Gillian Michalak

“I think this opportunity brought us close together,” junior player Cassie Cunningham said. From left to right, juniors Nadia Wodziak, Annabelle Dierking, Savannah Beasley, Addyson Wolfe, Emma Miley and Morgan Sadelski.

On Sept. 26, the annual Homecoming girls flag football game took place, featuring competition between juniors and seniors. Kickoff was at 7:45 p.m. on the football field and ended with a hard loss for the juniors, with the score being 42–0. 

The flag football game is an annual Homecoming week tradition that occurs on the Thursday before the Homecoming dance.

 Both junior and senior girls are coached by varsity football players that instruct the girls on different plays and strategies to win the game. 

“We had practice about two times a week and the coaches would separate us into positions and we would practice on each other. We practiced throwing, catching, defensive vs. offensive line plays,” junior player Nora Miller said. 

Despite the numerous practices and efforts made by both coaches and players, some went into the game unsure of the outcome. 

“I did not feel confident going into the game and it shows because we kind of lost by 42 [points],” junior player Cassandra Cunningham said. 

Last year the turnout of the game was different as the juniors (Class of 2025) won against the seniors (Class of 2024) 27–12. Utilizing their pure dedication and competitiveness, the seniors this year were able to secure another win.

“Our coaches were very good but the [seniors] had more experience from the previous year,” Cunningham said.

After the game, the juniors were not happy with the outcome. Eventually the disappointment wore off and the juniors were able to enjoy the time they spent with one another while preparing in the past few weeks.

“After the game we were a little humiliated that we lost by that much, but we all had fun. Everyone’s frowns turned upside down really quick and we were all happy with the time we spent together,” Miller said. 

The annual flag football games are not only a great way to create more friendly competition through Homecoming week, but always plays a big part in drawing the senior and junior class together by making many memories. 

“I became friends with more people and learned a lot about them while we played on a team together,” Miller said.