31st annual homecoming game represents character of FC

After a week of buildup and anticipation, the 31st annual FC homecoming game kicked off, Oct. 16. Throughout the week, students participated in events such as dress-up days, rallies, and lunch activities to build momentum for the football game and homecoming ceremony ahead of them.

Queens, kings, and princesses arrived at 5:30 p.m. sharp to take photographs in the gym. The young men were buttoned up in formal apparel and the ladies dazzled in luxurious dresses. The court gathered together to photograph their glamorous night.

Girls in adorned in colorful gowns and sparkling accessories began to stream onto the field for the pre-game announcement of princesses, which took place at 6:30 p.m. The princesses soon made their way off the field, and the game, in which the Eagles went head-to-head with Faith Christian, commenced at 7 p.m.

The moment many members of the audience had been waiting for began at halftime: the announcement of the official homecoming court winners. A league of Cadillac’s drove the nominees onto the field. After exiting, most the female court members were escorted by their fathers. The king nominees walked to their position alone, while being introduced to the crowd. After the queens and kings were given an introduction, the victor from each grade was listed, beginning with freshmen and ending with seniors.

Collin Winegarden, a homecoming king nominee from the previous year, along with Ivette Ibarra, previous queen, were given the honors of crowning the 2015 homecoming court.

The results of the winners are as follows:

Freshman Princess: Julia Fikse
Sophomore Princess: Mariana Fikse
Junior Princess: Jenny King
Senior Princess: Nicole Hudecek

Prince: Tyler Breedlove
King: Kevin Garcha
Queen: Alexis Kalugin

Quarterback for the Eagles, Tyler Breedlove, had a night chock-full of excitement. After two quarters assisting his team in defeating Faith Christian, 60′-0′, Breedlove stepped to the red carpet as a king nominee. He was named senior prince, and humbly congratulated Garcha on his win.

“It was alright, I didn’t expect to win, but when I found I won, I was really excited,” Breedlove said. “The highlight of my night was probably scoring three touchdowns in the football game. Obviously, winner runner up, or ‘prince’, was pretty tight. I’m glad Kevin got king, because he deserved it.”

Sophomore nominee, Erin Wilson, enjoyed her second year of being a part of the court. The lowlight of her day was the ache in her feet after running around the field in high heels.

“Ive had a great time today,” Wilson said. “The only regret I have is wearing high heels, but Im having the time of my life. When it started raining the leadership class started cleaning up and my friends and I had a great time in the rain.”

Eagles linebacker, Chris Kollenkark, also played in the game and then ran to the front of the stands in football gear to be introduced. Kollenkark enjoyed the bonding that occurred with his fellow kings through the activities woven into the week.

“The game was really good,” Kollenkark said. “I think it exceeded my expectations. The team played well, and I’m very proud of them. My favorite part was probably when Nick, our backup quarterback, went running in for a touchdown. It was a really fun time, throughout the whole week, the king nominees didn’t know each other, and we all became very close. The finale was great, and I”m happy with the people that won. Overall, it was a good experience.”

Classes compete, awe crowds with intricate floats

One of the favorite aspects of homecoming is the friendly competition that cultivates amongst classes. During the week, each class earned points from their performance in dress-up days, school spirit and lunch activities.

As is tradition, each class crafted a float that accompanied the theme of ‘Homecoming from around the world’. Students spent weeks congregating at various houses to paint, build and arrange their floats.

Floats were then judged on quality and creativity, which would be the final factor in which class would nab the overall victory. Judging by the expressions of onlookers, no float lacked originality or content.

The freshman class made their debut with a Paris-themed float. Styled as a Parisian shop, the class did not lack in originality. The characters dressed-up on the float passed out tasty butter treats, a French specialty.

Sophomores took a less conventional approach, tackling the nation of Canada. The float bore a wooden theme, featuring a giant outhouse, which was hand-made by students. A bold Canadian flag swayed in the wind and sophomores pranced around their float with hockey sticks and traditional skis.

The juniors exerted a tropical vibe, presenting Hawaii. Their float gave the taste of a warm luau, with a bright backdrop and palm trees. Juniors greeted admirers with free slushies and smiles.

Finally, the senior class made their final mark with an Italian landscape. A large, hand-made bridge laid in the center of the float. Beneath the bridge flowed an artificial blue canal, with a paper-mache gondola ‘floating’ through the streets of Venice.

Every class put hours into their float, and there was no float that failed to impress. However, a winner had to be picked from the four. Overall, floats were judged on the number of onlookers they impressed, and their sheer quality.

The results of the float competition went as follows:

First place: Juniors

Second Place: Sophomores

Third place: Seniors

Fourth place: Freshmen

Carlee Whipple, member of the sophomore class, was ecstatic at their accomplishment in earning second place, regardless of their underclassmen status.

“Even though it’s only my second homecoming as a high schooler, it was the best I’ve ever had,” Whipple said. “The sophomores got second place, which was amazing, because underclassmen usually don’t do very well! The rain also added to the memory. I think that next year will be even better, but I hope that my class wins first place.”

Freshman Suky Cheema was satisfied with his classes’ float, even thought they did not get a high ranking.

“Our float looked amazing,” Cheema said. “Even though we got last place, I think we did very well for freshmen. We set a new standard and I’m impressed with how my class pulled together. Over the next few years, we’re only going to get better. Keep your eye on the class of 2019!”

Senior Courtney Messer was slightly disappointed in her classes’ ranking, but made the most of her final homecoming.

“Most of the seniors were pretty let down that we put in so much work and only got third place,” Messer said. “But there’s nothing you can do. It’s better if we just have a good attitude and lead by example. The most important part of making floats is the experience and the memories we make, not just winning. Overall, homecoming was amazing and I think this was a great senior year homecoming to be remembered.”

This writer can be reached via Twitter: @_chloemueller and via email: Chloe Mueller.

For more on ‘Homecoming from around the world’, read King and queen lip sync battle sets new homecoming tradition. For a glimpse at last year’s homecoming, read 30th annual homecoming unites school, finalizes spirit week (VIDEO).