The pads and helmets got strapped on Friday, while the weekend brought action on the court and on the gridiron once again, as some Escalon High School teams kicked off preseason contests.
The freshman, JV and varsity football teams traveled to nearby Modesto for a scrimmage at Gregori High School on Friday, Aug 15. All three levels of girls volleyball went to Beyer High in Modesto on Saturday, Aug. 16 for the annual GEBO – Golden Valley, Escalon, Beyer, Oakdale – scrimmage. And the varsity flag football girls were busy, taking part in a round-robin scrimmage event in Turlock on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
Some solid work by the freshman and JV teams in their turn on the football field at Gregori late Friday afternoon gave way to the varsity squad taking the field in the early evening.
The scrimmage format for the varsity Cougars saw each team having an opportunity to put their first unit offense and defense on the field for three possessions, with the second unit then getting the same opportunity. The third go-round featured a mix of first and second team players, giving everyone ample time on the field. Though there are no official scores kept, Escalon got touchdowns from both its first and second offensive units, five altogether, and the Cougar defensive units limited the host Gregori Jaguars to just two trips to the end zone.
“We were focused on just trying to work on our stuff,” varsity head coach Andrew Beam said. “We ran a wide variety of our offensive plays and there were a lot of positives.”
The first defensive unit also got to the ball quickly and often had several players in on tackles along with breaking up some pass plays run by the Jaguars.
“I like that it’s local,” Beam added of traveling to Gregori for the scrimmage. “Gregori is always a great host … and it’s close for the fans.”
He pointed to some returning varsity players are seeming to settle in well and make big contributions during the scrimmage, players including Rylan Koops, Logan Huebner, Ben Gonzalez, Jeremy Grivette, Chase Cummings and Co Northcutt.
“They looked like varsity guys,” Beam said. “And Lorenzo Teixeira was the best offensive and defensive linemen out there on the field.”
Also contributing was Dylan Ball, a sophomore who played at the varsity level last year, and pulled in a touchdown catch during the scrimmage.
“We have some young offensive line and defensive line guys,” Beam said, adding that he was pleased overall with how they played in the scrimmage.
Formal preseason action begins Friday, Aug. 22 as the Cougars host the Rodriguez High School Mustangs out of Fairfield; JV game will be at 5:30 p.m., varsity follows at 7:30 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
“We played timed matches against Golden Valley, Beyer, and Oakdale. All three levels looked good,” noted varsity head coach Shay Beam. “I think all three levels need to get more comfortable on the court together. Varsity has a girl from each grade so they haven’t played together yet. We’re going to focus more on that this week during practice, just talking and trusting the player next to us.”
The varsity team is to play in the Foundation Game at Central Catholic on Aug. 20.
Beam leads the varsity squad, with Alyssa Cogburn coaching the JV girls and Nicole Bianchi coaching the freshmen.
“JV and freshman are smaller teams this season but man, are they scrappy and great from the service line,” Beam added. “I’m super excited for this season with this group of girls.”
All three teams will continue preseason action on Monday, Aug. 25, traveling to play at Sierra (4:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m., 6:15 p.m.) and then host Merced on Tuesday, Aug. 26 with games at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.
FLAG FOOTBALL
The varsity girls kicked off their day at the round robin flag football tournament Saturday with a 7:30 a.m. match against a familiar foe, said head coach Steve Largent, as they took on the Orestimba Warriors.
“We played really well and did some really nice things,” Largent said. “There have been some rule changes. Pass rushers can now come from just one yard off the ball rather than the seven yards requirement the past two years. So that was something that was a main area of focus for us Saturday.”
The competition overall was good for helping the team learn what works, along with what “needs some tweaks and adjustments,” added Largent.
They faced off with Oakdale in the second round.
“We tried some new things out offensively,” Largent said of going up against Oakdale. “Our defense flew around and made life very difficult for them. Our last rotation was against a very solid, well coached Turlock Bulldogs team and despite the fact they had the size and speed advantage I thought we really held our own and gave them some problems offensively.”
Also new this year, the coach said, is punting so they were able to work on that aspect of the game during the round robin scrimmage day as well.
“Captains from last season, Jasmine Barron and Reagan Baker are back for their senior season,” Largent said of the team leaders.
They were scheduled to play at Gustine on Aug. 20 and then go to the Merced Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 23.
We will get a huge test, facing Merced, McClatchy and McNair,” Largent said. “We are hitting the ground running with six sophomores on the varsity and are very pleased with the incoming freshman class.”
Lisa Luis is taking over the JV program as head coach.
“She’s a proud graduate of EHS and a great competitor,” explained Largent. “She’s found her groove and is going to do wonderful things at the JV level. Loads of talent on that roster back from last year’s great season.”
The varsity head coach said he is also looking forward to good things from his squad.
“Year three and things are continuing to trend upward and we are excited to embrace the new rules, the opportunity to face some huge schools with excellent track records and continue this journey together.”
