As incredible as it seems, Ryan Lewis never missed a varsity football game.

Four years of varsity football. Four grueling seasons as a Cougar, playing offense and defense at a high level, earning accolades and never missing a beat, even as the preseason kicked off in August and ran Friday nights through November … and occasionally into December.

A member of the varsity football team since his freshman year, Lewis saw that hard work, dedication and perseverance pay off in a big way recently. He has signed his Letter of Intent to play collegiate football for the Division 1 Fresno State Bulldogs.

A signing ceremony was hosted in the EHS gym on Feb. 11 with family members friends, teammates and coaches all joining in the celebration.

Varsity football head coach and EHS Athletic Director Andrew Beam was the first to take the microphone at the event.

“This is a special occasion and it’s something that should be celebrated, and it’s something we all can enjoy as teammates, as family, as friends, as coaches across all the different sports; this is exciting, this is fun,” Beam said in welcoming those attending the early afternoon ceremony. “I’ll be honest; we don’t get to do this very often and so when you have an athlete, regardless of the sport, that is going to be signing to be playing at the Division 1 level, it’s something that I’m happy we could all come together for a few minutes throughout our busy lives and recognize Ryan.”

Beam said Lewis started 56 games at the varsity level for the football team.

“He never missed a start and most of that time was going both ways as a defensive end or a tight end,” the coach noted. “When you look at the games that he’s played, across basketball, football, four years of varsity (football), and to not suffer an injury, to not suffer a setback … he played through sickness … but to not suffer an injury that held you back is pretty remarkable.”

As far as the accolades, Beam said they were many; a feat that would be difficult to match.

In football alone, said Beam, “He’s a state champion, a one-time NorCal champion, two-time NorCal state runner-up, three-time Section champion, two-time TVL champion, four-time TVL first team All-League, two-time back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year.”

That is in addition to other honors awarded by various media outlets around the region.

“Pretty remarkable,” said Beam. “But what also makes Ryan unique; he’s got great grades. We’ve had plenty of athletes come through that don’t have the grades to play at the next level. He’s beloved by the student body; he was nominated for Homecoming King.”

He is someone that others on the EHS campus look up to, said the coach.

Beam also reminisced about the first time varsity coaches saw him, when Lewis was in eighth grade and serving as a ball boy for the varsity team as they played a non-league game against Oakdale.

“Standing on the sideline as our ball boy during the COVID year and he knew that the only way to go to that game was probably to be the ball boy because COVID had its restrictions,” Beam explained.

But the Feb. 11 celebration was more than summarizing the stellar career Lewis has put together as a Cougar; it was about looking ahead at what’s to come.

Assistant football coach Brandon Hoover said it was four years ago, three weeks into the school year when the varsity and JV teams scrimmaged each other.

“By the end of that scrimmage the rest of the team went with the JV team and Ryan stayed with us and he hasn’t really looked back,” Hoover said, classifying Lewis as a “coachable kid” who was a leader on the field.

“He led the team in tackles when everybody was running away from him,” Hoover said of opponents trying to stay away from Lewis. “That just speaks to his tenacity. He tracked down tackles, he would seek tackles.”

Taking his turn at the podium before signing, Lewis – still battling a cold but not missing school – thanked everyone for taking time to attend the ceremony.

“I’m beyond grateful for a chance to take the next step and I’m excited about what’s ahead,” Lewis said. “And I’m just proud to play football at the next level.”

Following the signing, Lewis posed for photos with family members, as his dad Steve, mom Jen and older brother EJ were in attendance. Several teammates from both football and basketball attended as well and enjoyed a group photo, then the soon-to-be Bulldog posed with coaches and school officials.

“It’s pretty surreal,” Lewis admitted of the feeling after signing the letter and wearing his red Bulldog attire. “I always wanted to play at the next level growing up and now, actually getting the opportunity to do that is really crazy; time flies, for sure.”

He said he is looking forward to building new bonds at Fresno State as he works to compete and make the travel team.

“It’s been a huge thing in our family with football and especially at Escalon, too, growing up watching people play football and then to play with my brother … I hope those traditions carry on for the younger generations,” he said of Cougar football remaining integral to the EHS culture. “There’s nothing better than playing here at Escalon.”