A loss does not always define who a team is or their season.
That was head coach Anthony Leal’s message after Hilmar High missed on its first opportunity to claim the Trans-Valley League title following a 21-14 loss on the road Tuesday against Ripon High, ending the Yellowjackets’ 15-game winning streak and handing them their first loss in league play.
“I feel maybe we need a loss to kind of bring ourselves back,” Leal said. “We’ve been along this really high horse for a while, and sometimes you kind of need to be knocked down a little bit to realize who we really are.”
Entering Thursday tied for first place in the league standings with the Orestimba High, Hilmar traveled to Newman for its regular season finale against the Warriors, with another chance to clinch the conference crown.
The loss earlier in the week seemed to add motivation for Hilmar’s defense as they brought the program its first league title with a 14-0 shutout.
Finishing the season at 19-3 overall, Hilmar will enter the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs as the top seed. The Yellowjackets will begin their defense of last year’s blue banner on Wednesday at home against West Campus of Sacramento (14-10).
The Yellowjackets didn’t waste any time getting on the board. On the second play of the game, junior Milana Lacey recorded an interception and turned on the afterburners for a 40-yard pick-six.
Following a Warriors punt, Hilmar capped off a 55-yard play drive with a Mili Larios rushing score to make it 14-0 late in the opening quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Orestimba made it to the 7-yard line hoping to find some life. On fourth-and-7, Orestimba quarterback Salece Machado scrambled to the right side of the field and ran towards the end zone. However, the Yellowjackets had a last-second flag pull at the 1-yard line.
While she did not record any passing touchdowns, quarterback Haygen Stivers was composed against the Warriors’ defense. From dropping back to scrambling for the open read, the sophomore made the right plays to manage the clock, effectively wasting time for Orestimba.
From making the switch from receiver to quarterback after one season, Leal praised the Stivers for her commitment throughout countless repetitions and believes that dedication is starting to pay off.
“She’s starting to realize, ‘Hey, I’m the quarterback, and I am in charge and everybody feeds off my energy,’” he said. “She has realized that to be a quarterback, you gotta be a leader.”
Timely stops continued to work for the visitors as in the third quarter with a fourth-and-2 at the 18-yard line, Machado held on to the ball too long, which gave the defense enough time to force a turnover on downs. Later on, at fourth-and-10 at the 20-yard line with less than two minutes remaining, Machado’s pass was broken up to result in a turnover on downs and allow Hilmar to take a victory formation.
Both teams were no strangers to one another when it matters the most. After the Warriors won both regular season matchups to win the TVL against the Yellowjackets last season, Hilmar, more than two weeks later, responded by ending Orestimba’s season in a double-overtime win in the semifinals of the section playoffs.
Hilmar got the best of this year’s first head-to-head matchup against Orestimba with a 20-6 win on Oct. 6.
“Everything we do at practice has to be game-like scenarios,” Leal said as he looked ahead to the postseason. “Preparing for the games is our biggest thing, getting them mentally and physically prepared.”
