Coming off a sloppy but one-sided victory in week 1, Hughson reminded everyone why it is  one of the top teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section with a thoroughly dominant 42-0 pasting of Central Valley on Friday night.

The seven fumbles (five of them recovered by the other team) that plagued the Huskies in their season-opening 35-7 win over Ceres were gone, replaced by the machine-like offensive efficiency Hughson fans have come to expect the past few years. And the defense – highlighted by a record-setting fumble return for a touchdown by Bryce Williams – kept Central Valley in check the whole night.

All in all, it was a good reminder of the talent that has allowed Hughson (2-0) to win a state title and two Section championships the past two seasons.

“It was a clean game. Much better than the previous week,” assessed coach Shaun King, who had emphasized ball security all week in practice.

Hughson’s offense looked to be in midseason form against Central Valley, whose defense stood out in its 27-0 victory over Pitman to open the season. Pitman, though, doesn’t have a quarterback like Robert McDaniel, the Arizona-bound senior who carved up Central Valley’s secondary. He was 16-for-21 passing for 182 yards and three first-half touchdowns – one each to Bryce McDaniel, Malakai Sumter and Lawson Aviles.

“Coach (Phil) Tubera had a great gameplan and we executed,” King said.

Eli Wilbanks added two more TDs on the ground for the Huskies in the third quarter, when Hughson stretched its lead to 35-0 and officials went to a running clock.

On defense, Williams provided the biggest play when he scooped up a Central Valley fumble in the fourth quarter and scampered 95 yards for a score. It was the longest fumble return in Hughson football history.

This week, it’s an early Homecoming game against Pitman (0-2), which is still looking for its first win after falling to Consumes Oaks 27-24 last week. No matter the record, King said his team won’t take Pitman lightly.

“They’re still going to show up to play and we’ve got a job to do,” he said.

King lobbied to move up Homecoming so it wouldn’t happen after the Huskies begin their always-grueling Trans-Valley League schedule later this month.

“I did not want homecoming vs. Sonora or Escalon,” he said. “There’s a lot of distractions during homecoming and there’s already enough tension with Sonora and Escalon.”