It was a special night – and perhaps a glimpse into the not-too-distant future – as roughly 30 young ‘Cougars in the Making’ stood side by side with varsity football players on Engel Field.

The event was open to kindergarten through sixth grade boys, who signed up for the experience, getting to be a Cougar for the Friday, Aug. 30 varsity game.

Sign-ups were taken over the summer and the young participants had their names announced on Friday night by public address announcer Steve Largent; received a uniquely designed “Cougar in the Making” football, and a T-shirt.

They also lined up behind the banner and broke through it with the varsity team, running on to the field to take part in the pre-game warm-up.

Additionally, they stood with the players during the National Anthem and received free admission to the Friday night game.

The program was the brainchild of Kate Powell, whose son Trent is a senior this year and plays on the varsity football team.

“I just thought it would be great to have the younger kids here, some with their older brothers and cousins,” Powell said. “I thought it would be an awesome community thing to bring everybody together.”

Many kids were able to be paired up with older relatives on the varsity team while others were not family, but enjoyed the camaraderie of the football experience with their assigned buddy.

“They did a practice yesterday (Thursday), did a run through, they got their shirts yesterday and then today (Friday) met back up again with their buddy to run out onto the field,” Powell said.

The participants also received the specially designed football and were able to take that out onto the field as they stood with their buddy during the playing of the National Anthem.

It was open to boys only.

“Just boys, because we do the cheerleading (Tiny Cougars program) for the girls but there was nothing for the boys,” Powell said.

The $75 cost per participant goes back to the program, directly benefitting EHS football.

Powell said it turned out to be a successful event and likely is one that will be offered again.

“I think the high school boys actually really embraced the younger students and enjoyed it,” Powell noted. “And I think the young ones really loved it too, so we’ll have to continue this on.”

For Escalon High School Athletic Director and varsity head football coach Andrew Beam, it added another dimension to the home opener for the Cougars.

“Kate Powell and Ilda Medina put that whole fundraiser on and even though it seems like they’re (young Cougars) a long way away from playing in high school, it really isn’t that far,” Beam said. “It was great to see younger brothers, cousins, coach’s kids all out there.”

He added that watching many of the ‘Cougars in the Making’ crowding around injured varsity captain Sam Jimenez to visit with him Friday night “tugs at your heartstrings” and was a poignant moment felt by many. Jimenez is out for the season after undergoing surgery due to an injury.

“He’s handling it well, with good maturity,” Beam said.

The game itself, pitting the varsity football Cougars against the visiting Golden Valley Cougars out of Merced, was the home opener for the 2024 squad.

“This was just our fourth game on our field in a year and a half,” Beam said, with renovations and improvements forcing the 2023 squad to play most of their games on the road.

“When I pulled up about 3:30 p.m. (Friday) and got out, the first thing that hit me was the smell of that barbecue,” Beam said of the famous Engel Field tri-tip. “From the food, to our cheerleaders, our kids singing the Alma Mater after the game in front of the crowd, win or lose; those are all traditions that make this a special place.”

Beam also gave a shout out to the Sports Boosters, the maintenance department and the school administration for getting everything in place for a successful home opener. The varsity team, meanwhile, got its job done as well, winning the contest.

Now, they look ahead to hosting Oakdale on Sept. 6. The Mayor’s ‘120 Cup’ is on the line; Escalon won on the road at Oakdale last year to bring the trophy to Escalon and they hope to defend the Cup this time around.

“I think Oakdale is going to travel really well,” admitted Beam. “People have wanted to see this game for a long time and Oakdale is going to come in with some motivation after losing last year.”

The coach is hoping for plenty of crowd support on the home side of the stands for the non-league contest. Kickoff on Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m.