High schools: 50th Lions All-Star football will include flag football

The 50th edition of the Lions All-Star Football Game will add a new feature in 2026, with a flag football game scheduled ahead of the main all-star contest at Wayne Schneider Stadium on the campus of Tracy High School.

The two games are set for Saturday, June 20. The announcement highlighted how close recent editions have been, with the South winning 18-15 two years earlier and the North taking a 42-37 thriller last year.

Wayne Schneider, the former Tracy High head coach and one of the founders of the event, said the longevity of the game continues to stand out. He credited the support of the Lions and the participating schools for helping the showcase endure for half a century even through difficult stretches.

This year's North football team, made up of players from Lions International District 4A-1 branches stretching from Ripon to Sutter Creek, will be coached by Andrew Beam of Escalon. The South football team, drawing players from Modesto south to Madera, will be led by Frank Marques of Hilmar, who retired after 23 seasons and previously coached in the game in 2018.

The new flag football game will have Kimball's David Rios Jr. coaching the North after guiding the Jaguars to a Tri-City Athletic League championship and a 24-3 record. The South flag team will be coached by the Atwater duo of Nathan Ramirez and Capri Abbasi, whose Falcons reached the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinals.