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Homecoming 2011
The crowning of Senior Allie Draper as this year's homecoming queen yielded a bit of optimism to an evening marked with frustration as the Tigers fell to the Nampa Bulldogs in a 41-8 loss.
Not even the Polynesian Haka War Chant could protect the Mountain Home Tigers from a gridiron heartbreaker during the high school's annual homecoming celebration Friday evening.
The yearly football match culminated several days worth of contests and inner-school competitions aimed at fueling support for the Tigers, who entered last week's game with an 0-3 season record with hopes of redemption.
Activities in the days before Friday's game allowed students from each grade level a chance to express their support for the school's varsity football team as they prepared for the Nampa skirmish.
"There was a lot of pride and ownership during homecoming week. The school spirit was definitely here," said John Clark, the school's activities director. "Each class did their best to make this school look great."
The homecoming week celebration formally started Sept. 17 as each class pitched in to decorate their respective hallways using elements from the school's homecoming theme, "taking over the world one country at a time." From the Las Vegas strip to a Japanese temple, "the hall decorations all stood out this year," Clark said. "The kids worked hard to make homecoming work and represented the school and their community very well."
School principal Jeff Johnson also credited the students for ensuring the hallways were cleaned and in immaculate condition after the contest ended Thursday afternoon.
The inner-school rivalries continued into the evening hours during the week as students duked it out during a series of contests aimed at securing bragging rights for their respective class. It started last Monday as a deafening roar filled the school gymnasium as the seniors battled the juniors across the net during a "macho man" volleyball match.
An equally competitive group of students locked horns at Tiger Field in a powder puff football game last Wednesday. The match up pitted girls from the senior and junior classes, all of whom volunteered to defend the gridiron for their respective class.
Although these contests generated some rivalries between the classes, the students realize that these are friendly competitions meant to inspire teamwork, according to Clark.
"There was a lot of camaraderie among the students of all the classes -- good school spirit that helped boost one another," he added.
These earlier competitions set the stage for Friday's main homecoming events, which started with the student assembly in the gym. It included skits performed by each class, all of which sought to give the varsity football players added motivation for their game later that evening.
Meanwhile, the pep rally highlighted the winners of this year's homecoming contests. In each instance, the seniors proved their mettle as they swept the competition, winning everything from the hall decorating and spirit contests to the macho man and powder puff games.
Friday's rally culminated with the naming of this year's homecoming king. But to get to that announcement, each of the four candidates vying for the crown had to successfully navigate through a multi-stage obstacle course that included driving greatly undersized children's bicycles while wearing "beer goggles." In the end, Senior Nick Cruz walked away as this year's king.
The school spirit continued into the afternoon as hundreds of students took to the streets for this year's homecoming parade. Fans young and old lined American Legion Boulevard and East Jackson Street next to Hacker Middle School to give the Tigers one final motivational push before the night's game.