HILMAR — Hilmar ran past Hughson on a special homecoming night, 49-7.

Hughson put the reigning Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI champions on their heels, scoring on the game’s opening possession with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Steven Morris to Damian Contreras. The drive was aided by two penalties on third-ranked Hilmar, which would score 49 unanswered points to remain in the hunt for a Trans-Valley League title.

Bryan Millan reeled in a 55-yard pass from Treven Crowley (6 of 7, 150 yards) to tie the game at 7-7, and Isaac Sharp gave the Yellowjackets the lead later in the quarter with a 45-yard run.

Millan (two catches, 103 yards), Sharp and Justin Rentfro scored two touchdowns apiece for Hilmar (6-1, 2-1), which welcomes No. 2 Modesto Christian (8-0, 4-0) next week. The Yellowjackets and Crusaders met in the Division VI final last fall, a game won decisively by Hilmar.

“It feels good to get the win tonight in front of a packed stadium on homecoming night,” said Sharp. Sharp finished with 166 yards on 3 carries. “We have MC next week and we’re going to make sure we fix up the small stuff in practice next week.”

Hilmar stretched its lead in the second quarter with a 30-yard run by Justin Rentfro. Backup quarterback Ryan Teixeira relieved Crowley in the second quarter and threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Millan to make it 28-7 at the half.

Hilmar capped the scoring with three rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. Rentfro scored on a 6-yard rush, Sharp sprinted through the defense and into space for a 54-yard touchdown, and Joao Silveria punctuated the win with a 4-yard run.

“Hughson is a great traditional program; big credit to them for giving their all in this game,” said Hilmar coach Frank Marques. “We got a big game ahead of us next week and we’re going to work hard to fix the mistakes that need to be fixed.”

Hilmar hosts Modesto Christian next week, while Hughson (5-3, 2-2) has a bye.

“We’re going to get healthy and rest up as team,” said Hughson coach Shaun King. “I have huge respect for the Hilmar program, especially head coach Frank Marques, who has really helped me out as a first-year coach in the TVL.”

Along with the homecoming victory, Hilmar welcomed to new additions to its football family: newborns Stella and Luke Santos, whose father is defensive coordinator Mark Santos.