The 50th Annual Lions All-Star Football Game is still months away, but Escalon High School head varsity football coach Andrew Beam has been named to the coaching roster and will lead the North team in the competition.
The announcement came this past week, with the 2026 contest scheduled for Saturday, June 20 at Tracy High School. Also, for the first time, a girls Flag Football All-Star game will be staged just before the boys game.
If the 50th annual Central California Lions All-Star Football Game is anything like the last two in the series, the excitement meter could be off the charts, said officials.
The South team won in the annual all-star game two years ago, 18-15, on a touchdown with four seconds left. Last year, a back-and-forth contest was won by the North, 42-37, which held off the South with the help of a controversial fourth down play that could have been called an illegal fake punt.
This year’s game will be played on Saturday, June 20 at Tracy High’s Wayne Schneider Stadium. Schneider, one of the founders of the game and longtime head coach at Tracy who retired in 1994, still serves on the committee that puts on the game each year.
Coaches have been named for all four teams that will be playing in this year’s two games.
Andrew Beam, Escalon - North Football
Beam, who also serves as Escalon High School’s Athletic Director, has been the head coach at his alma mater since 2019 when he took over for the retired Mark Loureiro, who at the time was the winningest head coach in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section history and is still No. 2 behind Modesto Central Catholic’s Roger Canepa, who was a coach in the Lions’ game two years ago. Beam’s first teams (non-COVID) at Escalon went 14-1, 12-2, 13-3 and 12-2. His teams the past two seasons have not been as successful but were in the SJS D4 playoffs.
“Coach Lou always said this game was something that he’s always remembered,” Beam said. “I still remember the crushing feeling of losing in this game (as a player). I’m happy that it’s still going after all these years.”
Frank Marques, Hilmar - South Football
The acceptance by Marques to coach the South squad this year is reminiscent of the 2023 contest that was led by retiring Oakdale head coach Trent Merzon. Marques retired at the end of the 2025 season at Hilmar after a 23-year run as head coach. His final career record includes 199 wins, four SJS titles and one CIF state title.
Flag Football
David Rios Jr. of Kimball High School, Tracy, will serve as head coach for the North Flag Football team for this inaugural girls contest while Nathan Ramirez and Capri Abbasi of Atwater will lead the South Flag Football girls.
For the first time in many years, the Lions All-Star Football Game has a presenting sponsor and it will be the ALL RISE Foundation, which is the charity funded by New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge. The Linden High grad was once selected to participate in the Lions game after his senior season, but respectfully declined to play via letter as he was getting ready to start playing collegiate baseball at Fresno State. Judge is still regarded as one of the best multi-sport high school athletes (football, basketball, baseball) in SJS history.
“The Lions All-Star Football Committee is extremely grateful for this help,” committee members said in a statement. “Specifically, the donation will go toward paying for all of the jerseys for all players (boys and girls) in this year’s all-star games.
North and South team rosters have not yet been determined, though. The plan is to have the teams selected by Feb. 18, 2026.
The event matches top graduated high school football players primarily from the Stockton area against those primarily from the Modesto area. It has been played at Lincoln High in Stockton (2019), Tracy (2013-2018 & 2023-25), Modesto Junior College (2012) and at University of the Pacific’s Memorial Stadium.
