Under a sweltering sun, youngsters put on the shoulder pads and helmets and lined up for some hard hitting action on the Escalon High football field on Saturday.

The Escalon Outlaws youth football program hosted a four-team Jamboree as a kick-off event for the Motherlode Valley Football League, MVFL, which they play in during the season.

Action started at mid-morning, with the youngest Junior Novice and Novice teams taking the field. Afternoon play saw the JV and Varsity Outlaws squads getting back on the gridiron to line up against an opponent.

Teams coming to Escalon to participate in the round robin jamboree were Calaveras, Ceres and AMA – Angels Camp, Murphys, Arnold. Neighboring Riverbank, with its Junior Bruins teams, hosted Ripon, Waterford and Tuolumne.

First game of the season for the Escalon Outlaws will be this coming Saturday, Aug. 20.

During the round robin scrimmage, no scores were kept and coaches were allowed on the field to help with offensive and defensive sets. Each team had a specific amount of time to spend on offense, then switched up and played defense against the same opponent, with all teams getting the chance to play against each other in the controlled format.

There were plenty of fans in the stands for the day, many bringing pop-ups to provide some shade from the mid-August sun. The snack bar was also open while a shaved ice truck was available as well.