The night began with the announcement of the princess candidates during pre-game at 6:30 p.m. The varsity game began at 7 and the crowning of the homecoming court commenced at half time. Due to rain and showers, the floats were judged during 2nd quarter and the winners announced at half time.

After a week of pageantry and competitions, the homecoming court gathered in their best formal wear for pictures at 6 p.m. on the north field. The female candidates were dolled up from head to toe in an assortment of gowns and jewelry, and took photos with all their closest friends and families. The king candidates suited up in formal outfits and shoes and waited to see how the night played out.

The princess candidates were paraded in classic cars and announced to the crowd during the pre-game show at 6:30. During half time the homecoming court gathered at the fifty yard line under umbrellas due to the sudden downpour. The king and queen candidates were then given a quick but effective formal introduction.

Last year’s homecoming queen, Hannah Avila, and king, Kyle Hudecek, returned to the campus to pass down the crown to this years court. The results of the winners are as followed:

Freshman Princess: Erin Wilson
Sophomore Princess: Hannah Nale
Junior Princess: Claire Kollenkark
Senior Princess: Gabriela Siqueiros
King: Jordan Castro
Queen: Ivette Ibarra

The title of freshman princess was awarded to Erin Wilson. Wilson was surprised by her win, but very excited and grateful for the opportunity to bond with her fellow candidates.

“I did not expect to win because the other two candidates had been there for life so I thought everybody would pick them because everybody knew them a lot longer,” Wilson said. “I’m really happy that I won and I thought that this was just an amazing experience and it was all just a lot of fun. I feel like any of the candidates could?ve won. My mother escorted me and I was super pumped because of that. Being nominated was really cool because I got to get to bond and know the candidates better than before this experience.”

Senior Ivette Ibarra was stunned when she was crowned homecoming queen and shares her favorite experiences of the night.

“Getting dressed up everyday was just fun then just seeing everyone else getting dressed up makes it more real that homecoming is here and that this is actually happening and just the dress up days as a whole. Favorite part of friday night was probably the rain. It was fun even though we were all dressed up and we all looked pretty it was just fun to deal with it because like it was unexpected so it made it more memorable. I was surprised. I was expecting Elise to win but when they said my name I was like ‘what in the world’ and was like ‘dad I won’ and he was like ‘I know!’ So it was very unexpected to me.”

Homecoming king Jordan Castro, ’15, explains his favorite part about the game and his favorite memories from the week.

“Obviously when they announced my name and I heard my family and even my extended family, they just erupted in cheers for me that was the best part for me. I love pajama day because with minimal effort I have to go to school. I get to dress up in what I went to sleep in. My favorite memory from the week was the king dance. Just dancing with all those guys we put so much time and effort into it just to see it come and all the fans-students cheer was so much fun.”

Annual float contest creates competition between classes

Another cherished aspect of homecoming is the rivalry between grades, as they all compete to win the annual float competition. This year, for the first time, classes were also given points for their participation in dress-up days and the blood drive.

By the time the game started, all four high school classes had an individual float that they crafted for a theme that coincided with the homecoming theme of ‘A Walk Down Hollywood Boulevard’.

The freshmen assembled a sci-fi themed float that was intended to be a mix of Star Trek and Star Wars. This float featured green lights and an otherworldly feel.

The sophomores showed off a mobster-themed float, crafted during the era of the 1940’s-50’s. Students dressed as mafia members stood in a dark, grimy alley.

The juniors offered up a roaring 20s themed float, with a backdrop of bright lights and a party atmosphere. Girls were spotted in black flapper dresses and boys attended in high-class suits.

Finally, the senior class stunned with a western theme. Along with a saloon and bar, the seniors had cacti and tumbleweeds for props. Students on the float had on an array of western apparel – from cowboy boots to flannels.

Although most would agree that all the floats turned out spectacular, only one took home first place.

The results of the float competition went as follows:

 First place: Seniors.
Tied for Second place: Juniors and Sophomores.
Third place: Freshmen.

Senior Trevor Beal was thrilled that his class took home the win for the float competition, because he put so much hard work into the event.

“I was really excited that we won the float competition and since leadership included all the homecoming week points into the float competition, the seniors basically won the entire spirit week,” Beal said. “The seniors and I really put a lot of work into the float, so I guess hard work really does pay off.”

Although the sophomore class did not win, Amber Wilson, ’17, was content with the results of the work they put into their float.

“I loved our float because I thought it was very creative how we focused more on props than the background,” Wilson said. “It turned out exactly how I hoped it would. I would have put a little bit more organization into the props because I felt that the posters in the back were hard to see.”

Trevor Trevino, ’17, enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between classes during float building and seeing how everything all came together that night.

“I liked homecoming because this year I felt like my class had a lot more participation in the dress days,” Trevino said. “I also liked how most of the class contributed every weekend for the float building. It all came together on Homecoming night because the whole school got to see and appreciate the other class?s floats.”

Follow The Feather via Twitter @thefeather and Instagram @thefeatheronline. These writers can be reached via Twitter: @_sarapeterson and @_chloemueller.

For more features, read the Oct. 30 article, Campus halls star Hollywood dress up days: Think-A-like Thursday. For more on last years homecoming, read Epitome of school spirit celebrated at homecoming game (VIDEO).