ONE LAST TIME

Before the football game on Halloween, 177 seniors from fall sports, band and ROTC walked with their families and friends in recognition of their work and accomplishments. Throughout the day and night, football, cheer, dance and band shared tears, hugs and laughs as they gave gifts, took pictures and performed.

 

“I think it's so fun to get to celebrate being seniors together, just one last home game,” senior dancer Evie Summers said. “It's so cool that everyone's families come down to walk them and come watch them walk. It's so much fun just to be together with a bigger community for the last time.”

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Within cheer and dance "families" and band sections, underclassmen got gifts for their seniors. From her littles, senior cheer captain Kendall Long received a blanket, a picture frame, snacks and flowers. 

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“It just made me feel really happy to feel that they appreciated me, and I really love my little family so much,” Long said. 

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While most senior football players, cheerleaders, dancers and band members continued to play and cheer like usual, many found it hard to forget it was their last regular season home game.

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“I felt a little more edged because it's like the emotions were hitting,” senior football player Nichael Rucker said. “It's senior night; it's starting to become real that you won't play high school football no more.”

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“I was definitely more hyped tonight because I wanted to make tonight  the best, just to have something to remember,” senior band member Ethan Stokes said. “In the stands, I put a lot of energy into my moves.” 

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Each group commemorated in their own way: all of the senior football players were captains at the start of the game, dance seniors wore their pom dresses from the previous year, every senior cheerleader got to fly and band had a trombone suicide senior solo. 

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“It's very bittersweet because I'm really excited to move on and go to college, but it's also sad because it's the last regular game that we get to perform at here,” senior dancer Lyla Spicer said. “I've been cheering here since I was in seventh grade, and all the years before that—I really wanted to be able to cheer down here, so it just means a lot to me.”

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In band, director Keith Matthews looked to the seniors to set the example alongside the section leaders. 

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“I'm held to a higher standard as an individual, and I'm also called to hold everyone to a high standard to make sure everyone's behaving, they're playing their music right and they're showing up time on time for rehearsals because we have a state championship to win, just like football.” senior band member Elijah Atkinson said. 

 

Not only were the seniors almost done with their high school careers, the clock was ticking on the seniors’ time left with the underclassman they had formed friendships with. 

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“They've helped me through every up and down that I've been through,” senior cheer captain Avynne Hart said. “Like if I'm having a bad day at school, I can come to cheer and talk about it with my stunt group.”

 

“I got so many brothers. They've all taught me so many different things and just made me the person I am today,” Rucker said. “I just can't thank my brothers enough for doing all the amazing things that they have taught me and did for me.”