HUGHSON – Hughson High’s Titus Beers did a little bit of everything Friday night in the Huskies’ convincing 39-7 non-conference victory over Atwater on Friday at Husky Memorial Stadium.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound senior had a sack and a tackle for a loss on defense, where he splits time between defensive end and strongside linebacker.
While on the offensive side, where he plays tight end, split end, slot receiver, and running back, Beers had two carries for 62 yards – one a 55-yard touchdown gallop – and five receptions for 118 yards and two more scores of 4 and 69 yards.
"On nights like these, I like making the big plays, but overall I like playing defense more," said Beers, who is drawing the attention of NCAA Division I scouts.
“If he’s not our league’s MVP at the end of the year, we’re doing something wrong,” said Hughson head coach Shaun King. “He’s everything.”
Sophomore quarterback Hudson Baldwin, who faced the unenviable task of replace Hughson four-year starter Robert McDaniel – now at San Jose State – last season as a freshman, has developed a chemistry with Beers over parts of two seasons.
“I think anybody would have a chemistry with Titus,” said Baldwin, who completed 9 of 12 passes for 186 yards and the pair of scoring tosses to Beers. “I’m really blessed to have him. He’s a great player.”
Baldwin, who completed 9 of 11 for 159 yards in last week’s opener, is also fortunate to have a three-pronged rushing attack of Blake Hobbs (18 carries for 89 yards), Caden Bowerman (9-47), and Isaac Atkinson (2-39). All told, Hughson ran the ball 36 times for 241 yards.
After forcing Atwater go three-and-pout on the game’s opening possession, the Huskies set the tone for the evening with an 11-play, 87-yard drive that Hobbs capped with a 3-yard burst into the end zone.
Hughson forced another punt on the Falcons’ next possession, but senior Darren Jenks blocked the kick and the Huskies set up shop on Atwater’s 34. After a false-start backed them up 5 yards, Baldwin connected with Beers on a 35-yard gainer to set up a 4-yard pitch that made the score 12-0.
Bowerman put Hughson ahead by 19 with his 4-yard TD run, and the Huskies made it 26-0 heading into halftime when Baldwin hit Beers in stride for a 69-yard hook-up.
Beers’ 55-yards in the third quarter and Atkinson’s 35-yard jaunt in the fourth finished the scoring for Hughson.
Atwater’s lone TD came on a 5-yard run by Brayden Bettis, who finished the game with 84 yards on 12 attempts. He led a Falcons ground game that produced 170 yards on 33 carries.
Members of the Hughson High coaching staff wore black and gold T-shirts Friday with the letters TVL emblazoned on the front – a mild protest over the Sac-Joaquin Section’s proposed plan to do away with the Trans-Valley League, widely regarded as the most competitive small-school conference in California. Hughson, along with Hilmar, Escalon, Ripon, Ripon Chrisitan, Orestimba, and Sonora currently make up the TVL, a league that has produced seven state titles since 2018.
