It will be the job of the football team to win on Friday night.

It will be the job of everyone else to celebrate Homecoming Week in Escalon with a variety of festivities.

The Escalon Cougars will host Bear River in the Friday night finale to end Homecoming Week, with kickoff for the varsity game about 7:30 p.m.

Between now and then, though, there are plenty of activities to keep the community busy.

The five Homecoming Queen candidates were announced on Friday and are wearing their sashes and participating in events on campus this week. A Tuesday night rally at Escalon High got things started. Tonight, Wednesday, will feature the popular Powder Puff competition.

In the running for Homecoming Queen this year are: Emma Borba, Cindy DeFreitas, Tristin King, Vanessa Kualapai and Taylor Laugero. The winner will be crowned at halftime of the varsity game on Friday night.

Special dress-up days are going on all week at EHS and included Twin Day on Monday and Hippie/Tie Dye Day on Tuesday. Today is Hawaiian Day, Thursday is Disney Day and Friday will be Spirit Day/Purple and Gold Day.

The downtown parade on Friday with Grand Marshal Rick Heflin is set for 2:30 p.m.

Homecoming Commissioners Kayleigh Inman and Brooklyn Berry agreed that it’s a hard job to get everything to come together, from the night rally to the parade to coordinating the floats around the track and crowning of the queen on Friday night.

“I hope it turns out as planned,” Inman said.

For the week to be a true success, said varsity football coach Mark Loureiro, the football team needs to secure a win.

And that will be tough, facing off with the reigning Sac-Joaquin Section Division V champion Bear River Bruins.

Last year, the Cougars lost to the Bruins in Bear River by a 14-7 final, a game that Loureiro feels they could have – and should have – won.

“It left a bad taste in my mouth,” the coach said, adding that he’s glad his team gets a chance to pay back the favor on Homecoming Night.

“I have to keep kids focused on the game,” Loureiro said of battling distractions throughout the week. “Bear River is in the Pioneer Valley League, they are 3-0 right now and the defending Section champions, they have an excellent coaching staff, they get their kids very well prepared.”

Still, the rematch is a game that Escalon coaches have been looking forward to for a while.

“They play excellent defense and they have a physical style of offense,” Loureiro said. “This is an excellent team, and a great match up for us.”