HUGHSON — A strong fourth quarter finish pushed No. 10 Amador past No. 7 Hughson in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI playoffs, 37-19.
Amador outscored the Huskies 16-0 in the fourth quarter, blowing open what had been a back-and-forth battle.
Kicker Nash Wylie started the scoring spree with a 24-yard field goal on the Buffaloes' first drive of the fourth. The defense followed suit with a sack and 49-yard fumble recovery return for a touchdown. Caleb Sulusi later capped the scoring with a 5-yard run, completing the upset.
“We just worked as team throughout the game and pushed through in the fourth quarter,” said Amador quarterback Gunner Drake, the FrontRowPreps.com Player of the Game. “It’s all motivation heading into Hilmar. We're doing this for fun; this is what we love.”
Amador grabbed the lead on Zach Ricketts' 7-yard run in the first quarter. Hughson’s Aiden Myers later ended the quarter out with a 1-yard quarterback keeper, drawing the Huskies within one, 7-6. The extra point was no good. The touchdown as Myers' first varsity score. He was called up from the frosh-soph team and thrust into the starting lineup because of injuries.
“Aiden Myers performed outstanding," Hughson coach Shaun King said. "The position we put him in, starting at the varsity level as a sophomore in the playoffs, a week ago tonight he was playing a JV game and tonight he played in his first varsity game. I'm proud of these guys and I am proud of my team.”
Clayton Dowdy gave Hughson its first lead, 13-7, with a 74-yard fumble recovery touchdown. Amador responded as Drake connected with Gus Gedney on a 52-yard touchdown to swing the Huskies back in front, 14-13.
The Huskies closed the quarter off with a 41-yard Carlos Arreola rushing touchdown to give Hughson a 19-14 lead at halftime.
Shane Bertero gave Amador the lead for good with a 40-yard fumble recovery return in the third, 21-19.
“It took a tremendous amount of effort to push past Hughson tonight. Hughson is a quality club,” said Amador coach Bill Baker. “Hilmar is a great opponent, very successful program, and they do a great job coaching. Hopefully we'll get our guys out there and give them a good game next Friday night."
This article was written by Hughson senior Conor McGill. Follow him on Twitter @ConorMcGill10.
