The stage was set and both the host Escalon and visiting Oakdale teams wanted the win. But before the varsity football game at Engel Field inside Memorial Stadium on the Escalon High School campus, there was some other business to attend to.
Friday, Sept. 11 was the 25th anniversary of the terrorists attacks that ushered the United States into the War on Terror and cost thousands of innocent lives. Hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers in New York City, damaged the Pentagon and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, short of its target, as passengers fought back against the hijackers.
Community members from both cities stood for the presentation of the colors – a huge American flag on loan from the San Francisco 49ers – and watched as students from Escalon and Oakdale high schools unfurled it across a large portion of the football field. With the National Anthem performed by EHS alum Cortney Ball, the huge flag rippling in the evening breeze and a moment of silence observed by all, it was a touching reminder of what Sept. 11 means and how, 25 years later, the words “Never Forget” still ring true.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been that moved for a moment of silence and the National Anthem,” admitted Escalon head coach Andrew Beam. “We had Oakdale and Escalon kids, that huge flag surrounded by our kids and with the speakers turned up, I hope the whole town of Escalon could hear Cortney singing … that is the most moved I’ve ever felt.”
On the football field, the game went into the win column for Escalon after a hard-fought contest against the visiting Mustangs. In the Battle of 120, each team has now won twice since the introduction of a ‘Mayor’s Cup’ trophy. Escalon claimed it the inaugural year, Oakdale had won it the last two, with Escalon taking it back with a 21-14 decision this year. The trophy will be presented to the team once it has been engraved with the final score.
Aside from the victory and the pageantry for the remembrance of the many victims of 9/11, the night also included a special halftime celebration.
Many players from the 1996 Cougars, a varsity team that went 13-0 and earned a state championship, were honored on the 30th anniversary of that memorable season. They signed a commemorative jersey that will be donated to the Escalon Sports Boosters for an auction and also had some highlights of the season shown on the scoreboard.
Organizing the reunion on the field were teammates Frank Borba and Aaron Martin.
A junior that season, Martin said it was great to reunite and share stories from years ago.
“It feels surreal, it really does,” Martin admitted. “Some of my teammates I hadn’t seen in 30 years; others I had seen around but it just felt good to reconnect with them and just bring some of the memories that we had over the years back on this field. It really was meaningful and it fills my heart.”
He also said he hoped that the presence of the ’96 team provided some motivation to the 2026 team to get that all important first win of the season.
“I think even when we would play, back in those days, we would look up to the players that came before,” Martin noted, adding that it was also important that the 1996 team was joined on the field by some of their coaches and support personnel.
He said it was a reminder of what can be accomplished when everyone works together toward a common goal.
“I hope that they take something away from this,” Martin said of this year’s varsity squad. “They can turn this into something really good.”
After starting the season 0-2 against two very good teams in Liberty Ranch and Chavez, Escalon needed to get on the winning track.
Helping out in that regard was sophomore quarterback Archer Sanders, who threw a touchdown pass, ran for 80 yards and settled in under center.
“It feels great, honestly, we started to realize after those two losses early on in the season who’s really in our corner. I feel like tonight we proved who our ride or die’s are,” Sanders pointed out. “I feel like we proved, as a team, if we work together and be confident, take those practice reps seriously, we can do something great this year.”
One of this year’s team captains, senior Caleb Boatman, said it was wanting to recapture that Battle of 120 team trophy that was very motivating for the team as they took on Oakdale.
“We lost two really close games in a row and we really needed one win to get us back on track,” the senior said. “We wanted the ‘get back’ from last year and that really boosted our fire for the game.”
He pointed to an outstanding effort by the defense as well as a strong game from quarterback Sanders as being crucial to the outcome.
Junior Luke Gutierrez said all of the ceremonies, including the 9/11 remembrance, made for a bittersweet day.
“It was so important, it was so great to be able to come out here and hold the flag before the game,” Gutierrez said. “It brought spirit to our team; it made it really important to us.”
For junior Dylan Ball, also a team captain this year, he said it came down to a matter of confidence for the Cougars.
“I think, all week, we knew we were the better team overall,” Ball said. “We were preaching that it just came down to physicality … all throughout the week, after practice, before practice, during practice, we had to be physical; we knew it was going to be rough in the middle and that’s what it was. It was a physical game but we kept persevering and we made it happen.”
