Football: State bowl tripleheader ready to kickoff

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It’s raining again in Carson but that won’t stop football from being played at Home Depot Center. The first of today’s three state bowl games kicks off in a few minutes, the Division III matchup between Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV winner Escalon and San Diego Section Division IV winner Madison.

Escalon (13-1) is a town of almost 6,000 residents in San Joaquin County. You would think fans are filing in for a Lakers game, as the Cougars’ colors are purple and gold. They even brought their own ‘Cougar Girls’ cheer squad. Escalon is led by the tailback tandem of Josh Miguel (25 rushing TDs) and Adrian Cortez (12 TDs) and quarterback Gino Franceschetti, who averages 26.1 yards per completion.

Madison (12-1) is paced by quarterback Chase Knox (2,358 yards, eight TDs, four interceptions) and running backs Desean Hardwick (1,086 yards, nine TDs) and Jamarie Sanders (903 yards, 11 TDs). The Warhawks crushed Valley Center 40-14 last week to earn the Southern California berth.

Kickoff is moments away and Madison is lining up to receive.

We’ll have live blogging from all three games--this Division III game, the Division II encounter pitting Gardena Serra against Folsom at 3:30 p.m. and tonight’s Open Division showdown between Anaheim Servite and Concord De La Salle at 7:30.

-- Steve Galluzzo