Running down the field with a football in her arms, Hailey Hasler, junior, is surrounded by her teammates and peers as she reaches the end zone and scores a touchdown.
The junior and senior girls competed against one another in a Homecoming flag football game on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Hasler played wide receiver during the game and scored the first and only touchdown for the juniors.
“I was really scared that they were going to throw it to me and I was going to fumble the ball,” Hasler said. “My nerves settled after the first play.”
Despite Hasler’s touchdown, the seniors won 12-6 making a comeback from last year.
“We were nervous beforehand because we did not play good last year, so we were really scared and actually getting to win this time was a relief,” Lauren Shuert, senior, said.
Shuert started off playing O-line-man during practice, but shortly after transitioned to playing running back during the game.
“We used all the same routes he had lined out for us,” Shuert said. “We all knew what we were supposed to be doing.”
Practices started in August and were held during ac labs as well as before and after school. Students had to attend at least two of them, Shuert said.
“Playing sports here, it’s really fun to have another sort of athletic thing to do with my friends,” Shuert said.
The juniors and seniors are separated into offensive and defensive teams depending on the amount of girls participating. Hasler said she was a part of the offensive 1 team and only ended up on the field twice.
Junior Principal Dr. Rick Regina, head coach of the Class of 2027, took charge of the defensive team and ensured that everyone who went to practices got a chance to play on the field.
Nearing game day, practices became more game specific and less slow paced, Dr. Regina said.
“We did a little more engaged situations, letting girls practice getting flags of other girls,” Dr. Regina said. “We just had fun comradery. Learn a little bit, roll a little bit, run a little bit.”
Forty-three junior girls signed up for the flag football game, Dr. Regina said.
“I get to meet students I don’t normally meet,” Dr. Regina said. “Seeing them outside of their comfort zone, outside of them working hard in the classroom.”
Because seniors played in the flag football game the year before, they have more experience Dr. Regina said, making it more likely for them to win against the juniors.
“I’m very proud of them, that during those 40 minutes of the game, they came to win,” Dr. Regina said. “We had fun, so we didn’t get the score we wanted, but we got the outcome we wanted.”
Hasler said she’s excited to play next year, and is looking forward to hopefully beating the juniors.
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Seniors Lilly Russo and Sienna Mabrey pose for a photo taken by Mia Parson, senior, on her digital camera.
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Juniors Kennedy Shea and Catherine Campbell prepare to line up on the field for the next play. “I’ve grown up playing softball, and when we would have our pink out game, it was a thing for our team to do batman eyeblack. So since our theme for powderpuff was pink, I decided to continue my batman eyeblack,” Shea said.
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Kate Lorenz, senior, hops onto Morgan Siegel’s, senior, back to pose for a picture. “I loved cheering on my friends that were playing, and supporting the girls I’ve spent the last four years with,” Siegel said.
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Standing together and holding onto each other’s backs, juniors Anushka Suratia, Medha Madupalli, Rithika Pendurthi, and Sruti Yanamanamanda smile for a photo.
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Excited for the game to begin, seniors Kaitlyn Peters, Maggie Abernathy, Brooke Scheidler, Sofia Chirco, and Zoey Srote, get pictures taken before playing in the game. “Even though I didn’t play, I still had a good time with my friends on the sideline,” Srote said.
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Laughing, Ashley Law, senior, gets on Ridhima Khullar’s, senior, back to take a dynamic photo together. “I felt so free not having to worry about school at that moment and just being around all of my classmates,” Khullar said.
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Mystake performs halftime dance at the flag football game on Sep. 30. Varsity Mystique creates the dance and teaches it to the senior boys that choose to be a part of Mystake.
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Freshmen and sophomores cheer in the student section to support their upperclassmen as they play. Throughout the game, the student section cheered during touchdowns and other celebratory moments of the game, such as the Mystake performance.
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Jennifer Holman, junior coach, takes a picture of Mystake after their halftime show performance. Mystake performed a dance with a compilation of trending songs.
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