A sure sign of fall, the grill will be fired up at Engel Field on Friday night and the Cougars will welcome the Calaveras Redskins to town for the home opener of the 2015 football season.

The JV game is slated for a 5:30 p.m. kickoff, the varsity for 7:30 p.m.

“We have had some great battles,” Escalon head coach Mark Loureiro said of meeting up with Calaveras over the years, in everything from preseason to Section championship games.

Both varsity squads lost their season openers this past week, Escalon falling to Patterson (See story, photos in Sports, Page A7) and Calaveras taken down by McNair. So each will be extra hungry for a win to even their season records at 1-1.

Escalon came out of the game at Patterson with a few bumps and bruises but no major injuries and Loureiro said they are definitely looking forward to getting back to business on their home field and playing in front of the hometown fans.

The Redskins, under head coach Jason Weatherby, play in the Mother Lode League and sport Cardinal red and Vegas gold uniforms. Returning quarterback Dylan Byrd, 6-4, 200, will lead the team in a run first, pass second offense, paced by leading rusher Cameron Moore, a fullback and middle linebacker, coming in at 6-1, 210. Top receiver is Trevor Ramirez, 6-0, 185, who also plays at defensive back, and tight end/linebacker Shane Torre (6-4, 220) should also figure in to the Redskins’ game plan.

Leading the line play are Garrett Heffington, 6-5, 280 and Dakota Sims, 5-11, 250.

“They’re a very athletic team,” added Loureiro. “We should see some great match ups.”