A fun, festive atmosphere, a trio of exciting basketball games, and new royalty added up to a Homecoming evening to remember at Escalon High School on Friday night, Jan. 30.
With an overall theme of Cirque Du Escalon, the high school grade levels each adopted a different theme for the ‘float’ parade in between the JV and varsity basketball games in the gym and a new Homecoming King was crowned during halftime of the varsity contest.
The evening featured a thrilling, buzzer-beating winning shot for the Escalon JV boys, while the freshman and varsity teams took single digit losses. (See stories, photos in Sports, Pages A12-A13.)
Senior Caleb Mullen received the crown as Homecoming King and obliged the chants from the crowd to ‘Kiss the Queen’ – none other than Homecoming Queen Julie Victorino, who was crowned during the football season. Mullen, one of the football team captains, presented Victorino with a signed football from the team during her coronation back in September. She returned the favor at center court, placing the crown on Mullen’s head.
The son of Robert and Tabatha Mullen, Caleb has three siblings, Ricky, Amanda and Alyssa. He plays football and baseball for the Cougars and is involved in the Peer Interaction Team. He is looking at both UC Davis and Pepperdine and hopes to go into psychology or business.
His best high school memory, he said, was “beating Ripon in the pouring rain” on football’s Senior Night at Engel Field and “coach Loretelli finishing the night off sliding through the mud.”
He was nominated for the King honor along with fellow seniors Wesley Dick, Cody Franks, Collin McCrary and Chapman Mello.
Mullen thanked his family, friends, teachers and coaches for their support and urged his schoolmates and underclassmen to “embrace every day because it all goes by too fast.”
Juniors Farley Moore and Jacqueline Perez served as emcees for the evening as part of their Homecoming Commissioner duties and announced the winners of the float competition as well as introducing all the King candidates.
Float winners were the seniors in first place with their ‘Ring Leaders’ theme while second place went to the sophomore ‘Clowns’ float. Third place was the ‘Circus Elephants’ float put together by the juniors and ‘The Freak Show’ freshmen were fourth.
Mullen said he was taken by surprise but extremely pleased to hear his name called as the Homecoming King.
“I loved it,” he said. “We had a nice pep rally today, the week was a lot of fun. I’m happy.”
