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Hilmar remains undefeated with win against Orestimba
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Hilmar High lineman Justin Ortiz, left, lifts quarterback Cohren Felber after he gives the Yellowjackets a 21-point lead in the first quarter against Orestimba High at McSweeney Field on Friday (NAVTEJ HUNDAL/The Journal).

Hilmar High football continues to show it’s amongst the best programs in the Trans-Valley League with a 35-6 win against Orestimba High during its homecoming game Friday night at McSweeney Field.

The Yellowjackets remain perfect at 8-0 overall and 4-0 in TVL play under first-year head coach Mark Santos. Hilmar remains at the top of the league standings above Escalon High.

Quarterback Cohen Felber did it all against the Warriors' defense, finishing with two total touchdowns. He now has 17 total TDs for the season.

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Hilmar High quarterback Cohren Felber gets tackled by an Orestimba defender as he runs for a first down during the first quarter of the Yellowjackets’ 35-6 win against the Warriors (NAVTEJ HUNDAL/The Journal).

The senior led a potent rushing attack as Hilmar ran into the end zone four times.

Unlike its league rival, Orestimba could not get anything through its running back tandem of Michael Maier and Hunter Silva, who’ve primarily led the team’s offense this season. Both struggled to get past the Yellowjackets’ front seven, resulting in a short gain or loss of yards.

Coming into Friday’s contest, Santos said the team focused on getting past the Warriors’ offensive line throughout the week. He added if the defense could get that done, it would help the edge rushers get a tackle on either running back.

“We knew we had it [in us] to win those one-on-ones” Santos said. “We had a good chance if we were not missing tackles.”

Hilmar started out strong with a six-play drive that ended up with Felber throwing a 10-yard TD pass to Nathan Ayala for a 7-0 lead. This would be the catalyst of a dominant opening quarter.

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Hilmar High running back Adam Branco, left, attempts to stiff-arm an Orestimba High defender while running towards the end zone in the first quarter of the Yellowjackets’ 35-6 win against the Warriors (NAVTEJ HUNDAL/The Journal).

After forcing a turnover on downs, the Yellowjackets drove down the field to Orestimba’s 14-yard line. Upon receiving the ball, running back Adam Branco stiff-armed past a Warriors’ defender to run in the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

Upon forcing Orestimba to punt deep within their territory, Hilmar received the ball at the Warriors’ 44-yard line. The drive ended with Felber rushing 14 yards to Orestimba’s end zone for a 21-point lead near the end of the first.

Similar to their offense, Hilmar’s defense continued its momentum in pressuring Warriors quarterback Jorden Jacobo. With multiple blitz packages, Jacobo had no choice but to throw an incomplete pass to avoid a loss of yards.

The Yellowjacket later scored another rushing TD to lead 28-0. With the first half coming to an end, running back Lucas Belo concluded a dominant start with a 14-yard rushing TD to lead 35-0 going into halftime.

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Hilmar High lineman Justin Ortiz, middle, gets a hug after he was crowned this year’s homecoming king ahead of Friday’s game against Orestimba High (NAVTEJ HUNDAL/The Journal).

Orestimba got on the board in the final six minutes of the game after Jacobo threw a 4-yard TD pass to receiver Isaiah Quiroz, 35-6.

As the regular season comes to near end, Hilmar will travel to Ripon Christian (5-2, 1-2 TVL) on Friday, Oct. 23 for a 7:15 p.m. kickoff.

“Ripon Christian is a great team, so we can’t really celebrate too much,” Santos said. “We got a big game coming up next week.”