December 10, 2024

In the end, the magic ran out for the Hughson Huskies. The team that had made a habit of amazing comebacks and last-second victories had no answer against an opponent that very well could win its second consecutive state championship.

St. Vincent de Paul of Petaluma claimed the Northern California Division 4-AA championship on Friday night, dominating Hughson 42-14 at Memorial Stadium to hand the Huskies their first loss of the season. The Mustangs (13-1) scored on their very first play to set the tone, led 21-7 at halftime and built a 35-point advantage before Hughson scored late on Eli Wilbanks’ 1-yard run.

“That’s the best team I’ve seen in my seven years as coach,” said Hughson’s Shaun King. “We were just overmatched. But I’m very proud of our boys. They didn’t quit.”

The disappointing end to a special season – and a special group of seniors, in particular – does nothing to diminish all that the Huskies have accomplished this year and over the past three seasons.

·         Three consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section championships

·         Three straight appearances in the NorCal championship game

·         A state Division 5-AA title in 2022

·         The first Trans-Valley League championship since 1998 this year

King credits the 24 seniors on this year’s team – some of whom were on the roster as sophomores and even freshmen – with establishing a legacy that will be hard to match. In particular, he was referring to his four captains -- quarterback Robert McDaniel, defensive end and tight end Max Mankins, wide receiver and cornerback Malakai Sumter, and two-way lineman Carlos “Junior” Guizar.

“They made history when they were part of three Section championships,” King said. “They need to keep their heads up high. There were a lot of teams that wanted to be in the position we were in.”

Referring to all the seniors who played their final game in black and gold Friday night, King said: “They started as boys and are leaving as great young men who will be great people in our community. Many of them have been playing together since the Husky youth program in fifth grade. They built a camaraderie and lifelong friendships. A lot of these guys will be in each other’s weddings or be there for the birth of their children someday.”

It is the four senior captains, though, who retain a special place in King’s heart for what they each brought to the program, which went 36-7 the past three years.

McDaniel was called up to the varsity midway through his freshman season. As if that weren’t enough, he also was entrusted to play the toughest position on the field – quarterback.

“The moment I remember the most is walking up to his mom and dad at a youth game and asking their permission to bring him up as a freshman,” King said. “I promised I would take care of him.”

McDaniel more than lived up to his precocious potential. He helped guide the Huskies to a state title as a sophomore, then blossomed into a sought-after college recruit with amazing junior and senior seasons. He has set marks that may never been matched or exceeded: touchdown passes in a season (34 this year), TD passes in a career (96), touchdown throws in a game (seven last year against Ripon) and passing yardage for a season (2,839 in 2023) and a career (7,767).

After much deliberation and back and forth, McDaniel announced last week that he will attend UCLA to play college football. He will complete his high school graduation requirements at the end of the current semester and transfer to Westwood in time to begin the spring semester there.

“I’ve never seen anyone so competitive,” King said. “Robert would turn the smallest thing into a competition. He never wants to lose.”

McDaniel will go down as possibly the top quarterback in Hughson history and one of the program’s best players.

“He’s a generational talent,” King said told the Modesto Bee. “I’m glad he had the confidence in us and the coaching staff to stay at Hughson. Because teams all over would want him and he had the confidence to stay with us.”

It is fitting that McDaniel’s final high school touchdown pass on Friday night was hauled in by Mankins, the Huskies’ other Division 1 recruit. He announced last spring that he will attend the Air Force Academy, where he is expected to play defensive end after sitting out a year (as all service academy freshmen do).

Like McDaniel, Mankins joined the Huskies as a freshman, but it was in his final three years that he really stood out, routinely drawing double-team blocks from opponents who feared for their quarterbacks’ safety. He finished his career with 13 sacks and more than 100 tackles on defense while also catching 34 passes and five touchdowns on offense, plus the two-point conversions that won the last two Section championships.

“He’s a special player with a very bright future,” King said.

Mankins said he will never forget his high school football career.

“It’s a historic run that we were able to accomplish,” he told the Bee. “Didn’t always have the greatest outcomes, but we still had a great three-year run.”

Sumter’s special talent was his speed, agility and athleticism. In the past three years, he caught 80 passes for 1,511 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also made 112 tackles and intercepted 15 passes on defense. Sumter has drawn the eye of some small college coaches but is likely to attend a junior college for a year in hopes of transferring to a larger program, King said.

“What people don’t know about Malakai is that he’s the nicest guy -- a great human, a great friend, just a competitor,” King said. “You can coach him hard and he always responds. He’s just a great teammate.”

The final senior captain – Guizar – may have been noticed the least because he never touched the ball or scored touchdowns, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t appreciated.

“I think he played every position on offensive and defensive lines,” King said. “All we knew is we had to keep Junior on the field. He never wanted to come out of the game. He’s taken more snaps on the line than anybody.”

At 5-foot-10 and 230, Guizar wasn’t the biggest lineman “but he played like he was 6-4,” the coach said.

“He’s a very tough kid,” King said. “He never wanted to come out at practice. Never complained about being banged up. Never said a word about anything. He’s one of those guys you have to have.”