidence as a playmaker growing throughout the season.

“As the game went … I started to build my confidence,” Baldwin said. “I stopped letting big plays get to me or mistakes get to me.”

King said Hudson’s pocket presence was amongst the biggest improvements he’s seen with the freshman throughout the season.

Despite the loss, Yellowjackets’ quarterback Cohen Felber found success on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.

Both teams went back-and-forth in the opening half as Hilmar found success running the ball while Hughson thrived when it came to passing.

After multiple drives down the field, Hilmar got within field goal range. Felber handed off to receiver Nathan Ayala, who ran towards Hughson’s 5-yard line. After gaining a yard on its previous play, tailback Adam Branco ran into the end zone for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead near the end of first quarter.

Hughson received the ball at the start of the second quarter and couldn’t have asked for a better start. After seven plays, Hughson got within Hilmar’s 30-yard line. Huskies’ quarterback Hudson Baldwin scrambled two Yellowjacket defenders and threw a pass to receiver Lawson Aviles, who ran to the end zone to tie the game at seven points.

The Yellowjackets responded with a scoring drive of its own thanks to a couple of passes and runs from Felber. The senior quarterback ran 35 yards down the field for the Yellowjackets’ second touchdown, 13-7. However, the extra-point attempt was blocked by Hughson.

The play proved to pay deviants later in the period for the Huskies. After leading Hughson to the 30-yard line, Baldwin threw a pass to receiver Gideon Benitez to tie the game at 13 points. The Huskies converted the extra point attempt and entered the second half with a 14-13 lead.

Hughson began the second half with a scoring drive led by Baldwin and Aviles. After getting to Hilmar’s 10-yard line, Baldwin tossed the ball to Aviles, who was left unguarded to extend the Husky lead to seven points. Hughson successfully converted a two-point conversion afterwards to lead 22-13.

Facing a two-possession deficit, Felber recorded a 68-yard rushing touchdown to cut Hughson’s lead to three points. Following a successful two-point conversion, the Yellowjackets were down by a point, 22-21.

Near the end of the third quarter, Baldwin led the Huskies to the 20-yard line. He found running back Eli Wilbanks to increase Hughson’s lead back to eight points, 29-21.

Hughson’s celebratory moment was short-lived after Jacobo opened the final period with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Ayala. Ayala scored the two-point attempt to tie the game at 29 points before the heroics of Baldwin, Beers and Moore.

With this being Marques’ last matchup against Hughson, King praised the head coach for his commitment to the Yellowjackets’ program. He said that Marques was the first head coach he met when he started at Hughson.

“There’s been times where I’ve called [during the] offseason or in-season, he’s been a great mentor for me in the TVL,” King said about Marques. “The TVL is better with him.”