Sonora Loses Overtime Heartbreaker

Published Oct 31, 2026 5:35 am

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Written by Zeb Drivdahl

The Sonora Wildcats lost their regular season finale Friday night, falling 35-34 to the Escalon Cougars.

Escalon dominated the opening quarter, running up a 14-0 lead on the Wildcats.  Sonora flipped the script in the second quarter, aided by questionable coaching decisions from Escalon. The Cougars failed to recover a surprise onside kick and later turned the ball over on downs deep in their own territory, both miscues leading to Sonora touchdowns. The Wildcats had a chance for a FG late in the half but came up empty when time expired. The second half was a back-and-forth affair, with Sonora adding two touchdowns on sustained drives and Escalon answering with quick explosive plays for two touchdowns of their own. Overtime started with the teams tied at 28 apiece. Sonora scored on their opening drive of the extra period but missed the extra point. That single point would prove the difference, as the Cougars answered with a touchdown of their own but converted the PAT to secure the one-point win.

Barret Salyers won Chicken Ranch Casino Player of the Game for his two touchdown performances as a fullback. Jeremy Snyder won Faust Heating and Air Hot Hit of the Game while on offense, delivering a punishing hit as a ball carrier. The Wildcats end the regular season with a 4-6 record, 2-4 in league play. Sonora will need to wait a little over a week for their postseason fate, as the CIF meets on Sunday, 11/8, to determine the section playoff brackets and consolation bowl games.