By MIKE BUSH
Special to the Times
DAVIS – Escalon High School varsity football head coach Andrew Beam took 23 players into Yolo County on Friday, June 26.
That is where the Cougars competed at the Shredville 7 On 7 Passing Camp, which the UC Davis football program conducted. This was one of two tournaments they traveled to during the month of June, with Fresno State being the other.
Escalon had a strong showing at the UC Davis tournament, going 5-0 in pool play as it defeated former Trans-Valley League rival Patterson, along with Woodland, Alameda, Cosumnes Oaks of Elk Grove and Woodland again in pool play. Most of the schools competing at the tournament played another school in pool play twice.
“Offensively – we stress running what we actually will run during the season – with a new quarterback and wide receiver corps,” Beam said. “This is as close to game speed as we can get for them.”
Beam said that on defense, it’s the Cougars’ normal schemes that were used at the UC Davis tournament.
“We don’t deviate from what we would normally run,” the coach pointed out.
That was very effective for Escalon in pool play along with being one of the 24 teams – there were approximately 40 high school football programs taking part in the tournament on Friday – advancing into the single-elimination round.
The Cougars played and defeated another long-time rival in the first playoff game in Linden. Escalon knocked out Colfax in the second round of the playoffs. But the Cougars’ run ended in the following round, losing to eventual tournament champion Chavez of Stockton. Incidentally, Escalon will play Chavez in a non-league game at Engel Field in September.
“We want them to compete, execute our offensive and defensive scheme(s) and rise to the challenge that a long day of a 7 (versus) 7 tournament can be,” Beam said.
Starting on Wednesday, July 1 and running through July 14, all fall, winter and spring sports programs preparing for the 2026-27 season will observe the section’s ‘dead period.’ Coaches are prohibited from communicating with their student athletes, and cannot conduct any type of workout.
“They need to stay active,” said Beam, who is also the Escalon High School athletic director. “They need to find some leaders to organize running and throwing routes. We want guys to rest but also take the initiative of finding a way to lift and run on their own.”
High school football programs can conduct voluntary workouts beginning July 15.
On Monday, Aug. 3, all football programs can officially begin practices.
Escalon, which went 5-6 including a 3-3 record in the TVL during the 2025 season, will open its 2026 campaign at home in a non-league game against Liberty Ranch of Galt on Friday, Aug. 28.
The Cougars follow that contest with home games on Engel Field against Chavez on Sept. 4 and Oakdale on Sept. 11, then close out the preseason at Damonte Ranch High School in Reno, Nevada on Sept. 18.
Escalon opens Trans-Valley League action at home against Ripon Christian High’s squad on Sept. 25, which will also be observed as Homecoming for Escalon High School.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist who was born and raised in the Central Valley. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia and Instagram @mikebushmedia
