As the Cougars burst through the banner and stormed on to Engel Field, it was a signal that Friday night football is back.

The festivities on the Escalon High School campus Aug. 28 also featured recognition for a couple of special people.

There was a video board tribute to the late Al Bellinger, a longtime member of the Escalon American Legion Post who for many years coordinated the colorguard to present the colors at Friday night home games.

“We just wanted to do something,” varsity football head coach and Escalon High School Athletic Director Andrew Beam said, noting that Bellinger was not only instrumental in making sure the colors were presented on Friday nights but also had a long history of community and sports involvement in Escalon.

He passed away in late October of 2025 and the video tribute included several pictures while information about his life and years of service to Escalon were read by PA announcer Steve Largent.

When it was time for the coin toss, the four Escalon captains for this season – Ethan Butler, Dylan Ball, Conner McDowell and Caleb Boatman – were joined by honorary captain Gary Ball. He served as a teacher and coach for many years in the Escalon Unified School District and also was the athletic director at one time. His career and accomplishments were noted by Largent as Ball got to accompany the captains, including his grandson Dylan, to midfield for the toss prior to the kickoff of the game between Escalon and Liberty Ranch.

Again, said Beam, it was a way to recognize Ball for his many contributions and he hopes to have an honorary captain for the coin toss at each home game this season.

As far as the game itself, it went on the books as a 28-24 loss for Escalon but, going up against a team like Liberty Ranch, which returned most of its starters, Beam said he was pleased to see the Cougars battle tough and hang in against a quality opponent.

For junior Dylan Ball, who scored the first touchdown of the season for Escalon on a 95-yard kickoff return after Liberty Ranch scored on the opening possession, he said there were things that went well but things they definitely need to work on.

“We realized our defense couldn’t do it the whole time,” Ball said of trying to get the offense into more of a rhythm in the second half, as they trailed 21-17 at the break. “I feel our offense had to step up and we did as much as we could, we still have things to figure out but at the end of the day, this was really good. All of these (Liberty Ranch) guys are returning starters from last year, they all have a lot of experience, we’re a young team but I firmly believe we’ll figure it out.”

The schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the Cougars will welcome in Chavez for the Sept. 4 contest.

“I just really want to play them again, we played them 7 on 7 over summer and they beat us,” Ball said of Chavez, “but I don’t think they can stay with our physicality this year.”

Scoring two of the team’s touchdowns against Liberty Ranch was junior Jake Ferreira, first on a pick six and then on a pass from sophomore quarterback Archer Sanders on a 26-yard pass play.

“We all didn’t have a good first half, we need to put up more points,” Ferreira said of talking about the second half game plan during the halftime meeting in the locker room. “We have to work harder … we just have to sharpen our team up right now.”

For senior captain Conner McDowell, who led the team in tackles, he said there were some bright spots and staying within a few points of Liberty Ranch was important.

“We’re getting there, we’ve just got to finish the play, do our jobs,” he said of sometimes giving up too many yards to the Liberty Ranch offense after first contact.

But he definitely saw the building blocks that can add up to victories for the 2026 team.

“I think we can have a really good season,” the senior shared.

Junior Kolton Kjellberg, one of the team’s tallest players at 6 feet, 7 inches, agreed with McDowell that there is a good foundation overall for this year.

“I think our defense was really on point, at the start we had some rough spots but coming in to the second quarter our defense really tightened up,” Kjellberg said. “I think we’ve just got to get the ball moving on offense, less mistakes, we were first and goal at the five and then we had an offsides so it was first and 10 … we can’t have those mental mistakes and I think we’ll fix them and next week we will be back stronger.”

With several Escalon players on both sides of the ball seeing their first varsity action – against a seasoned team like Liberty Ranch – Kjellberg said there were some solid efforts.

“I’m really proud of a lot of guys for stepping up,” he said, noting the contributions of Ryan Huebner, Noah Gonsalves and Curtis Thomas as helping to make a difference defensively.

Friday night’s game this week will see Escalon hosting Chavez, a team they lost to on the road last season in a game where they also lost some starters to injury. Head coach Beam and the rest of his staff would like nothing better than to get the win at home, with Senior Night festivities also being planned.

“It’s almost a must-win situation for each team in week two,” Beam said, as Escalon lost their opener and Chavez fell to Franklin of Elk Grove by a 34-14 final.

Preseason games are crucial for getting all the right pieces in place and Beam said the Cougars are aiming to fit the puzzle together.

“This team is looking forward to the opportunity,” he said.

Varsity kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Friday, at Engel Field.