Sept. 10, 2024

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Three dominant preseason victories against larger schools only confirmed what Hughson football fans already knew – the 2024 Huskies are very, very good.  Expectations were already high coming off back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section titles and a state championship two years ago, and Hughson has done nothing to diminish them.

Friday’s 45-7 rout of Pitman on Homecoming Night followed equally dominant victories over Ceres (35-7) and Central Valley (42-0). For those doing the math, that’s a combined margin of 122-14. Hughson’s first-string defense has yet to allow a point while the Huskies have only punted three times.

Coach Shaun King was pleased with the preseason, though he said that “we’re still trying to figure out who we are.” He also dismissed any concern about the lack of competition, saying, “All three schools are double our enrollment.”

Quarterback Robert McDaniel reminded everyone why he was a top recruit of most major college football programs. Against Pitman, the University of Arizona-bound star threw five first-half touchdowns and now has 11 for the season. Three of those scores went to his younger brother Bryce for 30, 7 and 52 yards. He also connected twice with Malakai Sumter for 73 and 43 yards.

“Robert’s playing at a level now that we haven’t seen,” King said. “He’s going through progressions. It’s been like that all preseason. That’s QB play you don’t see very often at the high school level. He’s special.”

Sumter also impressed his coach.

“We’ve always known he’s fast, but now he’s fast on the field. He’s confident,” King said.

Hughson’s offense is not completely dependent on the passing game though, with junior running back Eli Wilbanks emerging as a consistent threat. Against Pitman, he used his strength and speed to run for 135 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries.

Despite the lopsided scores, Robert McDaniel said the preseason was a good experience for the team.

“Some people could say our games weren’t as challenging, but every single game we have is a dogfight,” he told the Modesto Bee. “I’m really confident in our offense. We’ve got bye week to focus on all the little mistakes and just get better every day.”

King also had praise for his defense, which has a bunch of new players this season after last year’s seniors graduated.

“I was pleased with our effort,” he said, crediting the offseason conditioning program for getting the players in great shape. “We’re playing at a high level. Our D-ends – Max Mankins and Carlos Guizar – it’s hard to get outside on us.”

Pitman’s offense struggled the entire game against the Huskies’ aggressive defense. The Pride punted six times, lost two fumbles and rarely moved the ball past midfield. Colt Foss had seven tackles while Brady Caldwell, Guizar and Wilbanks each picked up a sack.

Hughson now has two weeks to prepare for the start of the always tough Trans-Valley League schedule. The Huskies will play consecutive games in Ripon – on Sept. 20 against Ripon and the following week at Ripon Christian – before returning home to host rival Escalon on Oct. 4.

“The TVL is going to be competition,” predicted King.