High school teacher, varsity football head coach and now, Athletic Director.

Andrew Beam has added another duty to his repertoire, taking over the A.D. role from Nate Bartelink during the summer.

“When I found out that Nate was going to submit his resignation, I decided to apply,” Beam explained.

The EHS alum said it was important for him to make sure the connection between sports, the community and the school remain strong, as it is such a symbiotic relationship.

“Sports are very important to this community,” Beam said, feeling that as a longtime resident, he can make sure those ties are kept intact.

“Everything kind of went well,” he added of the application and interview process. “I was fortunate to get the job.”

He will add the Athletic Director duties to those he already has, including running the varsity football program and teaching classes at Escalon High School which this year will be AP Psychology and World History.

“Sheila Garside, the athletic secretary and Nae have been awesome, they helped me set things up,” Beam said of the transition. “With anything new, there will be ups and downs and challenges along the way but I am excited for something new.”

Beam has been with the Escalon Unified School District for eight years, previously working with the educational system at San Joaquin County Juvenile Hall for three years.

On the football field, he served as a junior varsity assistant football coach for several years, then took over after Randy Northcutt left the program, serving two years as head JV coach. He has been head coach at the varsity level for the past four years and the Cougars have won a State championship during his tenure, as well as this year’s squad being defending Section champions, winning the blue banner last season.

This year, he said they are looking forward to starting the preseason on the road, heading to Reno, Nevada for a Friday night, Aug. 19 game.

“I’m happy overall with the depth we have on both sides of the ball,” Beam said of how this year’s team is shaping up.

They will play the Damonte Ranch Mustangs in Reno this week.

“They had reached out, they were looking for a game and we thought it would be a really fun experience for the kids, the families and the fans,” Beam said of traveling to Nevada and many families making a mini-vacation weekend out of the trip. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we have as many fans in the stands as they do.”