For the first time since 2021, the football season for Hughson High School will not end with the lifting of a blue banner, as the Huskies fell by a 23-15 score to Roseville in the semifinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 4 playoffs on Friday night.
On a chilly night in Placer County, the three-time reigning section champion Huskies, seeded third in the D-4 bracket, struggled to generate much offense against No. 3 Roseville’s defense until late in the fourth quarter.
Trailing 23-7 with just under two minutes in regulation, junior Eli Wilbanks ran in for a 2-yard touchdown and freshman quarterback Hudson Baldwin connected with senior wideout Bryce McDaniel for a 2-point conversion to make it a one-score game.
Senior kicker Noe Pacheco executed a perfect onside kick to set Hughson up at the Roseville 48. Six plays later, stationed at the 27-yard line, Baldwin’s high pass to Titus Beers near the end zone’s front pylon was picked off by cornerback Justin Fischer to send the Roseville crowd into celebration. It was the third interception by the Tigers in the game.
The Huskies finished their 2025 campaign with a 9-3 overall record. The Tigers, meanwhile, improved to 10-2 and earned a trip to Hughes Stadium in Sacramento next Saturday for the D-4 section title game. This was the first year Hughson was placed in the division after their consecutive D-6 banners in 2022 and 2023 and their win in the D-5 title game a year ago.
Hughson fell behind late in the final few seconds of the first quarter when Roseville’s Mason Susnara found Oreste (JJ) Yong for a 45-yard touchdown. A 36-yard reception by Yong set up a 3-yard touchdown rush by Colton Wolfe.
The Huskies responded by relentlessly feeding Wilbanks, who carried the ball on all four plays of the ensuing drive that totaled 80 yards. His fourth rush resulted in a 14-yard score. By game’s end, Wilbanks ran for 135 yards and the two touchdowns on 18 carries.
A 40-yard field goal from Austin Chang in the waning seconds of the first half pushed the Roseville lead to 16-7. The momentum of the booming kick spread to the defense, as Dylan Gates intercepted Baldwin on Hughson’s first two drives of the half.
Baldwin completed 14 passes on 23 attempts for 122 yards. His top target was McDaniel, who ended his illustrious high school career with 58 receiving yards on six catches. He also added 29 yards of passing on a trick play to Beers in the second half.
Defensively, Beers, Wilbanks and Luke Faulkner each had two tackles for loss. Senior Brady Caldwell added a sack.
Denair blanked by Calavera in D-7 semis
Friday night proved to be a rough one for the Denair High football program, as the No. 5 Coyotes had their season ended in lopsided fashion in San Andreas, 42-0, by top-seeded Calaveras in the semifinal round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 7 playoffs.
The Coyotes, who shared the Southern League championship this year, dropped to 9-3 overall. Despite the loss, this season marked the winningest the program has posted since 2019, when it also finished the year 9-3 following a runner-up finish in the section playoffs.
The Red Hawks brought a balanced offense to the gridiron, rushing for four touchdowns and passing for another two.
The scoring frenzy began when Colton Ray connected with Ryan Cliftn for a 65-yard touchdown in the early stages of the game. Clifton found the end zone again on the team’s next drive, diving in from five yards out.
Midway through the second quarter, Enrique Hernandez snuck into the end zone from a yard out, He followed it up with a 15-yard scoring scamper late in the third quarter.
The passing game came alive again in the fourth quarter with the clock running, as Cohen Curran found Landon Patrick for a 20-yard touchdown.
