Summer action on the gridiron for the Escalon Cougars saw some solid performances, according to varsity football head coach Andrew Beam.

“Our JV and Varsity 7-on-7 teams, as well as our varsity offensive line groups went to the Stagg 7-on-7 and lineman challenge tournament,” Beam explained.

The JV squad had a solid day, going 2-1 in their pool play.

“The varsity team went 7-0-1 on the day. Going 3-0-1 in pool play, getting the seven seed for bracket play, then beating Beyer, Hughson, Edison, and then Kimball in the championship game,” said Beam. “In pool play we beat Lincoln, Modesto Christian, and Manteca, and tied McNair. We beat Edison in the semifinal on the last play of the game on a pass break up by sophomore safety Chase Cummings in the end zone.”

Taking on the Kimball Jaguars for the 7-on-7 varsity title, the Cougars didn’t disappoint.

“In the championship game, we had some outstanding performances from Jamin Miller, Nate Krieger, Sam Jimenez, Talan Reider, Derek Silva, and Donovan Rozevink,” noted Beam. “The tournament MVP was Ryan Lewis; he was dominant on offense at the tight end position.”

Along with the 7-on-7 success, Beam said the lineman challenge gave the Cougars a chance to shine.

“The highlight of the night was our offensive line group winning the lineman challenge, defeating 21 other schools,” the coach said. “The events included a deadlift competition, bench press, obstacle course, tug of war, and relay race.”

The winning group included Jose Romero, Ian Armstrong, Darius Higby, Anthony Jones, and Gio Chavez.

“Our second team of juniors also took ninth out of 21 teams. Super proud of our offensive linemen,” Beam said.

Now with the CIF-imposed dead period in effect, football players will have a short break to rest and re-charge before getting started again with practices.

“I was very happy with our summer progress,” Beam concluded.